When is the last time you checked something off your Bucket List? 

Dry Tortugas National Park is one of the least accessible National Parks in the country due to its location. It is located almost 70 miles west of Key West, Florida and can only be accessed by boat or seaplane.  The park is known for its tropical reefs and fish, shipwrecks, and the massive (yet unfinished) Fort Jefferson.

Did you know?

How did Dry Tortugas get it’s name? Well, as you may know, Tortuga means “Turtle” and there are an abundance of sea turtles here. Sailors used the term “Dry” to describe the lack of fresh water on the island, to warn others to make sure they bring their own fresh water. Hence, Dry Tortugas. 

How do you get to Dry Tortugas?

Swim. 

Or take your own private yacht.

Just kidding. There are only two ways to get to the Dry Tortugas (besides the above options.) You can hop on the Ferry Boat or take the Sea Plane. There is only one company of each that is permitted to make the trip, so there isn’t any competition in that area.

Ferry Boat

The Ferry Boat is the most budget friendly option to get to the Dry Tortugas (although still pricey!) The current prices for the ferry can be found here. At the time of our trip, the prices were: $190/adult and $135/child (ages 4-16).

The ferry boat cost includes breakfast, lunch, park admission, and snorkel gear. If you have a National Parks Pass, the National Park Entrance Fee will be refunded to you at check-in. The downside to taking the ferry is that it takes over two hours to get the to Dry Tortugas (so four hour round trip!) The ferry arrives on the island around 10:15am and leaves at 2:30pm.

Seaplane

Taking a seaplane through Key West Seaplane Adventures is the other way to get there. The seaplane offers both half day and full day excursions. We HIGHLY recommend the full day to fully enjoy the island.

The current prices for the seaplane can be found here. At the time of our trip, the prices for the full day excursion were:$634/adult and $507/child (ages 12 and under, ages 0-2 are free)

The seaplane ticket price includes a cooler and ice with whatever drinks you’d like (they have a large fridge of drinks and water to choose from) as well as snorkel equipment. It does NOT include the park entrance, which they charge $15/adult. This fee can be waived if you bring your National Parks Pass.

The benefit to taking the full-day seaplane is that you get at least 6 full hours on the island. The half day excursion only gives you about 2 .5 hours to explore. We took the 8am flight, which gave us 1.5 hours on the island to enjoy BEFORE the crowds from the ferry boat arrived. We didn’t hop our return flight home until 3pm. Our pilot, John, was an excellent tour guide as well. As we flew over the waters, he pointed out sharks and sea turtles, shipwrecks and other facts along the way.

Things to do on Dry Tortugas:

Walk the Beach

Take the time to explore the island, it is all an easy walking distance.

Explore Fort Jefferson

For Jefferson is the largest brick structure in the United States, composed of over 16 MILLION bricks! The history is worth diving into, so make sure you spend at least 30 minutes-1 hour or more here to explore, depending how much time you have on the island . If you can handle a winding staircase, climb to the top of the Fort for unparalleled landscape views. Warning, there aren’t railings at the top, so keep track of kids!

Snorkel/Swim

One of the main attractions of this place is the snorkeling! Both the ferry and seaplane include snorkel equipment with the excursion. There are two main spots that are recommended to snorkel- along the old pylons on either side of the island. We saw quite a few smaller fish, a barracuda, and comb jellyfish! The comb jellyfish were alarming- as we swam into a large group of them.

A group of jellyfish is called a SMACK, by the way.

The comb jellyfish are harmless, thank goodness. Just be aware if you snorkel here, you may run into them.

Even if you don’t snorkel, taking a dip in the water is refreshing after soaking up some sun!

Relax

We didn’t do enough of this (because, kids!) but it would be a great spot to sit around on the beach and bask in the sunshine.

Picnic

You’ll need to bring food and drinks with you (there is no food available to buy the island.) Bring plenty of water, drinks (yes, you can bring alcohol)  and food and snacks. There area lot of picnic tables scattered around, or enjoy a picnic on the beach!

Fish

Fishing is allowed along the shores on Dry Tortugas as long as you have a current State of Florida salt water license. You’ll need to bring your own equipment.

Earn a Junior Ranger Badge (kids)

Earning a Jr Ranger Badge at Dry Tortugas National Park is a rare accomplishment since this is the least accessible National Park. The book is very simple to complete too! 

Our Best Tips & Things to Know:

-Restrooms are located on the ferry boat. There are vault toilets on the island for campers, but the rangers close them during the hours when the ferry boat is docked.

-Bring a change of clothes for the return trip home. There are changing rooms at the dock for this purpose. 

-Bring your own snorkel masks if you want to avoid the ones that are given out by the ferry or seaplane. We love these full face snorkel masks, we highly recommend them for kids!

-If traveling with kids, bring a few sand toys for them to play with. We love these collapsable sand buckets!

-You may not collect and bring home shells or coral.

-Drone use is prohibited.

-There is no cell service on the island.

-DO NOT FORGET sunscreen/sun protection. It gets very warm there and there isn’t much shade. If you get too hot, cool off in the visitor center (the only area that has AC!)

If you’re feeling extra adventurous, look into spending a few days camping on Dry Tortugas. Reservations need to be made well in advance, but we’re adding this to our adventure bucket list for sure!

Watch our episode of The HenHouse Adventures featuring our time in the Dry Tortugas: