The Habitat Tour explores the Bayside Drive (which is currently under construction and closed to the public), the West lake Drive or the Bahia Grande unit. Winding and weaving past brushlands, wetlands, and the Laguna Madre, this interpretive tour is a great way to see what is truly a piece of living history and the largest federally protected area in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Fall and winter sightings may include osprey, redhead ducks, sandhill cranes, reddish egret (we have many white phase), tri-colored heron, shorebirds, snow geese, white tailed deer, nilgai antelope, bobcat, coyote, javelina, western diamondback rattlesnake, Texas tortoise, and American alligator.  

Tour Vehicles

We either use a 50 passenger open-air tram or a small bus that holds 12 passengers.  Both are wheelchair accessible.

Schedule

Friday, Saturday, & Sunday

8:30 am - 11:30 am 

12:30 pm - 3:30 pm 

Tours last approximately 3 hours.

Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before the morning tour and an hour before the afternoon tour to have enough time to park, purchase your tickets and use the restroom.  Allow extra travel time as there is road construction.  Check our "Plan Your Visit" section for up to date directions.

All tours are dependent on the availability of volunteers and no tour is guaranteed to run due to staffing and equipment issues that may arise.

Cost: CASH OR CHECK ONLY $4.00 per adult (ages 16+); $3.00 for 62 and older; FREE for children (15 and under)

Other:

• Refuge entrance fees ($3 per vehicle) are in addition to the  tour fees. 
• Come prepared for the great coastal breeze on the open-air tram (ie jackets are recommended).
• Binoculars are highly recommended, so bring yours along.  The visitor center has a limited number of binoculars to loan.
• After rains, the mosquitos can be quite numerous and insect repellent is recommended.