60 min
Airboat rides on Lake Toho. Loud boat. Calm crew.
Daily tours from Kissimmee.
Lake Tohopekaliga, Kissimmee
The fan does the shouting. We do the explaining.
Every ride starts at the dock with a briefing, and the briefing comes before the throttle. Then the marsh opens up.
- 8rides, from 30 minutes to 2 hours
- 1briefing at the dock, before the throttle
- 23,000acres of Lake Toho to be on
- 0booked or held until a person confirms
The rides
Pick a length. We will explain the rest.
Three of the eight, with no prices on the page. Every ride starts at the dock, and every ride starts with the briefing.
60 min
30 min
90 minHow a request works
Three steps, and none of them is the fan.
Send a request
Use the chat or the form: the ride, a day and a backup, your party and their ages, and anything the crew should know.
A person reads it
It arrives as one tidy message at the dock. A person reads every line, not a script.
They write back
The crew confirms the date, time and details by email or a call. Nothing is booked or held until they do.
Ear protectionoffered at check-in
Before the throttle
The briefing comes first.
Your captain talks for a few minutes at the dock, and questions are welcome at any point. This is the part where the noise gets explained, so it stops being a surprise.
- Where to sit. The bench seats are up high, and the captain tells you which are yours.
- How to hold on. There is a rail. It is there for you.
- What the hand signals mean. Because a fan is a poor listener.
- How to ask for a slower pace. Nobody minds. Everybody asks.
An airboat in thirty seconds
The fan is the engine. The rest is plain.
A caged propeller
An airboat is pushed by an aircraft-style propeller in a cage, which moves air backward and the boat forward. The cage keeps hands and hats out of it.
A flat hull
The hull is flat and shallow, so it skims over water that a boat with a propeller underneath could not. That is why this is the boat for a marsh.
Seats with a view
The bench seats sit up high, and a person at the front of the boat tells you what you are looking at. The fan does the shouting; the captain does the explaining.
Wildlife you might see
We can’t promise what you’ll see. We can tell you what the marsh is doing.
Some rides are quiet and some are busy. These are pictures of what might turn up, always at a respectful distance. Your captain tells you what is around, and why it matters.
An alligator, on the bank 
A great egret 
Turtles, on a log 
A large bird, overhead 
Out across the open marsh
The crew
A captain who explains. A dock that writes back.
Captain Dee Ruiz leads the briefing and tells you what you are looking at. Mateo times the rides for the light and keeps the commentary short. Jo runs the dock office and reads every request.
Reviews
What guests wrote after a ride.
We were nervous about the noise and the briefing sorted that in two minutes. Captain Dee explained everything we were looking at. Our nine-year-old asked to go again.
I sent the request at nearly midnight and had an email from a real person before breakfast. That alone made me trust them.
Wore the wrong shoes, as usual, and the crew had a good laugh and a better suggestion for next time. The ride across the open water was far calmer than I expected.
We asked for the whole boat for my parents' anniversary. Mateo timed the ride for the light and kept the commentary short. Exactly right.
Honest about the weather. They moved us rather than sending us out, and called to explain.
The Long Marsh gave us time to ask questions about the lake and where the water goes. Learned more in 90 minutes than a school trip.
The lake
Three facts about the water you would be on.
Nearly 23,000
acres
Lake Tohopekaliga covers nearly 23,000 acres, and Lakefront Park on its north side has a playground, seating and a miniature lighthouse.
The largest
lake in Osceola County
Lake Toho is the largest lake in Osceola County, about 42 miles around, and the city of Kissimmee borders its northern shore.
Headwaters
of the Everglades
Shingle Creek is the major water source for Lake Tohopekaliga, which is part of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and, in the South Florida Water Management District's words, “forms the headwaters of the Everglades”.
Before you ask
The questions people send first.
The rest are on the FAQ page, and a person answers anything else.
How loud is it?
Loud. The fan is the engine. Ear protection is offered at check-in and the captain will tell you when it is worth putting in.
Will we see wildlife?
We cannot promise it, and nobody honest can. Lake Toho is a working wetland, so some rides are quiet and some are busy. Your captain will tell you what is around and why.
What if the weather turns?
The captain decides on the day. Lightning, strong wind and poor visibility can pause or cancel a ride. If yours cannot go, the crew contacts you to talk through the options.
What should we wear?
Closed shoes or secure sandals, sunglasses, sunscreen, and a layer for early rides. Hats without a chin strap will not stay on; leave them in the car.
Are there age or permit rules?
Minimum ages, seat rules and any limits are posted at check-in. Put the ages in your request and a person will answer before you travel. Ask the crew if you are unsure.
Send a request. A person writes back.
That is the whole system. Nothing is booked or held until a person on the crew confirms by email or a call.