NEW ORLEANS
The best of New Orleans.
The 15 most popular swamp & bayou tours in New Orleans. What each one is really like, what it costs, and who runs it.
Ride from New Orleans to Honey Island Swamp on a small boat, spot wildlife, learn Cajun culture, and see a village only reachable by water.
Most Popular“a lot of information provided by captin steve. he made sure that every single person saw the things he pointed out”
Speed through the Lafitte bayou on an airboat, guided by locals, with cypress swamp views, wildlife spotting, and albino gator exhibits.
“This is a wonderful tour that I would encourage every traveler to experience! Our airboat Captain, Adam, was extremely professional, courteous and very knowledgeable about the environment and the ecosystem. The tour exceeded our expectations, a nature extravaganza -- and full of alligators, indeed!”
Swap the city for Oak Alley or Destrehan plus a private Manchac Swamp pontoon ride with wildlife spotting and photo-friendly commentary.
“It was a great and heartfelt experience. It’s just a bit silky that you can’t take pictures inside the house.”
Drive to Slidell for a 2-hour Honey Island Swamp boat tour with a small open-air boat, wildlife spotting, and Cajun culture stories.
“We had a great time. Emmett did a wonderful job pointing out all the wildlife and explaining the area. Highly recommend to anyone traveling to the New Orleans area.”
High-speed airboat thrills through the Louisiana bayous near New Orleans, with expert captains, alligators, and birds. Pickup options available.
Roofed swamp boat tour in Marrero through Barataria Preserve with Cajun cemeteries, burial mounds, wildlife, and narrated stories.
“Went out with captain Ernie and he was fantastic. Very knowledgeable and kept things interesting with stories and explanation of the local history.”
New Orleans airboat tour with hotel pickup, 2 hours on the water, expert guides, and frequent photo stops in the Barataria wetlands.
“The tour was great! Our guide, Ernie, was a blast and very knowledgeable. He did his job with a great passion for gators and educated all of us. Would recommend!”
Small-group airboat swamp tour from downtown New Orleans: thrilling speed bursts, wildlife spotting, and a guided ride through Barataria Preserve.
“Confession- I didn’t want to do this but did for my husband. It turned out to be the highlight of our trip!!! The airboat was thrilling, the tour guide was so informative and passionate about this area and we even held a baby gator!!! This is a must see!!!”
Pontoon through Lafitte’s cypress swamps with a live guide. Look for alligators, birds, turtles, and more, with pickup options.
“Thought we booked the air boat but ended up on large boat. Saw two baby gators. Could barely hear tour guide.”
Guided Manchac Swamp pontoon cruise with optional New Orleans pickup. Spot alligators and learn Cajun stories for about $35.
“Despite severe torrential rain all day the swamp cruise was brilliant. Our tour guide was very funny and informative and we experienced the 'gators far more "close up and personal" than we ever imagined!! If anything, I think the severe weather made the experience even more dramatic!”
Boat cruise from the French Quarter through Barataria Preserve for wildlife spotting and Cajun stories. About 2 hours on water.
“This is a easy 2-hour tour of the bayous and swamps. tlThe boat is quite stable and has a cover overhead to protect from sun and weather. Wildlife is much more active in the warmer months, March thru October. Sunny days are best. A good outing for kids. Bring your camera, bug spray and a…”
New Orleans airboat and plantation day: cypress swamps wildlife ride, Laura Plantation stories, Houmas House lunch, and guided gardens.
“We really enjoyed this tour. Giselle was our tour guide and was fantastic. She was very informative all through the tour even we while we were travelling between locations she continued to tell us about the history of New Orleans. We started the day with an airboat ride where we met many of the alligators…”
New Orleans combo day trip: narrated Manchac Swamp boat tour with gators and wildlife, plus guided Oak Alley Plantation visit.
“This was fun and a great way to explore a bit of the bayou and the history of plantations.”
New Orleans swamp boat tour with hotel pickup. 2 hours on the Barataria Preserve, guided wildlife spotting, history, and comfy covered boat.
“We had a wonderful swamp tour. Our guide Dewey was very knowledgeable, entertaining, and kind. Our bus driver Barbara got us there with a great ride despite unexpected issues outside of her control.We highly recommend!”
Paddle tandem kayaks through the Manchac and Maurepas swamps near New Orleans. Small group, guided lesson, wildlife spotting.
“Guide was awesome and extremely knowledgeable. Really enjoyed the tour. Would definitely recommend and do it again.”
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