Coach Safaris - Florida Eco-Safaris will arrange your Coach or Horseback Safaris into Forever Florida. Call 407-957-9794 or toll-free 888-957-9794 or 866 85-4-EVER (3837).

Coach Safaris begin at the Visitor Center after an orientation video. Florida Eco-Safaris' trail coaches have comfortable individual seats from which guests have a good view of the countryside. Visitors are usually taken first through the Crescent J Ranch, where they see cattle and horses, both the rare descendents of those left by the Spanish centuries ago and more modern breeds. They also see some Florida wildlife – alligators, turtles, often the colorful wild turkey and many other birds, depending on the season and weather conditions – and luck. Knowledgeable guides offer a running commentary about that day's sights.

By the time the border with Forever Florida, the Nature Preserve, is reached, visitors have formed a good picture of a well-run Florida ranch, and the contrast between improved pastures and the wilderness of Forever Florida is evident. By then, visitors know they are on a real safari, not some artificial thrill ride at a theme park. The landscape seems somewhat strange, for good reason – there is very little left of unspoiled Florida ecosystems any more.

It's a rare thrill to see Florida's most endangered large mammal, the Florida panther, but some visitors have been so lucky. Florida black bears, coyotes and bobcats are also occasionally seen. The most common large mammals on Forever Florida are the Florida whitetail deer and the feral hogs that were introduced first by the Spanish and later by American hunters.

A favorite spot affords a break in the ride. It's a treat to get to walk out into a floodplain forest on a boardwalk to and along Bull Creek, a "blackwater" stream of clear, tea-colored water clean enough to drink – though most people prefer bottled water! Breathe deeply – the air is pure in there!

Returning through other wetlands to the Crescent J and the Visitor Center, guests are relaxed, smiling and often ready for a good meal at The Cypress Restaurant. A lazy after-meal break in a rocking chair on the veranda watching the alligators in the lake marks the end of a perfect day.