8 Amazing Marco Island Boat Tours Perfect For Every Traveler

If you’re heading to the beautiful Ten Thousand Islands of Florida soon, there are some amazing Marco Island boat tours you shouldn’t miss!

No matter how long you spend, just about everything you see and do in Marco Island will revolve around the water, whether you’re planning on visiting the beautiful beaches, dining with a fabulous water view, fishing the local waters, or staying at a waterfront accommodation.

Marco Island is the largest of southwest Florida’s Ten Thousand Islands, and a gateway to the Florida Everglades.

Island life defines Marco Island, and one of the best ways to experience Marco Island is by taking a boat tour — a SWFL must do!

There are many Marco Island boat tours but these 8 are the best of the best.

They can take you to the best shelling spots, to see dolphins and other wildlife, and even let you assist in photo-identification of local dolphin communities.

Explore the local waters of the Ten Thousand Islands, see the famous eco-dome houses at Cape Romano — one of the more unusual sites in southwest Florida — or explore the wonders of nearby Rookery Bay.

If you’re looking for the best Marco Island boat tours, this guide has 8 great tours for your next visit!

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8 Best Marco Island Boat Tours

1. Dolphin, Birding, and Shelling Tour with Everglades Area Tours

This 2 hour Marco Island Dolphin and Wildlife Tour with Everglade Area Tours is a wonderful adventure for the whole family and a great introduction to the area.

You’ll accompany a certified Master Naturalist guide into the Ten Thousand Islands for a unique interpretive tour and shelling fun.

Depending on the season, you’ll see manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, bald eagles, ospreys, herons, egrets, pelicans, alligators, rosette spoonbills and numerous species of fish and shorebirds.

Not only will you be introduced to the great birding and wildlife, but you’ll also learn about the local eco-systems, and the Everglades’ rich heritage and long history.

This is a small group tour, limited to just 6 participants, which makes for an intimate experience in the wilderness.

We’ve enjoyed several tours with the guides at Everglades Area Tours and can’t say enough good things about them!

2. Ten Thousand Islands Sunset Boat Excursion with Eco Endeavors

Marco Island is right next to the beautiful Ten Thousand Islands area of Florida.

And while technically, there are only a few hundred islands rather than a few thousand, who’s counting!

There is still so much to explore and discover about this secluded part of southwest Florida!

One of the best ways to do so is by taking this 3 hour Sunset Ten Thousand Islands Boat Excursion with Eco Endeavors.

During this 2-hour tour, you’ll be able to see the gorgeous, greenery-laden mangrove Islands aglow with the golden light of sunset.

If that’s not enough to convince you to book, the animals you could see just might!

There’s a good chance that you’ll glimpse some of the animals living in the area, including dolphins, manatees, and seabirds.

Plus, you’ll get to take a peek at the Cape Romano Dome Homes.

3. Sunset Catamaran Cruise with Cool Beans

One of our favorite ways to enjoy the amazing sunset in Naples or Marco Island is on a sunset sailing catamaran.

There’s just something about sailing on a perfect evening enjoying a bottle of wine with friends — each of them enjoying the solitude as the gentle waves lap against the hull.

Thankfully, one of our favorite Naples sunset cruises also run sunset cruises in Marco Island — and that’s some Cool Beans!

Cool Beans runs several fun tours on Marco including this approximately 3 hour Sightseeing and Sunset Catamaran Sailing Excursion.

Soda, water, beer and wine are included as is a champagne toast at sunset!

They also offer a 3 hour day sail if you love the sunset cruise so much you want to get out on the water one more time before you say goodbye.

With quick access to the Gulf of Mexico, you will experience true sailing with limited motoring.

A stop for a swim to a secluded pristine beach for shelling can be part of the Day Sail excursion (weather permitting).

4. Explore Rookery Bay with Rising Tide Biologist Captains

If you’ve been wanting to explore Rookery Bay, one of the most pristine natural areas on the Paradise Coast, why not take a relaxing cruise to explore some of the most unique parts of Rookery Bay Reserve that few ever get to see!

Rising Tide Explorers are one of the area’s top-rated tour companies for both their kayak tours and their boat tours of Rookery Bay.

In fact, they are the exclusive ecotour partner of the Friends of Rookery Bay, and a percentage of every tour and kayak rental goes back to support this group!

Rising Tide offers 5 different tours that will take you into areas of the Reserve only accessible on their adventure tours to see some of its most amazing ecological, cultural, and historical places in SWFL with the region’s only Biologist Captains.

5. Sunset Eco Tour with Florida Adventures and Rentals

Some of the best Marco Island boat tours are eco tours.

While on these excursions, you’ll be able to learn about the natural environment in the area and how you can play a part in helping to preserve it.

A favorite Marco Island eco tour of ours is the Sunset Eco Tour with Florida Adventures and Rentals. This particular tour can be tailored to your interests.

So if you want to spend most of your time learning about the marine life in the area, your guide can make that happen.

Or if you’d like to learn a little bit about everything – from the mangrove trees to the wildlife to the shells – you can do that too!

They also run a 2 hour Dolphin Watching Tour, one of the island’s best shelling and sightseeing excursions to the Cape Romano dome houses and other tours!

6. Guided Dolphin Eco Tour with Dolphin Research Tours

There are loads of Marco Island dolphin tours available, but the best ones are offered by Dolphin Research Tours.

The guides with this tour company are extremely knowledgeable about dolphins, as they’ve spent years researching these friendly creatures.

As a matter of fact, you can even assist with photo-identification of the resident communities of bottlenose dolphins and interact with these unique animals during your tour!

Out of the three available Marco Island dolphin tours, we recommend the 3-hour Guided Dolphin Tour with a stop at a secluded beach.

Depending on conditions, you will explore the subtropical mangrove forested backwaters or head out Coon Key Pass and make your way to Cape Romano near shore waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

They also offer a private Circumnavigation Eco Tour of Marco Island, the most complete introduction to the waters around Marco Island and the dolphin communities that live here.

Along the way you’ll get a master class in the ecology and wildlife of the region while covering miles of water in the comfy pontoon boat – from Marco Island to the Gulf of Mexico to the Cape Romano dome homes.

And the longer you stay out on the water, the more dolphins you’ll see!

Even though their tours focus on dolphins, you’ll see lot of other Florida wildlife as well, including manatees and seabirds.

7. Shelling Tour with Marco Island Shelling

One of the most popular things to do in Southwest Florida is shelling. And while you can easily scour Marco Island’s shores for the most commonly found shells, you’ll want to take a tour to less visited islands to find those rare gems.

One fantastic shelling tour is the one by Marco Island Shelling. As the name of the company implies, shelling is their specialty, so you’d be hard-pressed to find a better business for the job.

On this 3-hour tour, Marco Island Shelling will take you to secluded islands, where you can find conch shells, junonia shells, alphabet cone shells, and more.

On top of finding all of these natural treasures, you’ll also get to learn loads of interesting information about the shells found in Florida.

8. Dolphin, Birding, and Shelling Tour with Marco Island Boat Tours

If you just can’t make up your mind about which of the Marco Island boat tours you want to book, you can take this Dolphin, Birding, and Shelling Tour with Marco Island Boat Tours.

With this tour, you can experience a little bit of everything!

During this 2-hour tour, you’ll be occupied by non-stop action.

As you make your way to the 10,000 Islands, you’ll get to say hello to some Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.

You’ll even get to learn quite a bit about these friendly animals from your Florida Master Naturalist tour guide.

Once you reach the islands, you can collect some of the coolest shells in Southwest Florida.

You can find dwarf arrow triton shells, horse conch shells, rose petal tellin shells, and more.

On the way back to Marco Island, you can keep an eye out for the lovely birds, including herons, egrets, ospreys, and rosette spoonbills.

If you’re lucky, you might even get to see a few other creatures, including manatees and turtles.

Whether you’re dreaming of a calming sunset cruise or an educational and entertaining tour of the local ecosystem, one of these 8 Marco Island boat tours is sure to fit the bill.

No matter what your taste, interest, or budget, you’re sure to find a boat tour in Marco Island that’s perfect for you and your family.

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