There's more to Florida than Disneyland and glitzy Miami. Head to a region known as The Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel and you're in for a real adventure.
Wildlife such as alligators, manatees and dolphins appear from the open waters and surrounding wetlands. Migrating and native birds flit through the sky, clamp their claws to branches and wade through the shallows. You can kayak through a tangle of mangroves, dive among WWII wrecks, learn to sail and take part in the region's favourite activity: shelling.
The good news is that despite Fort Myers' easy-to-reach location, many don't know about its wildlife opportunities. We sent TV presenter and biologist Patrick Aryee to Fort Myers to seek out its most adventurous side. Here's what he found out...
Fort Myers is situated on Florida's west coast, just a short trip from Miami. Its beaches are lapped by the Gulf of Mexico and its sunny climes, plethora of water and mangrove forests are perfect for wildlife and adventure.
Florida has 1,350 miles of coastline and over 30,000 lakes splashed throughout the state. No wonder it’s so alive with marine life. Find out what’s hiding in the waters here…
Fort Myers is made up of more than 100 islands and some of them have so many shells on their shores that they reach around 6m high. Here’s how you can set foot on these outcrops…
The J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge covers 7,600 acres of wetland, home to more than 200 incredible species of birds. Find out what you can expect to see here…
Patrick Aryee
Patrick Aryee is a TV presenter, biologist and self-confessed thrill seeker, and throughout his many wildlife documentaries he has had several daringly close encounters with wildlife all across the globe. Patrick presented 'Nature's Miracle Orphans' and 'Super Senses' with the BBC, as well as co-hosting Springwatch. More recently, he’s worked with Sky One to present: 'Big Beasts: Last of the Giants'. Due to his knowledge of and long career working with wildlife, we decided to send him to Fort Myers to see what he could find out and bring back his new-found secrets...
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