Guide at a Glance
Company
Everglades Area Tours
Locations
Chokoloskee, Florida, United States
Activities
Adventure, Bird Watching, Kayaking, Nature
Guiding Experience
25 years
Languages
English
Favorite Trip
Boat Assisted Kayak Eco Tour
Guide Bio
Capt. Charles Wright is a professional fishing guide, outdoor writer, and naturalist interpretive guide. He grew up in South Florida and the Keys, and has personally enjoyed the Everglades National Park since 1972. Schooled as an Environmental Engineer, an FAA Certified Flight Instructor, Florida Master Naturalist and US Coast Guard (USGS) Captain, he left his environmental consulting business and moved to Everglades City after hurricane Andrew. He has been guiding professionally in the Park since 1997, and is the President of Chokoloskee Enterprises, Inc., and is on the Board of Directors of the Everglades Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of Fakahatchee Strand, the Society for Ethical Tourism and the Florida Paddle Sports Association. He is also active with the Audubon Society and the Collier County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Originally a fishing guide who used poling skiffs and center-console boats, Capt. Charles eventually came to rely on the stealth and accessibility of the fishing kayak to get his clients to parts of the fishery that no others could access. The use of a dedicated transport boat for the kayaks, the desire to share the Everglades and educating his guests, beyond the clichéd “airboats and alligators” steered him to conduct educational-based tours in the kayaks and eventually to create Everglades Area Tours. Charles is still is an active fishing guide, but spends an equal amount of time in a leadership and educational role with Everglade Area Tours.