Jan. 26, 27, 28 & 30, 8:30am-11:30am; with boat rental $32/ person; with own boat $15/person or private tour 2 or more people @$55 (you pick time and day)

Reservation required: Call A Day Away Kayak Tours 321-268-2655. To schedule your trip online, visit our website and select the Merritt Island National Wildlife Tour on the date you prefer.

Mike & Elizabeth Mahan (A Day Away Kayak Tours 321-268-2655)

Cross the Titusville Bridge and head toward Black Point Wildlife Dr. Go past the Drive to the stop sign at SR3/Kennedy Parkway. Turn left and go 4.5 miles, crossing over Haulover Canal. Take the first left at the bottom of the bridge, across from the Manatee Viewing Platform sign. Follow the road around, turning right and passing through a gate. Go all the way to the end.

Email: info@adayawaykayaktours.com   Website: www.adayawaykayaktours.com

The best location on MINWR, from which to view dolphins and manatees (in warmer weather), Haulover Canal is a passageway between the Indian River Lagoon and Mosquito Lagoon. Just to the west lies one of the state's most significant colonial waterbird nesting islands. Mullethead Island and its surrounding grass flats provide an opportunity to view a variety of birds from the water's level. Sandbars near the island provide loafing spots for large numbers of shorebirds, pelicans, gulls and terns.

Jan. 28, 8:30am-11:30pm; with boat rental $30/person; with own boat $18/person

Reservation required: Call Village Outfitters 321-633-7245

Vincent Rondello (Village Outfitters 321-633-7245)

Directions: Head south on US 1 to SR405. Take SR405 east (towards KSC Visitor Complex) to Space Commerce Way (one red light before you reach the visitor center). Turn right and go to SR3 (Courtenay Pkwy). Turn right on SR3 and go south to N. Tropical Trail. Bear right onto N. Tropical Trail and continue south to Manatee Cove Park (2.3 mi on the right).

Email: villageoutfitter@bellsouth.net   Website: www.villageoutfitters.com

Manatee Cove Park is 30-acre county park offering access to the Indian River Lagoon. Numerous improvements have made this a user friendly kayak destination. Manatees are drawn to the cove because of the shelter it provides as well as an intermittent artesian spring as a source of fresh water. North of the cove are two spoil islands that host a wide variety of wildlife. Fish abound in the shallow waters near the islands.

Jan. 27, 8:30am-12:00pm; with boat rental $30/person; with own boat $15/person

Reservation required: Space Coast Kayaking 321-243-0279, cell 321-784-2452

Jim Durocher (Space Coast Kayaking)

Go north on US 1 to Oak Hill. Go 2 miles past the yellow caution light and look for a brown sign identifying the park. Turn right on H. H. Burch Rd. and go east to the park entrance on the left. Please arrive at 8:15; tour leaves on time at 8:30.

Email: info@spacecoastkayaking.net   Website: www.spacecoastkayaking.net

This spectacular area of Mosquito Lagoon is characterized by a maze of waterways filled with dozens of mangrove islands. A wide variety of wading birds, shorebirds, gulls and terns are possible. Dolphins and manatees are often seen in the deeper waters of the Intracoastal Waterway.

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The spectacular sight of American White Pelicans, Brown Pelicans, Anhingas and cormorants surrounding America's first national wildlife refuge is the culmination of a pleasant paddle through mangrove-lined waterways graced with numerous wading birds.

Jan. 27, 8:00am-1:00pm; with boat rental $30/person; with own boat $18/person

Reservation required: Call Village Outfitters 321-633-7245

Vincent Rondello (Village Outfitters 321-633-7245)

Directions: Head south on US 1 to SR405. Take SR405 east (towards KSC Visitor Complex) to Space Commerce Way (one red light before you reach the visitor center). Turn right and go to SR3 (Courtenay Pkwy). Turn right on SR3 and go to Pine Island Rd., approximately 2 ½ miles on the right. Turn right and follow to the end.

Note: Close-toed shoes are recommended. Please bring plenty of water, this is a primitive site.

Email: villageoutfitter@bellsouth.net   Website: www.villageoutfitters.com

Set aside as a buffer zone for the Indian River Lagoon, Pine Island provides a 879-acre tract of mixed ecosystems ranging from pine flatwoods to mangrove swamp to saltwater marsh. Wading birds and marine mammals are common in or about the Indian River while raptors frequent the uplands areas. The area is a favorite for wintering manatees and dolphins due to the deep water channel and the warm water discharge from the power plant across the river.

Jan. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 9:30am-12:00pm; with boat rental $28/person; with own boat $15/person

Reservation required: Call Adventure Kayak of Cocoa Beach 321-480-8632

Bill Kowalik with Ed Halm and Dale Bailey; Jan. 27 specially featuring Ashley Spring, PhD Marine Biology

Launch from the end of Ramp Road in Cocoa Beach. From the intersection of SR520 and A1A, go south on A1A for several miles. Just past Minuteman Cswy., turn right on 5th St. South. Go 1 block west to North Brevard Ave., turn left. Take the first right on Ramp Rd. and go to the park.

Email: info@kayakcocoabeach.com   Website: www.kayakcocoabeach.com

Rich in both tropical and temperate plant species, these islands provide protection from the wind for paddlers, making this a choice destination on days when it is too windy to paddle the open waters of the lagoon. The canals between the islands provide shelter for manatees (in warmer weather) and dolphins and a wide variety of wading birds.

Jan. 24, 25 & 26, 6:30am-10:30am; $55/person

Reservation required: Call A Day Away Kayak Tours 321-268-2655 9:00am-6:00pm, Monday through Saturday

Travis Cowart, Andrew Risavy, and/or Jeff Fredricks

Meet at C.S. Lee Park on SR 46.

Email: info@adayawaykayaktours.com   Website: www.adayawaykayaktours.com

The Little-Big Econ is one of the unique rivers in North America that flows north. This is the true old south swimming hole-experience combined with the beauty of the Florida Hammock. We typically see Eagles, deer, otter, wild pigs and so many of the peculiar critters that Natural Florida is home to. Our small group of explorers will leave from C.S. Lee Park on SR 46 and motor south on the St. John's River to join and explore the lower stretch of the Little-Big Econ River. With our quiet and efficient electric motors, we are able to approach many creatures without disturbing them at all. We can also cover the entire distance without breaking a sweat. Plan to bring a dry bag for your camera and video equipment and you will be delighted with the memories that you will bring home from this relaxing tour.

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This trip offers the best possibility for sighting manatees in January. A wide variety of habitats highlight your journey from the wide open waters of a saltwater estuary to a sheltered narrow winding blackwater creek lined with lush hydric hammock. Precipitous, high sandy bluffs are encountered at the upper reaches of the creek.