After you’ve had your fill of beignets, strolled through spooky cemeteries and explored other highlights in New Orleans, slow down with a local swamp tour. New Orleans swamp tours offer beautiful scenery and the chance to spot alligators and other native wildlife. Plus, many of them offer transportation to and from the city.
Read on to discover the best New Orleans swamp tours by airboat, kayak, flat-bottomed boat and even zip line. All of the recommended tours either include transportation from the French Quarter and/or New Orleans hotels or offer it as an add-on service.
Best Airboat Tour: Airboat Adventures – Small Airboat Tour
Price: From $89
Duration: 2 hours
For a classic airboat swamp tour in New Orleans, choose Airboat Adventures. With this tour operator, you can expect interesting guides and multiple glimpses of alligators as you weave through 20,000-plus acres of cypress swamps. After your roughly two-hour airboat ride, take some time to explore the company's indoor facility, which houses Sugar, an albino gator.
While tours are available in both small (10 people) and large (30 people) boats, recent tourgoers recommend opting for a small boat tour, as the small airboats can access more remote corners of the swamp.
Pregnant women, children younger than 5 and people with back and neck injuries are not permitted to ride on the airboats. Pets, including service animals, are also prohibited due to the loud noise from the boat. The company provides ear protection, but you may want to bring your own if you are extra sensitive.
Transportation: Hotel pickup and dropoff is available for those staying at hotels in Greater New Orleans; the cost is $30 per person. If you'll be driving to the tour departure point, it's located at 5145 Fleming Park Road, Lafitte, LA 70067.
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Best Kayak Tour: New Orleans Kayak Swamp Tours – Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour
Price: From $75
Duration: 2 hours
Novice kayakers will appreciate this paddle in Manchac Swamp, as it's especially suitable for beginners. During the tour, you'll wind your way through the swamp's calm waters and take a gander at the local wildlife.
For an even more memorable experience, take the early morning or evening tour to see the swamp bathed in warm light. Summer and early fall tours will give you the best chance for seeing alligators and turtles. Reviewers say you'll gain lots of insight not only about the area's ecology but also about local history.
Transportation: Transportation is available for an additional $25 per person. Shuttles depart from the Rampart Treehouse restaurant (740 N. Rampart St.) downtown.
The company also runs tours of the Honey Island Swamp and a half-day kayak tour through the Shell Bank bayou.
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Best Flat-bottomed Boat Tour: Cajun Encounters – Swamp Tour
Price: Adults from $59.95; kids from $38.75
Duration: 2 hours
Cajun Encounters' daily tour of the Honey Island Swamp takes place on a flat-bottomed boat. Each ride includes commentary from a friendly guide as you look for alligators, wild boar, owls and more. Tourists say the guides are informative and fun and highly recommend the tour, but caution there are many bugs.
Transportation: Hotel pickup and dropoff is included in the rates noted above; cheaper tickets are available for those who can drive to the tour location (55345 U.S. Route 90, Slidell, LA 70461).
Cajun Encounters also runs VIP tours (which have up to 10 to 12 passengers) as well as tours of the city.
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Best Family Tour: Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tours
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Price: Adults from $58; kids from $36
Duration: 2 hours
Participants say that Dr. Wagner's Honey Island Swamp Tours are perfect for groups of all ages, making sure to engage everyone including kids throughout the tour. Guides, who are natives of South Louisiana, narrate the two-hour tours with facts and stories about the area. During the journey, travelers may spot alligators, deer, osprey, hogs, turtles, herons and more along with the traditional cypress trees.
Transportation: Hotel pickup and dropoff is included in the rates listed above, though you can save on tickets by driving to the tour location (41490 Crawford Landing Road, Slidell, LA 70461).
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Best for Comfort: Louisiana Tour Company – Swamp Boat Tour
Price: Adults from $55; kids from $35
Duration: 2 hours
From the experienced, knowledgeable guides to the amiable shuttle drivers, travelers consistently praise Louisiana Tour Company's swamp boat tour. They also appreciate that boats have cushioned seats, a roof and windows to help maximize comfort in all weather. The boats also have restrooms. During the almost two-hour tour, you'll see a Native American burial mound, a fishing village, numerous critters and beautiful swamplands.
Transportation: Transportation to and from your hotel is included in the rates noted above. However, cheaper tickets are available for those who can drive to the tour location (9706 Barataria Blvd., Marrero, LA 70072).
Louisiana Tour Company also operates airboat swamp tours.
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Best Zip Line Tour: Zip NOLA – Swamp Zipline Tour
Price: From $91
Duration: 1.5 hours
See the swamps from above on this adrenaline-inducing tour. The 1.5-hour experience includes five different zip lines, a spiral tree staircase and two sky bridges for prime views of the swamps (and the creatures that lurk in them) below. Recent travelers highly recommend this tour, noting they felt safe throughout. Others note that it's good for beginners.
While there is no age minimum, children must weigh at least 45 pounds to zip line; the maximum weight limit is 280 pounds. This tour is not recommended for anyone who is pregnant or suffers from back pain or serious medical conditions.
Transportation: Round-trip transportation from New Orleans is available for an additional $25 per person. Otherwise, you can drive to the attraction (301 Peavine Road, Laplace, LA 70068).
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Frequently Asked Questions
You can expect to pay at least $50 per person for a swamp tour that includes transportation; if you have a rental car for your trip to New Orleans, you can save some coin by driving to the tour location. Fees also vary depending on the company and type of vessel used to explore the swamps.
If alligators are your top reason for trekking to the swamp, plan for a spring or summer tour, as alligators enter a state of brumation (a modified period of hibernation) during the cold weather months.
Perhaps the most famous swamp in New Orleans is Honey Island. For those interested in visiting this swamp exclusively, Honey Island Swamp Tours and Cajun Encounters are both great options.
You'll want to dress casually for your swamp tour in New Orleans – a T-shirt and shorts or lightweight pants is ideal. You'll also want to bring a light jacket in case you get chilly or it rains during your tour.
Some swamp tour boats (not airboats), such as those operated by the Louisiana Tour Company, offer bathrooms, while others do not. If this is important to you, be sure to double-check whether or not this amenity is offered when booking.
