Swamp Tours, New Orleans

The cypress trees were beautiful. When you think of how man has been so destructive to nature it is reassuring to see there is still natural beauty to be found. The air boat we were traveling on took us back into small little covers and we were able to see so much more than you would have seen on one of the larger tour boats.

Definately off the beaten path. There are several swamp tours available when you visit New Orleans. There are also Plantation Tours, graveyard tours, and haunted tours. Not wanting to spend all of vacation money on tours we chose to do only the Swamp Tour and it was a wise choice. Riding through the beautiful swamps and looking at the natural beauty is so far removed from the activity in New Orleans.

This is probably one of the better swamp tours operating anywhere within close proximity to New Orleans.
For those of you who would love to see louisianas natural swamplands this tour is superb.
you will find brochures to this particular tour in most of the hotels across New Orleans and I believe they also do pick ups and drop offs to most hotel locations. They are called "Cajun pride swamp tours"
They have great friendly staff and awsome swamp tours and also they are very close to new orleans.

Of course there are alligators in the swamps. We did not see any in the water but were able to get up close to this one sunning himself on the river bank. He is camoflaged very well and its hard to see him. This one is not full grown and was probably just over seven feet long. The natural beauty of the area is beyond words.

This is my favorite picture from the swamp tour. You can see the rows of Cypress Trees and their reflection in the water. It was very impressive. Our tour last for an hour and forty five minutes. It was a great retreat from the city and a beautiful afternoon. If you go to New Orleans do not pass up the Swamp tours.

the louisiana swamp tour is an airboat ride through the barataria swamp. the airboat takes you through swamps, bayous, and cajun country. the barataria swamp was once the home to the famous pirate jean lafitte. this interesing and educational tour is a very good side trip when in new orleans.

from downtown new orleans take BR 90 southwest to SR 45 south to the town of crown point. the louisiana swamp tours are located at 9714 barataria blvd. crown point is about 25 miles southwest of downtown.

My experience with the Honey Island Swamp Tour was fantastic! The van ride out there was worth the price of admission alone. We were picked up by "Uncle Dave", a character wearing safari gear and swamp moss in his hair.

The boat tour was quite interesting from an ecological standpoint. You'll only see alligators in the summer, but the freaky plant life is great to see too.

Around New Orleans, you can take a trip through the meandering bayous filled with moss-draped cypress trees, fascinating plant life and you might even catch a glimpse of an alligator.
There are a lot of swamp tours to pick from. We went with Bayou Gauche Airboat Swamp Tour, south of New Orleans. In an airboat they'll show you the Louisiana swamps in about 1.5 hours time. They'll tell you about the swamps and its inhabitants and stop at an alligator hunter's cabin.

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I took some friends out to Honey Island Swamp Tours and surprisingly it was really fun. You go on a boat, I think there are about 2 tours per day. One in the early morning and then another around 2pmish. You have to call ahead to make reservations, and the tour is about 2 hours long. It felt a little long, and about 10-12 people per boat. Our tour guide was really nice and seem to know a lot about hunting bullfrogs and such.

He was very intelligent about the animals and the surrounding history and wildlife in that area. It was worth the 45 minute drive from New Orleans. Although most people visiting were tourists that the HIbus picked up from their hotels, which they can do for extra $$$, it was a nice boat ride. I heard that the "Cajun Tours" really ripped them off because they have been here doing swamp tours since back in the day!

And it was about $25 per person, which was reasonable, but definitely, I would recommend this island tour for visitors wanting to see the other side of New Orleans. Oh, and they feed these gators, which were everywhere, marshmellows and little sausages, so the alligators come so close to the boat you can take so many up close pictures!

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We drove for more than an hour to Jean Lafitte which is on the edge of the Jean Lafitte Barataria Preserve section. We went out in a pontoon boat, and while it was cold, it wasn't so cold yet that there was no wildlife. We saw nutria and several alligators, and birds (photos 3 and 4). We also saw former habitations (photo 5) and some graveyards. Snacks, sandwiches & refreshments were available for purchase and there was also a restroom.

Currently Grey Line offers this tour which combines the Swamp & Bayou Tour with either the Oak Alley Plantation Tour or the Laura Plantation Tour at a discounted price, but it seems to indicate that it the two parts must be taken on separate days.

Departure Time
SWAMP & BAYOU
Mar 1 - Nov 25, 2009
11am & 1pm Daily

Nov 27 - Dec 31, 2009
1pm Mo, We, Fr & Sa

Duration 3.75 hours (includes travel time)

Cost
Adult: $48.00
Child: $24.00