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Johannesburg to South Florida: Miami, Key West and the Everglades

Johannesburg → Miami → Key West → Everglades

Miami Beach Architectural District
"SouthBeachMiamiBeach.jpg" by Massimo Catarinella, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Southernmost point buoy, NE view (Key West)
Photo: Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Florida & manatees Best season (general guide): Dec–Apr

South Florida is a mix of city beaches, a chain of tropical islands and one of the largest wetlands in the United States. This route spends time in Miami, drives the Overseas Highway to Key West and finishes in Everglades National Park. From Johannesburg you'll connect, usually via a European or US hub, to Miami.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Miami: day one, south Beach Art Deco; day two, Little Havana and Wynwood; day three, free day. Then spend days four and five in Key West: day four, Overseas Highway through the Keys; day five, Old Town, then Mallory Square sunset. Then spend days six and seven in the Everglades: day six, travel to Royal Palm, then Anhinga Trail; day seven, Flamingo boat or paddle.

Miami's South Beach is lined with pastel Art Deco hotels, Little Havana's Calle Ocho has Cuban cafés and music, and Wynwood is known for street art. The drive to Key West follows a road built on bridges between the islands of the Keys, with stops for snorkelling, beaches and state parks along the way. In Key West, the old town is easy to cycle, and evenings end with sunset at Mallory Square. On the way back, the Everglades shows a very different Florida: boardwalks such as the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm are good for seeing alligators, turtles and birds, and from Flamingo you can take boat trips or paddle through the mangroves.

There are fewer mosquitoes, temperatures are cooler, and wildlife gathers around the remaining water.

Hire a car for the Keys and the park. Bring insect repellent even in winter, and keep a safe distance from alligators.

Practical notes: The dry season, from about December to April, is the best time for the Everglades, according to the National Park Service. The rest of the year is hot and humid, and hurricane season runs from June to November.

Suggested outline

  1. Johannesburg

    Start

  2. Miami

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    Art Deco buildings in South Beach, Cuban culture in Little Havana and the murals of Wynwood.

  3. Key West

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    At the end of the Overseas Highway, which hops across the Florida Keys on bridges. Old Town's houses and sunset at Mallory Square.

    Key West
    "Southernmost_point_buoy,_NE_view.jpg" by Radomianin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

  4. Everglades

    Overland · 2 nights suggested

    A national park of sawgrass prairie and mangroves. Trails at Royal Palm and boat trips from Flamingo show alligators and wading birds.

    Everglades National Park
    "Sunset_over_the_River_of_Grass,_NPSphoto,_G.Gardner_(9255157507).jpg" by Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Miami — Arrive; South Beach Art Deco· Johannesburg → Miami (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Miami — Little Havana and Wynwood
  3. Day 3 · Miami — Free day
  4. Day 4 · Key West — Overseas Highway through the Keys· Miami → Key West (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Key West — Old Town; Mallory Square sunset
  6. Day 6 · Everglades — To Royal Palm; Anhinga Trail· Key West → Everglades (overland)
  7. Day 7 · Everglades — Flamingo boat or paddle
  8. Day 8 · Everglades — Travel home from Everglades· Everglades → Miami (overland), then Miami → Johannesburg (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Miami

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Key West

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Everglades

Nearest airport: Miami Search fares · Miami ↗

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