Did you know the Mobile-Tensaw Delta is home to more turtle species, 18, than any other river delta in the world, including the Amazon and the Mekong?

 It’s not a luxurious cruise down the Nile, but Ben Raines’ guided trips through  the upper and the lower sections of the Mobile-Tensaw Delta, the most diverse river system in North America, are arguably more unique.

Raines’ name is now known around the world for helping to find the Clotilda, the last ship to bring enslaved Africans to the shores of America. He subsequently wrote a book chronicling that endeavor and the stories of the Africans that were brought here.

But it’s another of his books, “Saving America’s Amazon,” the culmination of his
20 plus years of environmental reporting in Alabama, that aims to showcase the ecological gem that this state (and specifically this river system) is. His trips through the Mobile-Tensaw Delta are an extension of that.

You’ll hum 30 miles per hour, bouncing on top of Tensaw River and its creamy chocolate looking water passing ancient Native American shell mounds and river houses either long abandoned or decorated to look nearly so. Slowing down, you’ll put down the trolling motor and weave slowly through small creeks by thousands of floating carnivorous plants and native flowers you won’t see anywhere else in the world.

If you're interested in booking a tour with Raines, head over to  www.americasamazonadventures.com. To see more photos, find this story online at www.gulfcoastmedia.com.