Florida's tropical south in eight days: Vizcaya and South Beach in Miami, then two days in the Everglades – Shark Valley by tram or bike, Big Cypress, the Anhinga Trail and Flamingo on Florida Bay. The Overseas Highway takes you down the Keys: the coral reef at Key Largo, the Seven Mile Bridge, the beach at Bahia Honda and two days in Key West with Hemingway's house, Fort Zachary Taylor and the famous Southernmost Point buoy. On the way back: Biscayne National Park near Miami.
About 800 kilometres with short drives. Best from December to April, when it is dry and there are fewer mosquitoes.
A sample route to look at. If you copy it, your own copy lands in your plans – there you can change days, stops and order.
Numbered stops in order · golden-hour tip shown separately.
1 Day 1
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07:58Sunrise
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09:00Vizcaya Museum and Gardens
Foto: Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Built in 1914 on Biscayne Bay, this estate pairs an Italian-style villa with extensive formal gardens.
DaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min -
10:30Car · 14 km · 18 min
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10:48South Pointe Park
Palm-lined lawns at the southern tip of South Beach open onto views across the Miami harbor entrance.
DaylightTime at stop 1 h 15 min -
19:13Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Boca Chita Campground 27 km · National Park Service · 45 sites Recreation.gov
- Elliot Key Campground 35 km · National Park Service · 99 sites Recreation.gov
2 Day 2
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07:58Car · 67 km · 1 h 2 min
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08:01Sunrise
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09:00Shark Valley (Everglades)DaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min
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11:30Car · 31 km · 25 min
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11:55Big Cypress National Preserve (Oasis Visitor Center)DaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min
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19:17Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Midway Campground (FL) 5 km · National Park Service · 36 sites · RVs up to 45 ft (13,7 m) Recreation.gov
- Monument Lake Campground 8 km · National Park Service · 38 sites · RVs up to 45 ft (13,7 m) Recreation.gov
- Pink Jeep Campground 14 km · National Park Service · 9 sites Recreation.gov
3 Day 3
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06:51Car · 129 km · 2 h 9 min
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07:59Sunrise
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09:00Anhinga TrailDaylightTime at stop 1 h 15 min
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10:15Car · 60 km · 55 min
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11:10Flamingo Visitor CenterDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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19:17Sunset
2 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Flamingo Campground 2 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
- Long Pine Key Campground 39 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
4 Day 4
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07:03Car · 115 km · 1 h 57 min
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07:57Sunrise
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09:00John Pennekamp Coral Reef State ParkDaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min
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11:30Car · 31 km · 33 min
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12:03History of Diving MuseumDaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min
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19:17Sunset
1 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Flamingo Campground 40 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
5 Day 5
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07:55Car · 70 km · 1 h 5 min
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07:59Sunrise
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09:00Seven Mile BridgeDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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09:45Car · 5 km · 4 min
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09:49Bahia Honda State ParkDaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min
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19:21Sunset
6 Day 6
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07:58Car · 60 km · 1 h 2 min
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08:00Sunrise
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09:00Hemingway-Haus (Key West)
Foto: Andreas Lamecker, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons)
The former home of Ernest Hemingway features tropical gardens and the many descendants of his cats.
DaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min -
10:30Car · 1 km · 3 min
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10:33Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
Foto: U.S. Department of Transportation, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)
A brick fort dating to before the Civil War at the southern tip of Key West, surrounded by beaches and open water.
DaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min -
13:03Car · 2 km · 5 min
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13:08Mallory SquareDaylightTime at stop 1 h 15 min
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19:24Sunset
7 Day 7
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07:59Sunrise
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08:56Car · 2 km · 4 min
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09:00Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory
A tropical butterfly house in Key West filled with exotic species and plants under glass.
DaylightTime at stop 1 h 30 min -
10:30Southernmost Point BuoyDaylightTime at stop 45 min
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19:25Sunset
8 Day 8
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05:21Car · 220 km · 3 h 39 min
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07:54Sunrise
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09:00Biscayne-Nationalpark (Dante Fascell Visitor Center)DaylightTime at stop 2 h 30 min
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19:19Sunset
3 campgrounds near the day’s end
- Elliot Key Campground 14 km · National Park Service · 99 sites Recreation.gov
- Boca Chita Campground 17 km · National Park Service · 45 sites Recreation.gov
- Long Pine Key Campground 33 km · National Park Service Recreation.gov
Campgrounds: recreation.gov (RIDB) · Parks Canada, contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada