I am in NJ and I need a warm climate break and would love to incorporate some kayaking into the trip. I would be flying so I would need equipment from a tour company or outfitter or supplied by the resort. My experience is on lakes, reservoirs and lazy rivers. I would prefer to stay in US but would consider other reasonable cost destinations. Anyone have a recommendation?
Thanks!
I posted a similar inquiry here this week regarding St. Augustine, Florida, specifically. You might want to read the great suggestions that were posted. Airfares from where I am (Pittsburgh) are around $225 now – may be even less for you. VRBO has a lot of rentals in the area that are quite reasonable. I have never been there, but based on the information that folks provided (including places to kayak and outfitters from whom to rent), I’m planning to head down there myself sometime in March.
Can you wait until April?
http://www.kayakeast.com/multi_day_trips.html#Charleston,%20SC
John Pagani runs a very nice operation.
Baja, Mexico on Sea of Cortez side. Warm water, good food, generally cheap. There are a few outfitters based out of Loreto, such as https://www.seatrek.com/baja/ and https://seakayakbajamexico.com. I’ve done 2 trips down there in the past.
If you go in March, you might be able to do a side trip over to the calving lagoons on the Pacific side, where you take a panga (Mexican motorboat) out and have gray whales come right up to you and even let you touch them. Haven’t done that yet, but supposed to be amazing.
@kfbrady said:
Can you wait until April?http://www.kayakeast.com/multi_day_trips.html#Charleston,%20SC
John Pagani runs a very nice operation.
Charleston looks wonderful - but too bad there’s nothing in early March. April’s too late - will have open water somewhere up here by then. Only 39 days until spring! That’s 936 hours. 
While I doubt that Corpus Christi would every rank as a great tourist site, it does provide some excellent kayaking. I suggest you contact Ken Johnson as he provides some excellent boats.
David
Ditto the Baja, amazing place, probably need a week out to really let it sink in.
Everglades. Excellent outfitter out of Everglades City… But you will have to get from Ft Meyers to EC ( about an hour) with no public transportation though these folks can probably help
http://evergladesadventures.com/
Adventures in Florida is an outfitter run by Greg Pflug. They do trips all over. This one would be a nice day trip this time of year to do Blue Springs. You can stay at Orlando, Daytona, Sanford and be in the center of his operational area. Orlando/Sanford has/have connections to the world.
adventuresinflorida.com/day/manatee-encounter
While you’re in the area drop by the Sandford Zoo and do the ropes, zip line thing. Not for the gravity challenged.
PS…while you’re in that area Merrit Island isn’t too far so contact this guy and do some backwater kayak fishing. locallinescharters.com/
If you wanted to put down some $$$ take a several day paddling trip where they feed you, carry your camping gear in a truck, entertain you in the evenings check out Paddle Florida. I’ve know several that have taken one of these and rave about it. They can recommend an kayak outfitter in the paddle area.
The weather in North Florida can be a little fickle. It gets cold here…for Florida. If you need real warm look south, but I wouldn’t . Currently it is 71 outside looking for upper 70s. Skies are clear with a breeze of about 15mph from the west and south. Our barrier island paddles this weekend will likely stay inside the ICW if the wind continues changing to southerly, but the lake paddle and moonlite paddle will go with the full program. It can be 38 in the morning and 80 in the afternoon. Just prepare by dressing in layers. …and don’t go out too early.
You can’t go wrong with Savannah, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. Little colder than further south but great paddling in both areas. Savannah has tons of inland marsh channels, open ocean, surf, and creeks. Check out Savannah canoe and kayak and Sea Kayak Georgia for guides.
Charleston harbor is exceptional for all kinds of paddling. Check out Sea Kayak Carolina, Low Country Paddlers or the Charleston Kayak Meetup group.
In addition to great paddling the cities are fantastic to visit.
Further south you may want to have a look at some of Florida’s springs like Weeki Wachee, Crystal etc. Bonus is proximity to Tampa and the mermaid show in Weeki.
http://www.surfskinews.com/second-blog/2015/11/8/weeki-wachee-florida
I solo kayaked the coast of Thailand to the border of Malaysia a few years ago…a month long trip… Rented kayak, tent, pad, paddle, stove, cook pots, hammock, snorkel equipment, dry bags from a company…and island hopped for a month with every 4th day I would rent a bungalow to clean up, shower, cold beer etc—then continued onward. Many of the islands I camped on were deserted sans a few monkeys. I think I paid about $400 for the entire month rental of everything. Interested? Let me know, can get you more info.
We visited the Everglades in February of 2012 and rented a cabin at Glades Haven for several days, a location which is a great option for paddling. Their little housekeeping units are right along a canal and they have their own dock with good quality kayaks, both rec style and sea kayaks, for rent that you can either paddle up the canal and into the Everglades swamps, or you can head along the inland waterways towards Chokoloskee, Thousand Islands and the open ocean. Five day rental for a sea kayak is $250 for a single or $300 for a tandem. They also rent bikes and there are attractions that can be easily reached by bike paths. The Glades Haven complex also has a bar right along the dock that often has live bands, a deli and general store, and a restaurant that has excellent fried clams and Key Lime pie. There are other decent places to eat in both Everglades City and Chokoloskee. http://www.gladeshaven.com
Well sorta ok places to eat. The seafood festival is on this weekend in EC… There is a good place called Camellia St Grill
We are going down for our 15th trip since 2005 right now… We will also paddle Big Bend Saltwater Trail and Apalachicola area in the north and stay at Wekiva Springs State Park for paddling north of Orlando ( excellent paddling no Disney World atmosphere). RockSprings/ Wekiva River has a nice 3 day trip… Rentals available at Kings Landing. We will also be paddling out of Cedar Key. Kayak rentals available there. Other possibilities are day trips out of Juniper Run and Rainbow Springs…
For way more suggestions
http://www.floridapaddlingtrails.com/
if you can afford it, the British Virgin Islands are spectacular, especially Virgin Gorda. We used to often rent a very affordable small private villa on Gorda (unfortunately the family sold it last year and it has been torn down so some millionaire can build a McMansion). The beaches are wonderful and the North Sound and the coast along the west side of the island are idyllic for snorkelling and paddling. The east coast tends to be windy with a lot of wave action at this time of year, though. A few years ago, Last Stop Sports and Surf BVI, which are both on the neighboring larger island of Tortola, would send kayaks to Gorda via ferry for weekly rentals. Perhaps by now someone other than the high end resorts has started renting them on Gorda itself.
@paddletothesea said:
I solo kayaked the coast of Thailand to the border of Malaysia a few years ago…a month long trip… Rented kayak, tent, pad, paddle, stove, cook pots, hammock, snorkel equipment, dry bags from a company…and island hopped for a month with every 4th day I would rent a bungalow to clean up, shower, cold beer etc—then continued onward. Many of the islands I camped on were deserted sans a few monkeys. I think I paid about $400 for the entire month rental of everything. Interested? Let me know, can get you more info.
I’d be interested in getting info on this, sounds amazing.
As many others have mentioned, Florida is of course a fabulous destination. There are the Everglades, of course, but one of the lesser known aspects of Florida is its systems of underground springs. When these burble up they create incredibly pristine and beautiful creeks full of wildlife and breathtaking views.
I wrote an article about some of the best paddle spots in Florida which you can check out. Includes suggestions for other outdoor adventures while you’re here so you can get the most bang for your buck!
Very nice article and site… Thanks