10 Best New Orleans Swamp Tours

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

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

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

One of the things you'll love most about this tour is how close you'll get to the different species that inhabit these swamps, from alligators to large turtles and birds that call these wetlands home. What's more, the tour is practically personalised when you choose the boat with capacity for six to eight people.

Details of interest

• Price: The price may vary, although this experience usually costs around £59 per person.
• Duration: The tour lasts approximately 4 hours, during which you will see the different species of the marsh up close.
• Transport: If you choose this option, you will be taken from your hotel to the boarding point in a specially equipped car. The tour itself is mainly by boat.

Book a tour of the Lafitte swamps in New Orleans

For approximately four hours, you can visit some of the most impressive swamps in New Orleans and discover the wildlife that hides there. You will also be able to appreciate the unique flora that grows and thrives in these wetlands so close to the city, as you travel the entire length of the Mississippi River.

You have the option of enjoying a traditional po' boy sandwich on board the boat while watching the species that inhabit the swamp and listening to all kinds of stories related to the swamps told by your experienced guide. On this, one of the best boat tours in New Orleans, you will learn about local wildlife, which species are endangered, and the efforts being made to safeguard this ecosystem.

Details of interest

• Price: This experience costs approximately £50 per person.
• Duration: The tour lasts half a day and takes around 4 hours.
• Transportation: You will need to make your own way to the meeting point and board the boat. Once on board, the tour is completed on the boat.

The airboat is one of the best options for exploring the swamps of New Orleans. On board an airboat, you will have the opportunity to explore the wooded marshes that are very close to New Orleans, as well as enjoy the local wildlife and flora.

The airboat will take you to the most popular swamp sites in New Orleans, and the tour will be personalised as it is a small group tour. You will be accompanied by a guide who will give you personalised attention and answer any questions you may have during the swamp tour.

Details of interest

• Price: This experience is available for approximately £130 per person.
• Duration: The tour of the swamps takes around four hours.
• Transportation: To get to the place where you will embark on your trip, you will board a specially equipped bus that will take you to your destination. Once on board, the tour is conducted by airboat.

Learn all about Cajun culture, history and food, as well as how it differs from Creole culture, while kayaking through the Manchac swamps. You'll be on board this boat seeing 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 marshes. One of the best things you will enjoy during this experience is the history of the town of Frenier, with its Cajun culture and many stories to tell.

Details of interest

• Price: You will need around £27 per person to complete this experience.
• Duration: This tour can last up to approximately 4 hours.
• Transportation: You will need to make your own way to the meeting point, unless you book additional transportation at the cost of the excursion.

A tour of the oldest plantation in the entire New Orleans swamp area, as well as sightings of the abundant wildlife that inhabits these swamps, is part of what you will see on this tour.

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

Details of interest

• Price: To take this swamp tour, you will need to pay approximately £130 per person.
• Duration: The tour lasts approximately six hours to visit the entire 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.

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

Among the plantations you will visit are Oak Alley Plantation from New Orleans and Laura Plantation, as well as the places within both estates where the slaves who lived on these plantations used to share and live their daily lives. On the swamp tour, you will see lots of wildlife such as alligators and snakes, while learning about Cajun cuisine.

Details of interest

• Price: To enjoy this full day, you will need to pay around £220 per person.
• Duration: The tour lasts a full day, approximately 9 hours of travel and enjoyment.
• Transport: You will travel by bus from your hotel or the designated location in downtown New Orleans to the place where you will board the airboat. The rest of the tour is by boat.

This combined tour shows you the highlights of Oak Alley Plantation and also takes you on a tour of the different swamps around the plantation to show you the abundant wildlife in the area.

One of the best things about this tour is that during the 8.5 hours, you will learn interesting historical details from your tour guide, who will also tell you about the history of one of Louisiana's most important swamps: Barataria. The boat you will take to tour the swamp is completely enclosed and safe.

Details of interest

• Price: To enjoy this experience, you will need to pay approximately £90 per person.
• Duration: You will need approximately 8 hours to complete the tour of the swamp and Oak Alley Plantation.
• Transportation: This experience includes transportation from New Orleans, so you will be taken by bus from your hotel to the boat. The tour of the swamp is by boat.

Unlike swamps, bayous are tributaries and branches of the Mississippi River that are not exactly stagnant, but continue to move while still harbouring enough swamp wildlife.

On this two-hour tour of the Cajun bayous, you'll enjoy a unique experience aboard a covered boat. This trip is more about history than wildlife. You'll see a Native American cemetery that is over 2,000 years old, as well as different species such as turtles, snakes and alligators.

Details of interest

• Price: You can book this activity for approximately £37 per person.
• Duration: This is a short tour lasting about two hours.
• Transport: Equipped bus from the hotel to the port and closed boat from the port to the marshes.

Honey Island is a small island located near the Pontchartrain River, where wildlife and swamps abound. On this excursion to Honey Island, you'll see everything from the alligators that are common in all the nearby swamps to otters and herons flying overhead.

This is a protected area, which makes the tour even more interesting. Listed as one of the best cruises in New Orleans and the surrounding area, it is narrated by a tour guide who is an expert on the local flora and fauna and will answer any questions you may have about these places. You will visit the Cajun fishing village and hear dark stories about the past of these swamps.

Details of interest

• Price: This excursion costs approximately £25 per person.
• Duration: This is a short tour of the island, lasting just 2 hours.
• Transportation: You will need to make your own way from your accommodation to the boarding point. The tour then continues by boat to Honey Island.

Lake Martin is a lake where you can see mangroves, trees that disappear into the waters of this lake and , of course, impressive wildlife that lives there. To take this trip to Lake Martin, the first thing you will need to do is get to Breaux Bridge to take the boat that will take you there.

One of the biggest advantages of visiting this place is that the wildlife is abundant, so you will be able to see a wide variety of wildlife. It is a peaceful place, as it is little known and therefore usually less crowded, so you can be sure that there will be boats available for the tour.

Details of interest

• Price: The price of this excursion can be around £25 per person.
• Duration: The excursion can last around three hours.
• Transport: You will need to make your own way to the boarding point. Once there, the tour will take place by boat.

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

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

It's also a good activity for learning about the food and history of New Orleans and how its history has been shaped by these swamps. It's an excellent excursion to include on your list of things to see and do in New Orleans with children, as they usually enjoy taking time to appreciate nature and wildlife.

However, before embarking on an experience of this kind, it's important to make sure that the children travelling with you are old enough to board the boat and enjoy this pleasant experience. Children are often required to be at least five years old to participate.