Have you ever wanted to take a camping trip to a tropical island? To wake up and dip your toes in the soft white sand, collect pastel colored sea shells on a palm tree lined beach is truly paradise. That’s the exact experience we were looking for when we visited Sanibel Island while being a Reverse Snowbird in Florida.

Danielle’s parents were on vacation while we were RVing in Florida and joined us on a Sanibel Adventure. After a nice meal at one of their many great restaurants we headed to the furthest beach that borders Captiva Island. Sanibel is known for being the #1 Sea Shell Beach in the world! People from all over the world come here to pick the shells. As soon as you walk onto the beach you realize you are somewhere special.

The tide leaves a trail of around 3-5 ft wide of sea shells.

One of the thing we enjoyed most about Sanibel is that it’s relatively secluded. There are areas you can go and you’ll have the beach to yourself.

We saw quite a few people fishing and consistently catching fish.

A lot of unique birds were on the beach and Sanibel also has a well known Wildlife Refuge.

Of course the big attraction is the Sea Shells. There is a rich pirate history on Sanibel so while you’re looking for sea shells keep an eye out for long lost treasure. Most people were picking the endless supply of shells while others were taking unique pictures of them washing up on the shore.

To maximize your sea shell experience here are two tips:

1. Bring a bucket, net bag and scoop. I didn’t have a bucket and kept having to head back to dump out my pockets where we were sitting.
2. Go shelling at low tide. It’s best after a storm when the big shells wash up.

Danielle and her Mom floated the day away in their tubes.

You can find little coves to enjoy by yourself for the day.

There are some hiking trails in the wooded area along the beach.

What a great place to relax and soak in some rays.

Danielle learned a valuable lesson about not walking underneath fishing lines…