Our private vans will meet everyone at noon outside the Jacksonville International Airport baggage claim. Making our way to the Swamp, our group will stop for lunch. Upon settling into our cabins, we will have time for formal introductions, go over dry land paddling instruction, and get out on the water for a short paddle. Dinner will be served outside.

Meals: Dinner

An exciting day awaits, as we paddle through “The Narrows,” the source of the Suwannee River headwaters. There is a visitor center next to our cabins, as well as the nearby Suwannee River Visitor Center. You will have a few hours to explore the area on your own before dinner before we go on a group night-hike that evening.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After another amazing breakfast, we will load up our kayaks and paddle to Billy’s Island which is now a wilderness, but once housed thousands of timber workers, Seminole Indians, and other civilizations dating back thousands of years. We will share a picnic lunch on the island. Afterward, we will paddle and explore the Big Waters canoe trail and a few of our guides’ favorite and most picturesque areas in the refuge.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Probably our longest and most action-packed day. We pack up and get an early start, traveling 75 miles to the Suwannee Canal Recreation Area on the east side of Okefenokee. We will pass the “Trail Ridge” on the drive over and paddle remnants of the Suwannee Canal. We will also stop at the visitor center, an old homestead, and do a short hike to an observation tower where the view is incredible. We will stop off for a group dinner (not included in trip price) on our way to Crooked River, a short 45 minute drive away, where we then settle into our new cabins.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We take the ferry boat over to Cumberland Island where we have an entire day to take in the island. For an additional $16, you can rent a bike and the leaders will take you on a bike tour of the island. You can also opt to do a short four-mile hike, listen to a ranger presentation, visit historical ruins, comb miles of secluded beaches, or just relax. Ocean water temperatures average in the 70s in late April. There are no supplies on the island, so we must bring all supplies, lunch, etc., with us. Bringing a daypack will make it easy to lug your gear around all day. We have to be sure to catch the 4:30 p.m. ferry back to St Marys or we will be spending the night on the island. Dinner will be at the guides’ favorite fish house.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We will shuttle to and paddle a section of the St Marys River today. This winding river is known for its blackwater, blooming tupelo, and white sand beaches. Nice easy paddle with lots of time for soaking in the sun, taking pictures of the blooming wild azalea, tupelo, and astors.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We will have breakfast, make lunches, and pack up. A short morning paddle on the amazing Crooked River is planned and the trip will be complete after lunch around noon. Our vans will transport everyone 45 minutes back to Jacksonville at that point.

Meals: Breakfast