Named for the Des Moines Register cartoonist who was a frequent visitor here and who started the federal Duck Stamp program, the outstanding J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge(www.dingdarlingsociety.org), on Sanibel-Captiva Road, is home to alligators, raccoons, otters, and hundreds of species of birds. Occupying more than half of Sanibel Island, this 6,000-plus-acre area of mangrove swamps, winding waterways, and uplands has a 2-mile boardwalk nature trail and a 5-mile, one-way Wildlife Drive. The visitor center shows brief videos on the refuge's inhabitants every half-hour and sells a map keyed to numbered stops along the Wildlife Drive. The best times for viewing wildlife are early morning, late afternoon, and at low tide (tables are posted at the visitor center and available at the chamber of commerce). Mosquitoes and "no-see-ums" (tiny, biting sand flies) are especially prevalent at dawn and dusk, so bring repellent.
Admission to the visitor center is free. The Wildlife Drive costs $5 per vehicle, $1 for hikers and bicyclists (free to holders of current federal Duck Stamps and National Park Service access passports). The visitor center is open November through April, daily from 9am to 5pm; off season, daily from 9am to 4pm. It's open on federal holidays January through May, but closed on holidays the rest of the year. The Wildlife Drive is open year-round Saturday through Thursday, from 1 hour after sunrise to 1 hour before sunset. For more information, contact the refuge at 1 Wildlife Dr., Sanibel Island, FL 33957 (tel. 239/472-1100).
You'll get a lot more from your visit by taking a naturalist-narrated tram tour operated by Tarpon Bay Explorers, at the north end of Tarpon Bay Road (tel. 239/472-8900; www.tarponbayexplorers.com). The tours last 2 hours and cost $12 for adults, $7 for children 12 and under. Schedules are seasonal, so call ahead.
Tarpon Bay Explorers also offers a variety of guided canoe and kayak tours, with an emphasis on the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of the refuge (call for schedule and reservations, which are required). It also rents canoes, kayaks, and small boats with electric trolling motors.
A short drive from the visitor center, the nonprofit Sanibel/Captiva Conservation Foundation, 3333 Sanibel-Captiva Rd. (tel. 239/472-2329; www.sccf.org), maintains a nature center, a native-plant nursery, and 4.5 miles of nature trails on 1,100 acres of wetlands along the Sanibel River. You can learn more about the islands' unusual ecosystems through environmental workshops, guided 1 1/2-hour trail walks, beach walks, and a 2-hour natural-history boat cruise (call for seasonal schedules and reservations). Various items are for sale, including native plants and publications on the islands' birds and other wildlife. Admission is $3 for adults, free for children 16 and under. The nature center is open from November 15 to April 14, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 4pm, Saturday from 10am to 3pm; off season, Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 3pm.
Also nearby, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (C.R.O.W.), 3883 Sanibel-Captiva Rd. (tel. 239/472-3644; www.crowclinic.org), is dedicated to the care of sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife. Tours usually take place year-round Monday through Friday at 11am, but call to make sure. The cost is $3 per person.
