Best Glamping near Everglades National Park

This is one of three options to "camp" in this part of Everglades National Park (the other two are RV sites and a large grassy area for tent camping (only open during the winter months). The 20 Eco tents provide a change of pace to regular camping, and they are nicely appointed, but they are a bit of a splurge (over$100 with tax). 

Each tent has full deck flooring and comes equipped with a double or queen bed with bedding (November– April only), a fan, 110 outlets, towels, two chairs/small round tables, and shelving with baskets. You can enjoy at least a partial view of Florida Bay from each tent.

The Eco tents have their own “private” bathroom/shower separate from the public restroom and it was clean. Unlike the bathrooms at Long Pine Key campground, there is a handicap-accessible stall. Towels are provided in the tents. 

Cooking or food of ANY KIND is not allowed in the tents as it would attract bugs and other wildlife. There are picnic tables/fire pits by the parking lot for cooking/eating but it was very windy when we arrived, so we just ate cold food in our van. All food must stay in your vehicle. You are also not allowed to use bug spray in the tent due to the flammable nature of the spray. Other rules include no music in the campground or tents. 

We were there shortly before the winter season so there were not as many options for recreation available. There are hiking trails and you can rent canoes or kayaks. Other boat tours are available, but we didn’t take advantage of any of these, preferring instead to take photos of birds and walk the short Anhinga Trail (closer to the northern entrance to the park). 

Both the sunsets and the sunrises are spectacular (if you can stand the mosquito assault!)

Flamingo is right inside the national park and is the only center with services available in the park; marina, food and convenience store, rental equipment, boat tours with park naturalist, food truck, and a pricy gas pump for emergencies. 

Once you’re all the way down to Flamingo, you’re 50 miles away from nearest town, so bring everything you need that you wouldn't normally find at a convenience store. 

Nice array of overnight options: tent camping, new canvas eco tents with electricity, camper sites and even 6-person houseboats to rent (next time!).

I found one of the eco tents that had just been converted to off season (April-November), meaning no furniture except a fan and a large lantern. Bedding etc. is all removed for rainy summertime to avoid mold. Also means you pay $50 instead of $99, great deal! Bring air mattress and camp chairs and you’re good!

Loved the experience, with 3 sides of the tent being screens – can be completely opened or covered for privacy. Woke up to a gale blowing in from the water, felt partially like being on safari and partially like staying on a boat.

Things to know:

Try for waterfront tents 3,4 5, 6, 7 or 8. 

No eating or drinking inside the tents - they’re spotless but food remnants would quickly draw bugs in this climate. There are shared tables and fire pits for guests.

Food-wise, the food truck is OK for lunch but next Time I’d pack pre-made dinner and use the store’s microwave to heat it up. Options for anything healthy at the marina store are pretty scant. But... they do have lots of Haagen Dazs flavors for dessert! 

To solve for morning coffee, I’d pack my electric kettle and a french press or pour over next time, & drink it out on the tent deck. Coffee in store not recommended.

And bring your bike, kayak or board, and trail runners. All possible right from the campsite! Luckily I had all 3 :)

Definitely an experience not to miss - and every single person on staff at Flamingo was super friendly and full of great info and tips.

We did not have enough time to do everything we would have liked. Flamingo Adventures is about as far away as you can get from the rat race. They have eco tents, dry camping and hook ups. You can camp in the open grassy tent field by the bay, or in one of the campgrounds with hook ups for RVs. When the FHU sites fill there are still lots of dry sites available. They have clean bathrooms with showers. Some have solar heated water and some don’t. We stayed in the dry area and heard a lot of generator noise but most were considerate. The marina and store are an easy bike ride along a path that follows the waterfront. Manatee activities are in the canal and marina. There are many side trips along the very long ride from the visitors center at the entrance to Everglades National Park to Flamingo. They were working on many new and updated amenities: visitor center, conference center and lodging. Crocodiles can be seen in and around marina. Many friendly people everywhere; staff, rangers and visitors.

Flamingo Campground, Florida Everglades—eco-tent

Pro: The location is superb. Ours was located closest to the water(#6). You don’t get to choose—assigned when you check in. There was a lovely breeze each afternoon and very few mosquitoes. Egrets and Anhingas were in abundance. Our eco-tent was equipped with a queen size bed, pillows, bed linens, blankets, fluffy large bath towels, a fan and bedside lights. The towels were a pleasant surprise because I had specifically asked about towels and was told “no.” The tents are located on boardwalks with embedded lights to the bathroom building (it can be a fair walk from your tent) so you can see your way there at night. There is an electrical outlet box with one spare outlet. We brought a surge protector with additional outlets so we could charge electronics and toothbrushes. Several people we met rented empty eco-tents for $50 (no beds, lights, etc) a night.

Con: a solar panel was broken wide open with water flowing out onto the ground so there was no warm water at all in the showers. The bathrooms are adequate but old and tired—cleaned once daily. Only one shower in the ladies room was working. For the price, a decent bathroom would be anticipated. There is an electrical outlet near the sinks which seemed to be constantly in use by a crockpot. (Despite a sign on the boardwalk saying for eco-tents only, this bathroom and the nearby picnic tables were heavily used by tent campers.) There are two dish washing stations at the bathroom building—faucets were not sealed and so water ran out the sides splashing on the backsplash. There are no water spigots so if you need water, you must use the dish washing faucet (the water is potable but for drinking, you might want to bring in your own as it has a salty taste). Maintenance certainly could be improved.

Eco-tent residents must use tables and fire pits close to the parking lot which are not very close. No food is allowed in the tents. There are no lights around the picnic tables so if you are cooking after dark, be sure you’ve planned for that. Also know that you cannot leave unaccompanied food at the picnic tables or the Anhingas will be feasting with abandon.

The food truck was open at the Marina. It had been closed due to hurricane damage. Because of the long new year’s weekend, the shop had no ice, no firewood and only minimal supplies like snacks and beer—lots of empty shelves and coolers. We received an email just before arriving telling us that there was no ice or wood due to the holiday long weekend so we needed to get them before arriving. We had planned to bring all our food which was a good thing given the lack of items at the store. With a 38 mile drive from the Coe entrance center to the campground and another 45 minutes to Homestead, you don’t want to have to go back to Homestead for supplies!

No internet or phone service (other than AT&T). Was wonderful to escape!!

Down at Flamingo, there’s four types of camping: eco tents, tents (A Loop), campers/ RVs (T Loop) and the backcountry chickees. This review is for the ✨eco tents✨.

The eco tents are awesome in general, but more so if you’re new to camping. Some come fully furnished with beds, nightstands, etc, while others are completely unfurnished and you can set up your own gear, so you choose your level of comfort. They also come with electric fans.

It’s incredibly quiet down there and the full moons are outta this world - no pun intended! 😉 Waking up and drinking your coffee on the shore of Florida Bay is a great way to start the day.

But there is no food allowed in the tents whatsoever. Because the walkways to and the platforms of the eco tents are elevated, there’s also no way to cook even near your eco tent. There are fire rings and picnic tables near the parking area, which is also where the bathrooms are. So if you’re someone who wakes often in the middle of the night for “bio breaks”, you might want to keep that walk in mind - or plan for an alternative.

There are bathrooms with running (non potable) water and toilets with real plumbing, but no showers.

I’d definitely recommend the eco tents for a short stay!

I gave this campground 5 stars because it feels so different than the rest of the Campgrounds available in Big Cypress Reserve and Everglades National Park. 

Trail Lakes is a proper campground which is staffed and gated just off of Hwy 41 (Alligator Alley) on the west side in Ochopee. It's open all year long. 

For me, visiting in the off season, it felt nice to have the structure of the campground. Most of the other campgrounds I visited along 41 between Naples and Miami were completely empty of people, but full of signs warning campers of Panthers and alligators - and even bears. I had no idea Florida had bears. I didn't want to camp alone, so I loved that this campground had staff and a few other guests who might notice f I got eaten.

The campground is open all year long, and has a small store in the camp office. 

The campground is built in several loops around a couple of lakes and has space for RV's and tents. If also offers cabins and some screened in open air huts (which I didn't stay in but they looked really cool). You could buy ice and firewood, as well as rent kayaks if you dared to boat through alligator swamps.

There's not much in Ochopee, so stock up when you leave Miaimi or Naples (depending which way you drive). There are a few things available at the campground store.  There is a mini post office in Ochopee which is worth stopping for a photo opp. The airboat tours which are everywhere along the highway here are definitely worth it. 

You can get their latest pricing for all their sites and cabins at www.evergladescamping.net

We got to the front gate of Everglades National Park and drove another 38 miles until we got to Flamingo Campground! It is a long, long drive!! Between hiking, biking, canoeing, and attending educational programs given by different park rangers, we had a busy week! Everglades National Park is the first national park especially designated for it's ecosystem. It's over 1.5 million acres and is the 3rd largest National Park in the lower 48 states. It has been named an International Biosphere Reserve, World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance. There are only two other locations in the world that are on all three lists!