It is known for being not only beautiful but also extensive. The best part of the more than 300 miles of waterways, is that despite the extension, the canals are kept clean, unlike other canal systems in south Florida. Of the more than 300 miles of waterways, about 165 run through the city itself.
The canals: a water sports and SUP paradise
The Fort Lauderdale waterway is a man-made canals and channels system that is perfectly shaped for water sports, especially because you don’t need to worry about bumping into vessels or high water traffic. Additionally, the water has a perfectly good clarity because of the cleaning effect generated by the tides. This clarity, the beauty and the peace of the water allows you to make a great connection with the water and enjoy the most pleasant moments when you are there.
Fort Lauderdale is also famous for the yachting and boat activity, but recently, in the past few years it has also become very popular among SUP lovers. Standup paddle boarding is one of those water sports that looks very easy, and effortless but once you try it, you will see it can be a full body exercise. The first sensation you will get is as if you were walking on water. The paddle will help you move and keeping the balance is all part of the experience.
One of the things you will enjoy the most is that SUP allows people to take a perfect view of the wild life that can be seen in Fort Lauderdale area. While you are paddle boarding you have huge possibilities of finding stingrays in the water, Bald eagles in the tress and manatees swimming right beneath your board.
The canals in Fort Lauderdale have many types of traffic. A different one from water sports are the water taxis, the river cruises and the gondolas. These are tourist attractions for people who prefer enjoying the water cruising down the canals, instead of walking alongside the beautiful water. There are many types of tours. You can find variety from the tours that take you to different places such as neighborhoods with mansions and yachts that are not necessarily owned by celebrities but by local business owners, night tours to see the city by moonlight and also those that will take you to the best restaurants on the waterside.
The Gondolas
Venice has an uncountable amount of Gondolas. Fort Lauderdale has them too. There are over 30 companies offering Gondola tours to visitors. In the Gondola tours people will learn about the history and the geography of what this place used to be and how it became what it is today. Gondoliers are just as nice as the ones in Venice, the only difference is in a very common joke they make when instead of asking couples to kiss when they pass under a bridge, they ask them to kiss every time they find a palm tree. Which is obviously every three seconds.
The Gondolas offer late afternoon tours and sunset tours that are normally around 2 hours long and can be either focused on nature or on the historic part of the city. Ticket for adults and for children are offered and there is also the possibility to schedule private tours for families and closed groups. The seats are normally very comfortable and the Gondolas are fully shaded so you don’t need to worry about the sun or the rain.