Best Glamping near Islamorada, Village of Islands, FL

A really great place to visit if you want a taste of Florida away from all the Disney-esque tourist spots.

This park is like stepping back in time. Enjoy it and relax!

We stayed here a night before launching our kayaks out to the more remote backcountry stuff. All of your basic amenities and hella skeeters as you'd expect in South Florida.

It is a big open field, so don't expect visual privacy.

This campground offers a beautiful spot to spend a couple of days while you enjoy many other activities in the area. The swimming here is fantastic, the snorkeling amazing and the park offers several nice picnic shelters (hurray for shade). The campground also has a nice little interpretive building with several small exhibits about the flora and fauna in the area.

The campground offers hot showers and restroom facilities. There are tent sites and RV sites with hookups.

The Florida Keys can be an expensive place to stay so this campground is a nice inexpensive alternative. It can be buggy and of course, hot...it is Florida after all.

Bring your snorkel gear and a kayak!

One of my favorite places in the Florida keys. The scenery is pristine. Very full most of the time it takes a few months in advance to get a spot sometimes a year out.

Spent three days fishing and using the camper as a base camp. Caught tons of mangrove snapper, snook, and even a tripletail. Been going to Flamingo for years to fish but this was the first time taking the trailer. Would definitely do it again. 50 amp hookup worked great. Just wish they had running water to the trailer so you don’t have to refill the tank. Great experience as long as your going fishing. Not too many other things to do in the Florida heat.

In southern Florida, campgrounds don’t usually come cheap, but we found Larry & Penny’s to be a great value with close access (30 minutes) to Biscayne National Park.

At $17/night for a tent site, we got wifi, access to laundry, great showers, and a perfectly adequate site. We weren’t spending much time at the actual campground, so we didn’t mind that it wasn’t the most scenic place we’d seen during our year on the road. Larry & Penny’s was a perfect place to crash!

Visiting Biscayne National Park was a bit more frustrating. We knew going in that they had not been running regular tours out to the keys, the heart of the park, because of issues with switching to a new concessioner. We thought that our 10 days in southern Florida (visiting Biscayne and Everglades) would be plenty of time for us to figure out a way to get to the keys, but a private charter from Miami wasn’t worth it to us, so we disappointedly stuck to the mainland park.

Since we had our own kayak, we were able to skirt the shore and paddle through some of the mangrove forests in Biscayne. This was the highlight of our two short days at Biscayne, since the only other activity we could do was explore the visitor center and walk the very short boardwalk trail.

We’ll be back, Biscayne!

You can read much more about our two days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Biscayne)

We tent camped 3 nights, leaving Bahia Honda yesterday, May 2nd.

The Bath Houses were destroyed by Irma and the Atlantic Ocean area is fenced off due to damage. We enjoyed the Gulf Beach and kayaked in the Gulf. The weather was perfect, very warm days, but cool nights.

The Park is using very nice, modern trailers for restrooms and showers. Everything was very clean and had hot showers.

The Atlantic sites are gone and won't be available for maybe 2 more years, I will keep checking.

It is still one of the best campgrounds in Florida and only 30 miles from Key West.

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!

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!)

It’s true what they say: don’t visit the Everglades during wet season.

We thought we would miss the worst of the mosquitoes in mid-November, but they were still in full-swing when we spent five days here.

Since we were also visiting Dry Tortugas, Biscayne, and Big Cypress while we were down in southern Florida, we had a lot of time to camp in the area. We camped at Long Pine Key, Flamingo, at a private campground up in Chokoloskee, and at a private campground outside of Miami. For a beautiful, scenic campground experience with access to some of the best wildlife in the park, we enjoyed our time at Flamingo.

Trying to separate our positive experiences from the hoards of mosquitos that we had to fight off each night getting into our tent is difficult, but visiting the campground in the dry season (December to May) should be a lot different.

Upsides of camping at Flamingo include a free shower (in a national park?! What?!), pretty sites with palm trees, incredible wildlife (we saw osprey, a manatee, a crocodile, and so many birds near Flamingo), and the experience of being deep inside Everglades National Park.

The biggest downside (in November) was the mosquitos. Also, Long Pine Key offers closer access to some of the more popular spots in Everglades, as well as easier access to non-park activities (like stopping at Robert is Here for a smoothie - a must-do!)

Our five days at Everglades were full: we attended several ranger programs (we especially liked the talks at the Anhinga Trail), Cole tried his hand at slough-slogging (wading in murky water up to your waist? Not for me), we hiked as many trails as we could, and we kayaked the Nine Mile Pond canoe trail.

You can read much more about our five days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Everglades)

If you can beat the bugs, stargaze and enjoy the sunrise. But take the bug seriously. Even in late January the mosquitoes or vicious. You'll want insect repellent long sleeve long pants and maybe even a mosquito net when you are out and about.

Flamingo Everglades is the concessionaire that operates this campground and the nearby marina. The campground is arranged into 2 loops (one for trailers; about half of them with electric) plus a bayside field area that also includes a group tent site. For these, you park and walk to your site, but you get a great view of the bay and sunrises. In addition, there are several new eco-tents (platform tents) with beds two chairs and lamps. I stayed in one of these.

The Flamingo area still shows the effects of Hurricane Irma a couple of years ago and some neglect. The B & C loops are not open, though NPS is working to clean them up. An employee I spoke with indicated that they hoped to have those open next year. I was there midweek and only the trailer loop was full. On the weekends they do fill up.

The campsites in the loops have picnic tables and fire rings. The bayside field sites have scattered picnic tables and fire rings in various states of rusty disrepair. The eco-tents some picnic tables closer to the bathrooms for the field sites are not occupied, you can use one of those. You can't use a stove in your tent or on your deck, so you do need to cook elsewhere.

Bathrooms include flush toilets and free showers, although the water never got very warm. They are solar heated.

Remember everything you need because it's a long trip back to Florida city or Homestead the nearest places for picking up supplies. Stop at "Robert is Here" on your way in or out for a smoothie or milkshake. The shop at the marina has some basic snacks and drinks. Tuesday to Saturday afternoons there is a food truck available. For activities, campers get a discount on bike rentals. They also rent kayaks & canoes and offer boat trips, though I wouldn't do the boat trip again.

If you choose to stay in an eco-tent, there is a cart with bicycle tires to quietly take your gear to your tent. The boardwalk lights up at night so you can safely find your way to the bathroom. You'll be conscious of the sound the zipper makes when you leave and return to your tent. These are tents and not cabins, so you may hear some neighbors talking or snoring. Even so, it was a welcome change from a sleepless, noisy night at a campground in the Keys.

If you're looking for birds, nearby Eco pond or the waterfront near the bayside campsites offer a nice variety for minimal effort.

No Verizon coverage, but I've been told there is AT&T. Wifi is available at the visitors center.

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!!

The staff at the campground were nice and showed us to the tent area which was an open field by the bay with picnic tables and fire rings scattered around. We showed up after sunset. The second we set foot in the field we were constantly being attacked by the mosquitos. Bug spray doesn't help so make sure you have long pants and long sleeves too. Bathrooms were not too far of a walk, but they were disgusting (no soap, no toilet paper, a cockroach, etc.). The star were awesome, but hard to enjoy with all of the bugs. They were not an issue in the morning and the sunrise was awesome right from the tent. We were suppose to stay for 2 nights but had our reservation switched for the second night over to Long Pine Key.

It is an hour drive to the campground but a good road and worth the trip. There are several points of interest along the way but we did not stop to check them out. Check-in with reservations was very quick and easy. Both campgrounds are well maintained. The T-loop showers are cold water only but the A-Loop showers are solar heated and there was hot water on sunny days. We parked in a site without services but potable water is available at nearby restrooms. Our campground was quiet except for a couple of campers running their generator during official quiet hours, but they were not an issue. The beach area is a short walk or bike ride from the campground and is not suitable for swimming, at least by our standards. There are a variety of scheduled and unscheduled activities available. The Ranger Led Programs are excellent—guided canoe trip and mobile museum. The staff are very friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. We biked on the paved trail to the marina several times and observed crocodiles, alligators, manatees, osprey, and vultures. Don’t leave food outside unattended because the vultures will visit your site. Supplies and rentals at the concession are bit pricey. Overall we enjoyed our stay and stops at the visitor centers and Nike site.

We camped out at the open field with a breathtaking view of the Bay. The camp site itself is well laid out with tables and fire pits at a reasonable distance from each other. Clean bathrooms and showers and lots of avian species to look at. Definitely recommend the site and trails. Also for convenience there is a shop and boat ramp where you could rent canoes and kayaks.

We stayed here for 4 nights in site # T10 had water & electric. Big site with some shade got there ion the heat of the day so we parked knowing where the shade was. You do need a screen room to keep bugs out and a good fan in the screened room helps.  It was Halloween so we had some decorations with us, ghosts, witches and more which some of them blew in the wind & helped keep the Vultures off our truck.

Right before the campground is the eco pond which is amazing if you like birds. We saw, Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Blue Herons, white Pelicans, and more. We just missed  Scarlet Ibis and the Flamingos there were a few a week before we got there. 

There was hardly anybody camping there maybe 4 others and the camp host which she was very helpful. 

Kayaking on the outside is a little scary we saw a Alligator (no big deal) yet a Crocodile, and a bull shark all within 10 minutes.  Did the inside the next day it was pretty, lots of air plants, birds, gators & manatees.  The Tarpon at the marina were cool to watch them roll. 

We were so lucky there was a dark sky photographer there with 2 big Telescopes. He put black bags over all the lite boxes in the campsites to darken it up. Jim Pickering has amazing photos he took. The sky didn't clear up till 3 AM so we didn't get to take a look but amazing photos. He goes to different parks during a new moon when it's the darkest out sometimes has others like him camping they set up and let people look though the telescopes.

If you want to get to a spot with the LEAST light pollution of anywhere in America, this is the place! You are able to see 3x the stars you can normally see anywhere else in America. This is a very remote location so be sure to bring what you need in with you and be sure to gas up before you come from Homestead. It is an hour at least from civilization. The campgrounds are well taken care of. One of my favorite campsites to escape everyone and everything. The showers could be updated but not terrible to be so far off of the beaten path. I would definitely recommend this campsite and would come back.

This camp site is in such a fantastic area of the Everglades National Park. You have a great facility with bathrooms, running water and showers. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets everyday, with the ocean breezes and waves crashing on the rocks. Several wildlife to observe and photograph. The whole family enjoyed this camp site my daughters ages 7 and 11 both enjoyed themselves. We can’t wait to go back and enjoy nature!

Great place with water access and lots ground to wonder and enjoy. Good fishing. Be careful with the elephant mosquitos in the summer.

NO PHONE SERVICE, NO WI-FI.  Good luck in an emergency or if you work virtual.  And there is NO privacy at any of the sites--totally wide open area, no vegetation.  NOT worth the drive down there.

I’ll admit, based on the size and the bugs I had really, really low expectations. Our trip was in January. We stayed here because we were leaving on a backcountry kayak trip the next day and this was the closest site to the launching point. We stayed in the dispersed tent field, which was spacious if not at all private. I really thought the bugs would be awful, but they were just slightly annoying. Decent bathrooms, cool water showers. We felt safe. Not a dream destination, but did the trick.

If you want to experience the Everglades, this is a great campground to do it from. Located deep into the park, you are surrounded by the beauty of the “river of grass” and of all that nature has to offer in this incredible place! The rangers are very helpful.

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.