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Come to Captiva Island for that perfect vacation, holiday, honeymoon or get-a-way. You will be captured and captivated by Captiva Island. Beautiful, alluring Captiva Island, where once, it is said, pirates roamed, conquistadors explored and the Calusa Indians called home. The mystery and adventure is still here. Treasures to be found in the way of a good life, spectacular white sand beaches, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, and succulent seafood. The amenities on Captiva Island are unlimited, wonderful accommodations, restaurants, golfing, tennis, fishing, boating, shopping, children's activities, shelling and much more. Everything is here that one could wish for and Captiva Island is a short ride from Fort Myers, Florida International Airport.

Sanibel and its sister island Captiva are part of a chain of barrier islands skirting the southwest coast of Florida. Most of these islands are parallel to the shore line. Sanibel, however, is crescent-shaped and extends further into the Gulf, creating a haven for fish and wildlife sheltered in the bays behind our island. With more than 12 miles of Gulf of Mexico beaches and about three miles across at its widest point, Sanibel's history is rich with native peoples, Spanish explorers, brave pioneers, settlers and now, residents and vacationers from all over the world.

Sanibel and Captiva are believed to have been formed as one island about six thousand years ago. Sediment from the Caloosahatchee River was carried into the Gulf of Mexico and shaped over the years by hurricanes and tropical storms. It is believed that people have lived on Sanibel since the beginning.

The first known residents of Sanibel Island were the native Calusa Indians. A warlike people driven from the shore by the 1700s, their settlements were discovered due to the mounds of shells they left behind. The whelks, conchs, clams and oysters were used for food, their shells for tools, and large numbers of the empty shells were discarded in great heaps likely used for ceremonial purposes.

A vacation on Sanibel is a visit to Natural Florida. Conservation and living in harmony with nature have always been a part of living on these beautiful islands. All of Sanibel and parts of Captiva were declared a national wildlife refuge in 1945, and land use restrictions enacted in 1974 still guide development and landscaping.

Six thousand acres of mangrove, bay and estuary are now the J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. More than 750,000 people now tour this wildlife refuge each year. Visitors can explore the 5-mile wildlife drive by car, bike, or on foot, and may see any of 200 species of birds, sometimes even at close range. Trails, an observatory tower, canoe or kayak rentals, whatever your choice, it's an encounter with Natural Florida you won't forget.