Hells Bay Chickee

We paddled out to Hells Bay Chickee on kayaks rented from Flamingo Adventures on March 5th. The weather was ideal, high 81, low 65, sunny, wind at 6 mph. We launched at 10 am and returned at 11 am the next day. It’s the dry season, so there weren’t many bugs. The mosquitos came out at dusk and we just hid in our tent, didn’t even use bug spray. There were a few horseflies on the paddle out which we dutifully killed. There were also very few animals, we saw some birds and fish, but not a sighting of anything else, I was expecting to see more, maybe a snake or something. The mangroves themselves are lovely, with the low winds, the water was like glass and the reflections made floating in them seem even more surreal. I liked seeing all the air plants/epiphytes blooming this time of year. We’re couch-to-kayak, average fitness level, and it took us 4 hours to do the paddle each way. In hindsight, for a couple of reasons, I wish we had stayed at Pearl Bay Chickee instead. The first reason is that they rebuilt the platform using a metal grate and it was uncomfortable to sleep on because we didn’t bring thick enough mattress pads, so we barely got any sleep. The second is that Pearl Bay is closer to the trailhead. I would have felt satisfied with a 3-hour paddle for our fitness level and travel purposes. We also got charged another day for the kayak rental because we couldn’t return them within 24 hours, so we paid $365 dollars for renting two single kayaks, which feels steep for an overnight camping excursion. Besides the price, it was a good experience and I’m glad we did it. It’s hard to be angry while kayaking, so I came back feeling relaxed and accomplished. Though the first mile is a bit frustrating because the channels aren’t wide enough to make a full kayak stroke, so you’re whacking mangrove roots the whole way.

Very nice chickee that has been rebuilt with plastic decking and galvanized metal. Portapotty door would not stay closed. We paddled here in a rented canoe and camped overnight. It was a 6-hour, non-stop, difficult paddle to get here from Flamingo Marina against a 10-12kt wind. I used all my strength. There are no places to take a break, pull up to a beach and have lunch, or use a portapotty between the marina and here. You will have to pee into a bucket and pour it overboard. We did this in the winter on a day when it was cold and windy. We arrived just before sunset and it could have turned into a crises if we could not find the chickee but Google Maps was surprisingly effective when used with the offline downloaded map. We arrived cold and exhausted. Because of the weather, we abandoned our trip and paddled back to the marina the next day. Paddling back, with the wind and the tide, it still took five (5) hours to get to the marina.

It’s pretty far from flamingo. We had a three person canoe with two not so fit people plus me. It was a hard journey. I did most paddling, it took us 6.5 hours against 10 miles wind to get there. Second day took 4.5 hours because the wind. Please make sure you bring people are physical capable doing this. If you go to gym frequently, I think you will be fine. Saw a croc at the beginning, and some dolphins the second day. AAT has signal there. Only strong but good for calling. T mobile doesn’t, didn’t test Verizon. If the wind is bigger than 10 miles/ 16 km per hour. Highly recommend not going. Not too many mosquitoes. Date: Dec, 21, 2023.

I believe this campsite is 5.5 miles from the normal launch site for day trips from hell bays. We did this trip on paddle boards and it was easy, we made a seat out of our luggage for the first part. In the morning a dolphin greeted us, and we saw many more on our way back.

Just a cool place to be. Double style chickee while a port-o-let. Great place to start or end your journey. This is also accessible on an overnight trip from Hells Bay Trail off of Main Park Rd.