The Everglades

Many, if not most, people imagine a swamp filled with alligators when they think of the everglades. But the reality is something that more closely resembles a vast mid-western wheat field: an expanse of sawgrass, interrupted by copses of hardwood and cypresstrees, wich, at the end of winter before the spring rains, appears totally dry. When the rain do come, and the water levels rise, this grassy plain is transformed into a unique river - over 60 miles (100 km) wide and six inches (15 cm) deep, which flows slowly southwards to the Gulf Coast and Florida Bay.

The water sources of the Everglades start with the rivers of central Florida's Kissimmee Valey. which run into the huge Lake Okeechobee, which in turn feeds the grassy waters. On its course southwards, the river passes through a zone where temperate and subtropical climates blend: this is one of the reasons for the great diversity of animal and plant life in the region, which includes such rarities as the manatee and the Florida panther, not to mention half of the 650 species of birds found in North America, as well as 45 kinds of flora that cannot b found anywere else in the world.

Make your first stop in the park at one of its four visitor centers. The staff can help you plan the best use of your time and answer questions about park facilities and activities. Informative publications about south Florida national parks are sold at the visitor centers.