Where can you see the West Indian Manatee?
Some of the best places to see the West Indian Manatee in the wild include Sian Ka’an (Mexico), Everglades National Park (United States) and Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica) — among 10 wildlife hotspots across the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica. Every hotspot below shows real sighting data and the best seasons to visit.
Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Refuge
Tortuguero, Costa Rica
+462 birds+36 mammals
Where the Caribbean's restless waters meet the Limón Province coastline, Barra del Colorado National Wildlife Sanctuary unfolds across a landscape of extraordinary ecological complexity. This equatorial…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYBiscayne National Park
Miami-Dade County, United States
+263 birds+7 mammals
Coral reefs and mangrove shallows dominate this marine sanctuary where the Florida Keys meet the Atlantic, creating a mosaic of shallow seagrass meadows, patch reefs, and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKCedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge
Levy County, United States
+268 birds+8 mammals
Where the Florida Gulf Coast transitions from mainland to archipelago, Cedar Keys National Wildlife Sanctuary protects a mosaic of salt marshes, shallow estuaries, and maritime hammocks…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYChassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge
Homosassa, United States
+299 birds+14 mammals
Where the Gulf of Mexico's coastal marshes dissolve into brackish tidal flats and mangrove thickets, the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Sanctuary near Homosassa represents one of Florida's…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYEverglades National Park
Monroe County, United States
+345 birds+22 mammals
Where freshwater marsh meets subtropical sky, the Everglades sprawls across southwestern Florida as one of North America's most expansive wetland ecosystems. Spanning over 13,000 square kilometers,…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGreat White Heron National Wildlife Refuge
Monroe County, United States
+118 birds+3 mammals
Shallow mangrove bays and salt-marsh flats sprawl across Monroe County's coastal sanctuary, where brackish water meets the Florida Keys' distinctive transition zone between temperate and subtropical…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYJ.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge
Sanibel, United States
+277 birds+6 mammals
Mangrove channels and coastal marshlands dominate this 6,400-acre sanctuary on Florida's Gulf coast, where brackish waterways weave between dense stands of red, black, and white mangrove…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYMerritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Brevard County, United States
+341 birds+19 mammals
Brackish marshes and palmetto scrub define this wildlife sanctuary spanning the coastal lowlands of central Florida, where the Atlantic tide meets freshwater systems in a dynamic…
VIEW WILDLIFE SANCTUARYSian Ka’an
Chunyaxché, Mexico
+350 birds+16 mammals
Where the Yucatán Peninsula dissolves into wetland and mangrove, a vast mosaic of forest, lagoon, and coastal margin creates one of Mexico's most biodiverse strongholds. Across…
VIEW BIOSPHERE RESERVE