New Orleans Swamp Tours

To visit the swamps in New Orleans, you will need to board a hydrofoil or similar. This is an experience not suitable for the nervous, but if you love nature, you are sure to be fascinated by all that you will see on the tour.

Believe it or not, the swamp tour is one of the things to see and do in New Orleans that you can't miss. It is a magical walk where you will see exuberant animals such as alligators, snakes and large turtles up close.

Just 30 minutes from New Orleans you will board the boat that will take you to tour the different swamps of Louisiana, to see the wetlands of Jean Lafitte National Park and Bayou Barataria and all the extensive wildlife that makes life in these incredible places.

One of the features you will like most about this tour is the closeness with which you will see the different species that make life in these marshes, from alligators to large turtles and birds that call these wetlands home. Plus the tour is practically personalized when you decide to opt for the boat with a capacity for six to eight people.

Details of interest

• Price: The price can vary, although it is common to get this experience for approximately 59 euros per person.
• Duration: It lasts approximately 4 hours, during which you will see the different species of the swamp up close.
• Means of transportation: In case you choose it, the transfer from the hotel where you are staying to the boarding place is done in an equipped car. The tour is generally done by boat.
• Advantages of this tour: A live expert guide is included who will teach you all about the swamp and the animals that inhabit it, as well as answer all your questions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: This tour is not suitable for children under 5 years old, nor for pregnant women. It is also not recommended for people with neck or back problems to attend this tour.

For approximately four hours, you will be able to visit some of the most impressive marshes in New Orleans, and learn about the wildlife that hides in them. You will also be able to appreciate the particular flora that grows and develops in these wetlands so close to the city, since you will walk along the entire length of the Mississippi.

You have the option of having a traditional po' boy sandwich for lunch on board the boat while you watch the species that inhabit the marsh and listen to all kinds of stories related to the marshes that your experienced guide will tell you. On this one of the best boat tours in New Orleans, you will learn about the local animal life, which species are endangered and learn about efforts to safeguard this ecosystem.

Details of interest

• Price: You can take this experience by paying an approximate price of 60 euros per person.
• Duration: The tour is half a day and lasts about 4 hours.
• Means of transportation: To get to the meeting point and board the boat, you will have to use your own means. Once on board, the tour is completed on the boat.
• Advantages of this tour: All taxes are included. Also included is lunch, which is usually a ham or turkey sandwich, accompanied by chips and water. A tour guide will be on board to answer all your questions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Transportation from the hotel and back is not included. Tips are also not included. The tour may be cancelled if weather conditions are determined to be unfavorable.

The airboat is one of the best options to tour the marshes of New Orleans. Aboard an airboat you will have the opportunity to tour the wooded marshes that are very close to New Orleans as well as enjoy its wildlife and local flora.

The airboat will take you through the most popular marshlands of New Orleans and the tour will be personalized since it is a small group tour. You will be accompanied by a guide who will give you personalized attention and to whom you will be able to ask all the questions you want while you tour the swamp.

Details of interest

• Price: This experience can be found for approximately 130 euros per person.
• Duration: Touring the marshes will take you about four hours.
• Means of transportation: To get to the place where you will embark on your trip, you will board an equipped bus that will take you to your destination. Once on board, the tour takes place in an airboat.
• Advantages of this tour: Expert tour guide in the area, fauna and flora of the marshes. Transfer from your hotel and back once the experience is over. Assistance animals are allowed. You can hire tours for groups of up to 14 people who prefer to stay together during the whole experience.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for children under 5 years old or pregnant women. This experience is not recommended for people with neck or back problems. It is also not a tour that is adapted for wheelchair users.

A tour of the oldest plantation in the entire New Orleans bayou area, plus the sighting of the many wildlife that inhabit the bayous is part of what you will see on this tour.

In addition, you will visit the museum dedicated to remembering the slaves who gave their lives in the revolt of 1811, and the period of slavery in Louisiana in general. The tour includes admission to the plantation and also to the museum. The swamps are one of the most impressive attractions, especially because of the alligators that live here.

Details of interest

• Price: To take this tour of the swamps you will need to pay approximately 151 euros per person.
• Duration: The tour lasts approximately six hours to visit the whole area, the plantation and the museum.
• Transportation: You will be picked up at your hotel and taken to the boarding point. From there the group will travel by hydrofoil.
• Advantages of this tour: Entrance fees to the museum and the Destrehan plantation are included. Also included is the commentary of an expert guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the fauna, flora and history of this place. It is a personalized tour because it is valid for groups of up to nine people.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It is not suitable for people in wheelchairs, nor is it recommended for those with reduced mobility or back problems. It is not suitable for pregnant women.

During this boat tour of southern Louisiana you will see both the sugar cane plantations and the most important and imposing mansions of the area, as well as the swamps with rich vegetation and local fauna.

Among the plantations you will be able to visit are the Oak Alley Plantation from New Orleans and the Laura Plantation, as well as the places inside both plantations, where the slaves who lived in those plantations used to share and live together. On the walk through the swamps you will see lots of wild animals such as alligators and snakes, while learning about Cajun cuisine.

Details of interest

• Price: To enjoy this full day you will have to pay around 220 euros per person.
• Duration: It lasts a full day, approximately 9 hours of travel and enjoyment.
• Means of transportation: From your hotel or the location in downtown New Orleans that has been determined, to the place where you will take the airboat, you will travel by bus. Afterwards, the tour continues by boat.
• Highlights of this tour: An unlimited buffet lunch is included and is offered at the Houmas House Plantation, one of the most iconic stops on the tour. Also included is a tour of Houmas House and Laura Plantation with expert guides who will answer your questions. Assistance animals are allowed and the boat has child seats.
• Disadvantages of this tour: This tour is not wheelchair friendly. It is not recommended for pregnant women or people with back problems. Children under 5 years old miss the airboat ride.

This combined tour shows you the highlights of the Oak Alley Plantation and also gives you a tour of the different wetlands that are located around this plantation, to show you the wildlife that abounds in the place.

One of the best things about this excursion is that in its 8 and a half hours you will learn interesting historical details from your tour guide, who will also tell you some history about one of the most important swamps in Louisiana: Barataria. The boat in which you will tour the bayou is completely enclosed and safe.

Details of interest

• Price: To live the experience you will have to pay approximately 104 euros per person.
• Duration: You will need approximately 8 hours to complete the tour through the swamp and the Oak Alley Plantation.
• Transportation: This is an experience that includes transportation from New Orleans, so from the hotel to the place where you will board the boat, the transportation will be an equipped bus. The tour through the bayou is by boat.
• Advantages of this tour: Transportation from the hotel and back is included. You will have a local guide to answer all your questions, plus an equipped bus to take you and the other tourists to the plantation.
• Disadvantages of this tour: The weather must be good and a minimum quota of passengers must be filled to do the tour, otherwise the tour is cancelled and you can ask for a refund.

Unlike swamps, bayous are inflows and offshoots of the Mississippi River that are not exactly stagnant, but are still moving but still hold enough swamp wildlife within them.

On this two-hour tour of the Cajun bayous you'll get a high-altitude experience aboard a covered boat. It's a trip filled with more history than swamp wildlife. You will see an Indian burial ground that is over 2000 years old, as well as different species such as turtles, snakes and alligators.

Details of interest

• Price: You can book this activity for an approximate price of 43 euros per person.
• Duration: It is a short tour of about two hours.
• Means of transport: Equipped bus from the hotel to the port and closed boat from the port to the marshes.
• Advantages of this tour: Pick up from the hotel is included, only if you are staying in hotels in the city center. You will have a professional guide who will answer all your questions during the activity. It is suitable for people in wheelchairs, but with the company of family or friends.
• Disadvantages of this tour: The experience may be cancelled due to weather conditions or because the minimum quota of passengers is not filled.

Honey Island is a small island located near the Pontchartrain River, where wildlife and marshes abound. On this tour to Honey Island you will see everything from the typical alligators that can be seen in all the nearby marshes, to otters and herons that fly over the area.

This is a protected area, which makes the tour even more interesting. This is one of the best cruises in and around New Orleans and is narrated by a tour guide who is an expert in the area's flora and fauna and will answer any questions you may have about the area. You will learn about the Cajun fishing village and hear obscure stories about the marshes' past.

Details of interest

• Price: This excursion is priced at approximately 30 euros per person.
• Duration: It is a short tour of the island, just 2 hours.
• Means of transportation: To get from your accommodation to the embarkation point, you will have to travel on your own. Afterwards, the tour is done by boat to Honey Island.
• Advantages of this tour: You will be accompanied by an expert and professional tour guide who will answer all your questions. You will listen to live commentary on board. Child seats are available. Children can participate as long as they are accompanied by their representatives. Assistance animals are allowed.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for wheelchair users.

Learn all about the Cajun culture, its history and food, as well as how it differs from the Creole culture, as you travel by boat through the Manchac swamps. You will be aboard this boat and also see different species of wild animals, including alligators, turtles and snakes.

You will also see different deer and bird species throughout the wetlands, as well as different types of cypress trees that grow in the swamps. On the other hand, one of the best things you can enjoy during this experience is the history of the town of Frenier, with its Cajun culture and many things to tell.

Details of interest

• Price: You will need around 27 euros per person to complete this experience.
• Duration: This tour can extend up to 4 hours approximately.
• Means of transportation: You will have to get to the meeting point on your own, unless you book transportation in addition to the cost of the tour.
• Advantages of this tour: You will have an experienced guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the wetlands and its surroundings. It is not cancelled due to weather conditions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Tips and transportation from the hotel and back are not included, unless you request that additional option. No strollers or umbrellas are allowed.

Lake Martin is a lake where you can see mangroves, trees that are lost in the waters of this lake and of course an impressive fauna that coexists in the place. To make this excursion to Lake Martin the first thing you will have to do is get to Breaux Bridge to take the boat that will take you to the place.

One of the biggest advantages of visiting this place is that the fauna is abundant, so you will be able to see a great variety of wildlife. It is a quiet place, since the place, being little known, tends to be less crowded most of the time, so you can be sure that you will find availability of boats to make the tour.

Details of interest

• Price: The price of this excursion can be around 30 euros per person.
• Duration: The excursion can last around three hours.
• Means of transport: You will have to arrive on your own at the embarkation point. Once there, the tour will be done by boat.
• Advantages of this tour: You will be accompanied by an expert guide who will be able to explain everything you need to know about the marshes, as well as stories of the area's past.
• Disadvantages of this tour: This tour is not recommended for pregnant women, children under 5 years old, or people with back, neck or other mobility problems.

• Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes. Dress in layers, the weather can be changeable. But above all, wear waterproof clothing.
• If you have back problems or other similar ailments, avoid this activity, or at least avoid hoverboards.
• If you go with children, make sure they stay in their seats and talk to them about what they will see before the ride.
• Bring protection for your photo devices, whether they are cameras or phones.

A tour in the swamps of New Orleans is recommended only if you like wildlife, large animals and especially if you are one of those who prefer walks in wet and inhospitable habitats.

It is also a good activity to learn about the food and history of New Orleans and how its history has been shaped around these marshes. It is an excellent excursion to include in the list of things to see and do in New Orleans with children because they usually like to appreciate the natural and wild life in detail.

However, it is important that before having such an experience, you can make sure that the children you are traveling with are of the minimum age to get on the boat and have this enjoyable experience. Many times children must be a minimum of five years old to participate.