Q WHAT CAN I SEE IN ...? EVERGLADES FLORIDA, USA

AIt’s one of the most famous wetlands in the world, and an airboat ride down the ‘River of Grass’ – a name that alludes to the fact that the Everglades is essentially one large, slowmoving waterway – is a bucketlist wildlife adventure.

The dry season (December to April) is the best time to visit, when the park’s denizens congregate at remaining pools of water. The Anhinga Trail, a raised boardwalk over a large area of sawgrass marsh, offers close-up encounters with alligators, turtles and, of course, the anhingas from which it takes its name (also known as ‘snakebirds’, due to their habit of swimming with their serpent-like necks above the water).

A flash of pink means you're in the presence of one of the park’s most colourful stars, the roseate spoonbill. This beautiful wader is visible all year round and can often be seen in mixed flocks, swinging its head from side to side as it probes the shallows. Look out also for the famous – and now endangered – Everglades snail kite, gliding low over the water in search of its mollusc prey, and, if you’re lucky, the west Indian manatee, surfacing to breathe.