Most everyone has heard of the Florida Everglades, but not nearly as many have heard about Shark Valley. Despite its name, Shark Valley is in the middle part of the Everglades, and nowhere near any water.

Everglades Shark ValleyNevertheless, Shark Valley is a definite “must see” if you are anywhere in South Florida. It’s a part of wild Florida that seems to be diminishing, but here, at least is a stronghold.

Alligators were once on the endangered list, but came back so well that they were taken off. And if you want to see gators, come on over to Shark Valley! Practically everywhere you looked there was one not too terribly far away.

In fact, I came waaaay too close to one, just by not paying enough attention to where I was walking. I never thought that there would be an alligator shuffling along the middle of a trail path, so I wasn’t exactly on the alert for them.

Whoops! David grabbed me back before I could take a step closer, as I was already in the danger zone as it was. Fortunately, this gator was sleepy and didn’t pay attention to me — I got lucky.

I’ve lived in Florida all my life, and in South Florida for about 20 years, and it wasn’t until 2007 that I ever went to Shark Valley. I should have gone much sooner, because it’s incredible.

Just driving up into the park from the Tamiami Trail was amazing — there were all kinds of people, standing by the side of the driveway, cameras in hand. And the animals? It was like they were getting paid to pose! People were taking all kinds of photos; it was practically impossible to not get a great shot.

So what kind of animals are there in Shark Valley? Aside from gators, other animals we saw included turtles, herons of all colors, egrets, roseate spoonbills (my personal favorite), ibises, cormorants and more. There were tons more that were pointed out to us on the tram tour, but I didn’t write them down — I was too busy staring and taking pictures!

Speaking of the Shark Valley tram tour — go on it, as it’s worth every penny, especially if you can get an early morning ride (but we took the noon tram and it was still excellent). The tour takes about 2 hours total, and covers a 15 mile loop. The guides are excellent and told all kinds of interesting stories (like the one about the two-timing cormorant).

Here is more information and more photos about Everglades Shark Valley.