Everglades National Park
Southeast Florida visitors expect to see manatees, American crocodiles and alligators, and even the Florida panther (no, not a sports team) moving about in Everglades National Park, but Burmese pythons? Surely not. And yet, the snake is, although non-native and invasive, now living and breeding there in what is estimated to be tens of thousands in population numbers in the park. There is certainly plenty of food for them to eat...
Comprised of freshwater wetlands and saline coastal fringe waters, Everglades is a mixture of a fishing paradise, “gator” cafeteria and biosphere research centre, with varied boating options. The park is probably best explored with professional guides if you are planning your first visit. And you should go in dry season; waters can be too high for comfort during the wet season (mostly summer).
This is one of the USA’s most unusual national parks, not so much a rugged natural expanse as a concentrated wetland worthy of extensive study. There are few such areas like it in the world, possibly with the exception of the Nile River delta. Florida is better known for its beaches and glittering Miami, retirement living and hurricanes, but Everglades National Park is a lesson in evolution and immediate adaptation. Just ask the pythons when they’re heading back to Burma... They are, for the record, docile when not hunting for food.