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.On the other side of the highway is Crocodile Lake NationalWildlife Refuge, a completely undeveloped protected areathat s home to a healthy crocodile population.There are no publicfacilities whatsoever and, without a kayak or canoe, the refuge isalmost impossible to access.There is a parking area and boatramp on the other side of the highway suitable for parking andlaunching a canoe or kayak.OUTFITTERSSeveral outfitters offer birding trips in the mangrovesand shallow flats.Bay & Reef Company, MM 79.7, Islamorada, 305-393-0994, www.bayandreef.com.Specializing in small,custom environmental tours, Bay & Reef leads snorkel-ing, fishing, birding and Everglades tours fromIslamorada.The Everglades trips go to Cape Sable andFlamingo.They don t take casual drop-ins, so call in ad-vance to book your spot.Their service is really for peoplewho want a personalized experience.Prices start at$300 per day.Caribbean Water Sports, MM 82 OS, Islamorada atthe Cheeca Lodge & Spa, 305-664-9547, offers dailymangrove tours, snorkeling trips and tours of historicIndian Key and Lignum Vitae Key.Call ahead for reser-vations and prices.Two-hour Zodiac enviro-tours cost$45 and snorkel tours start at $40.Caribbean Watersports, MM 97 BS, Key Largo at theSheraton Resort, 305-852-4707, www.caribbean-watersports.com, runs mangrove tours in a Zodiac in-flatable as well as a Hobie Cat sailboat tour that goes to On Wheels 97small, remote keys in Florida Bay.Both vessels havevery shallow draft, so you have a good chance to see birdand aquatic life in areas not accessed by other craft.Birders or anyone fascinated by life on the flats shouldnot miss this tour.The same company offers trips fromIslamorada to Indian and Lignum Vitae Keys.Tripsstart around $40.Be sure to make reservations in ad-vance.Everglades Safari Tours, MM 102 BS, Key Largo atthe Quay Restaurant, 305-451-0943, has two-hoursunset cruises through the mangroves.These trips are avery good birding opportunity.Bridge WalksThe old bridges of the Overseas Highway offer a uniqueopportunity to get out to sea on your own two feet.In particular,the bridges by Indian Key, Lignum Vitae Key and Long Keyhave wonderful views of the flats and channels.Rarely without afisherman or two, the bridges offer the chance to see sea birds,stingrays, sharks and maybe even a turtle or two.GolfThere is a nine-hole, nicely maintained course at CheecaLodge, MM 82 OS, Islamorada, 305-664-4651, www.Cheeca.com.Cheeca Lodge is a full-service luxury hotel with, in additionto golf, tennis, watersports and a top-quality restaurant.The $39per-room resort fee covers the resort s most popular activities, in-cluding golf and tennis.On WheelsA bike path runs alongside the Overseas Highway allthrough the Upper Keys.There s not as much room onthe bridges as bikers would like, but it s still a wonderfulroute.Keep in mind that, other than a few side streets in KeyLargo, there really are no alternate places to cycle.Upper Keys 98 AdventuresOUTFITTERTavernier Bicycle & Hobbies, MM 91.9 BS, 305-852-2859, has children s and adult bikes from $8 perday.On WaterWater is what the Keys are all about (although somewould say rum) and the Upper Keys have all the verybest of the Keys watersports to enjoy.Harry HarrisCounty Park, 305-852-7161, has a small boat ramp and park-ing for vehicles with trailers.The turnoff for the park is to theocean side at MM 93 OS.AUTHOR NOTE: Personal watercraft are pro-hibited in all areas of Everglades NationalPark, which covers most of Florida Bay.Boat ToursAfrican Queen, MM 100 OS, Key Largo at the Holiday Inn,305-451-4655.The African Queen putters around the harborand weaves through some meager mangroves.But if you re a Bo-gart or Hepburn fan you ll love it this is the actual boat onwhich Humphrey Bogart reluctantly hosted Katherine Hepburnin the movie African Queen.The vessel is coal-powered and didservice early in the last century on Lake Albert in East Africa.You need to call ahead to check on departure times and prices forthe half-hour trips.The same owner also keeps the vintage ma-hogany launch used in the movie On Golden Pond.Spirit of Pennekamp, MM 102.5 OS, Key Largo,305-451-1621, $20 adults, $12 children.Going all the way outto some of the best reefs in the park, this catamaran is a stableplatform perfect for viewing the undersea world through its glassbottom.Tours last about 2½ hours and leave from park head-quarters on Key Largo every day at 9:15, 12:15 and 3 pm.Key Largo Princess, MM 100 OS, Key Largo, 305-451-4655,$18.50 adults, $8.50 children, has a basic glass-bottom viewingarea.It runs two-hour trips over coral reefs.You won t be disap- On Water 99pointed the reefs are beautiful and you cannot have a betterview without getting your feet wet.SailingTreasure Harbor Marina, 200 Treasure Harbor Drive,Islamorada, 305-852-2458, fax 305-852-5743, www.treasureharbor.com.Treasure Harbor offers daily and weeklysailboat charter, either bareboat (without crew) or with captainand crew.Rates run from $100 per day to $1,700 for a week-longbareboat charter.Offshore Sailing School, MM 61 OS, Hawk s Cay Resort,800-221-4326, offers sailing lessons from beginner to advancedlevels.It was founded in 1964 by Olympic sailor Steve Colgateand is flexible enough to arrange everything from three-hour in-troductory sessions for a family or a week-long offshore coursesaboard a 46-foot yacht.Accommodations can either be on boardor at Hawk s Cay Resort.Pricing varies depending on the num-ber of people involved and length of instruction desired.Canoeing & KayakingThe area around largely undeveloped North Key Largo andCard Sound is one of the best for paddling in the entire Keysand can be reached from a variety of roadside launch points.Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge is closed to thepublic and hard to access from the Key Largo side, but you canput in along Card Sound and poke around the mangroves at theedges of the refuge.Farther south, it s simply a matter of finding a good place to leaveyour car while exploring the tiny keys and mangroves.Paddlingacross the flats is a good opportunity to get very close to sting-rays, sharks and, sometimes, turtles.Indian Key State Historic Site, MM 78.5 OS, off LowerMatecumbe Key.Small Indian Key is a history buffs dream that saccessible from the shore.It is only about a half-mile offshore,over very shallow grass and sand flats.Wading around theseflats is great fun.It gets a little too deep to actually wade out tothe island, but there are always things to see in the shallow wa-ter here.Watch for currents to the east.Upper Keys 100 AdventuresLignum Vitae Key State Botanical Site, MM 78.5 BS, about amile north of Lower Matecumbe Key, has a mostly shallow routewith a few deeper channels to cross.This is quite a good paddle ifyou like to see birds and, of course, the sea life on the flats.Cur-rents can be strong.AUTHOR TIDBIT: Plan your trip to go out onan incoming tide and return after the tidechange. On Water 101OUTFITTERSCaribbean Watersports, MM 97 BS, Key Largo, at theSheraton Beach Resort, 305-852-4707, www.cari-bbeanwatersports.com, covers just about every tropicalwatersport you can think of, including kayaks [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]