Six of the best

Natural experiences in the Florida Keys

Globe hopping Six of the best... / / 29

The Florida Keys are famed for their natural beauty, open spaces and abundant wildlife. Here are six ‘low-impact’ ways clients can travel sustainably and help to preserve the island chain’s unique marine environment

TIM GROLLIMUND, FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU

Help preserve the reef

Key Largo-based Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) is one of several bodies dedicated to preserving the Florida Reef. CRF’s educational programmes enable visitors and divers to get involved in coral restoration alongside marine scientists. Other organisations playing their part in coral protection include I.CARE in Islamorada and MOTE Marine in the Lower Keys. coralrestoration.org

ROB O’NEAL FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU

Enjoy an Islamorada sunset

Head out from Robbie’s Marina with Captain Sam Zeher of KeyZ Charters on an Islamorada sunset cruise. Explore mystical mangrove mazes, search for local wildlife before they go to rest for the night, and enjoy the spectacular last few minutes of the sun – cocktail in hand – before it sinks into the waters around the picturesque Upper Keys. Keyzcharters.com

BOB CARE FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU

Visit the Turtle Hospital

Since opening its doors in 1986, the Turtle Hospital in Marathon has helped to rescue and rehabilitate more than 2,000 sick and injured sea turtles from around the Florida Keys. Visitors can go behind-thescenes on a 90-minute tour to learn about five species of endangered sea turtles and join a feeding session. Whenever possible, rehabilitated turtles are released back into the wild. turtlehospital.org

ROB O’NEAL FLORIDA KEYS NEWS BUREAU

Kayak the Lower Keys backcountry

The Lower Keys are home to two national wildlife refuges, national marine sanctuary waters and a state park, all of which are filled with abundant marine wildlife. Recommend a kayak tour through the ‘backcountry’, a vast area of unspoiled shallows and mangroves teeming with plant and animal life. Lucky paddlers might catch a glimpse of the elusive Key deer. keyskayaktours.com

Take an eco-friendly boat tour

Hop on a Dolphin Watch and Snorkel tour with Honest Eco onboard SQUID, Key West’s first electric-powered charter boat. Equipped with Sunflare solar panels, SQUID provides an up-close wildlife experience while having little impact on the environment and marine life. The chance to observe the natural behaviour of wild dolphins is an unmissable, unique experience. honesteco.org

Tour on two wheels

Explore the lowimpact way, using pedal power! In Key West, Key Lime Bike Tours give riders a chance to discover the historic Old Town; further up the Keys, bike the newlyreopened 2.2-mile stretch of the Old Seven Mile Bridge, originally part of the Florida Keys Over-Sea Railroad. Or pedal the whole way from Key Largo to Key West using the 90-plus-mile paved Overseas Heritage Trail. keylimebiketours.com

ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/ BERTL123