Best Swamp Tours in New Orleans

To visit the swamps in New Orleans, you'll need to board an airboat or similar. This is an experience not for the nervous, but if you love the great outdoors, you're sure to be fascinated by all that you'll 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's a magical walk where you'll see exuberant animals such as alligators, snakes and large turtles up close.

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

One of the features you'll love most about this tour is the close proximity with which you'll see the different species that make their home in these marshes, from alligators to large turtles and birds that call these wetlands home. Plus, the tour is practically personalised when you opt for the six to eight person boat.

Details of interest

• Price: The price can vary, although you can usually get this experience for around 59 euros per person.
• Duration: It lasts approximately 4 hours, during which you will see the different species in the marsh up close.
• Means of transport: If you choose, the transfer from the hotel where you are staying to the boarding point is done in an equipped car. The tour generally takes place 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 is it suitable 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 visit some of the most impressive marshes in New Orleans, and learn about the wildlife that hides in them. You'll also be able to appreciate the unique flora that grows and develops in these wetlands so close to the city, as you'll cruise 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 marsh-dwelling species and listen to all sorts of marsh-related stories from your experienced guide. On this one of the best boat tours in New Orleans, you'll learn about the local animal life, which species are endangered and 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 takes half a day and lasts around 4 hours.
• Means of transport: To get to the meeting point and board the boat, you will have to use your own means of transport. 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 to and from the hotel is not included. Tips are also not included. The tour may be cancelled if weather conditions are determined to be unfavourable.

The airboat is one of the best options for touring the marshes of New Orleans. Aboard an airboat you'll have the opportunity to tour the wooded marshlands that are close to New Orleans as well as enjoy the local wildlife and flora.

The airboat will take you through the most popular marshlands of New Orleans and the tour will be personalised as it is a small group tour. You'll be accompanied by a guide who will give you personal attention and you'll be able to ask all the questions you want as you make your way through the bayou.

Details of interest

• Price: This experience can be found for approximately 130 euros per person.
• Duration: It will take you around four hours to tour the marshes.
• Means of transport: To get to the place where you will embark on your journey, you will board an equipped bus that will take you to your destination. Once on board, the tour will take place in an airboat.
• Advantages of this tour: Tour guide expert in the area, fauna and flora of the marshes. Transfer from your hotel and back once the experience is over. Assistance animals are allowed. Tours can be booked for groups of up to 14 people who prefer to stay together for the entire experience.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for children under 5 years old and not suitable for pregnant women. This experience is not recommended for people with neck or back problems. The tour is also not suitable 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'll see on this tour.

In addition, you'll 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 as well as the museum. The swamps are one of the most impressive attractions, especially the alligators that make their home 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.
• Means of transport: 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. This is a personalised tour as it is suitable for groups of up to nine people.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It is not suitable for wheelchair users, nor is it recommended for those with reduced mobility or back problems. It is not suitable for pregnant women.

During this boat tour of South Louisiana you will see both the most important and impressive sugar cane plantations and mansions in the area, as well as the marshes with rich vegetation and local wildlife.

Among the plantations you will visit are the Oak Alley Plantation from New Orleans and the Laura Plantation, as well as the places within both plantations where the slaves who lived on the plantations used to share their daily lives. On the walk through the swamps you will see many 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 transport: From your hotel or determined location in downtown New Orleans 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 to answer your questions. Assistance animals are allowed and the boat has child seats.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Not suitable for wheelchair users. Not recommended for pregnant women or people with back problems. Children under 5 years of age miss the airboat ride.

This combined tour shows you the highlights of the Oak Alley Plantation and also takes you on a tour of the various wetlands around the plantation to show you the wildlife that abounds here.

One of the best things about this tour 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 on which you will tour the bayou is completely enclosed and safe.

Details of interest

• Price: To experience the experience you will need to pay approximately 104 euros per person.
• Duration: You will need approximately 8 hours to complete the tour of the bayou and Oak Alley Plantation.
• Means of transport: This is an experience that includes transportation from New Orleans, so from the hotel to the place where you will board the boat, the transport will be an equipped bus. The swamp tour 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 stagnant, but are still moving but still hold enough swamp fauna 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 steeped in history rather than bayou wildlife. You'll see an Indian burial ground that is over 2000 years old, as well as a variety of species such as turtles, snakes and alligators.

Details of interest

• Price: You can book this activity for approximately 43 euros per person.
• Duration: This is a short tour of about two hours.
• Means of transport: Equipped bus from the hotel to the harbour and closed boat from the harbour to the marshes.
• Advantages of this tour: Pick up from the hotel is included, only if you are staying in hotels in the city centre. You will have a professional guide who will answer all your questions during the activity. It is suitable for wheelchair users, 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 just off the Pontchartrain River, where wildlife and wetlands abound. On this tour to Honey Island you'll see everything from the typical alligators seen in all the nearby marshes, to otters and herons flying overhead.

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

Details of interest

• Price: This tour costs approximately €30 per person.
• Duration: It is a short tour of the island, lasting just 2 hours.
• Means of transport: To get from your accommodation to the embarkation point, you will have to travel on your own. Afterwards, the tour takes you 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 are welcome to 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 Cajun culture, its history and food, as well as how it differs from Creole culture, as you travel by boat through the swamps of Manchac. You'll be aboard this boat and see different species of wildlife, 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 a lot to tell.

Details of interest

• Price: You will need around 27 euros per person to complete this experience.
• Duration: This tour can be extended to approximately 4 hours.
• Means of transport: You will have to make your own way to the meeting point, unless you book transport in addition to the cost of the tour.
• Benefits of this tour: You will be accompanied by an experienced guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the marshes and the surrounding area. It is not cancelled due to weather conditions.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Tips and transport from the hotel and back are not included, unless you request that additional option. No prams 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 to 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 wildlife is abundant, so you'll be able to spot a wide variety of wildlife. It's a quiet place, as the place is less well known and less crowded most of the time, so you can be sure that you'll find boats available for the tour.

Interesting facts

• Price: The price for this tour can be around 30 euros per person.
• Duration: The excursion can last around three hours.
• Means of transport: You will have to get to the embarkation point on your own. Once there, the tour will be done by boat.
• Advantages of this tour: You will be accompanied by an expert guide who can tell you everything you need to know about the marshes, as well as stories from 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. Above all, wear waterproof clothing.
• If you have back problems or other similar ailments, avoid doing this activity, or at least avoid hoverboards.
• If you have children, make sure they stay in their seats and talk to them about what they will see before you go on the ride.
• Bring protection for your camera and phone devices to take photos.

A tour in the swamps of New Orleans is recommended only if you like wildlife, large animals and especially if you prefer to walk in wet and inhospitable habitats.

It's also a good way to learn about the food and history of New Orleans and how its history has been shaped around these marshes. It's a great excursion to include on your list of things to see and do in New Orleans with kids because they generally like to get a close look at wildlife and natural life.

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