Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Embark on a high-speed adventure through the swamps and marshes just 35 minutes from New Orleans and experience the amazing scenery by airboat. Slow down or stop to take pictures and get a personal tour from your local captain. Avail of airboats with stadium-style seating so that the person in front does not obstruct your view. Be amazed as alligators come so close to the boat that you can stare into their reptilian eyes! Encounter magnificent birdlife, including bald eagles, pelicans, ospreys and owls. Every tour is unique and you never know what will be around the next corner! Reach speeds of up to 35 miles per hour, propelled by a huge fan that blows air from the back of the boat in excess of 200 miles per hour. Ride in shallow water and access areas where traditional boats cannot go.

Embark on a voyage through the uncharted beauty of Louisiana's pristine backcountry on a boat tour with seasoned wildlife guides in New Orleans. Discover 20,000 acres of tidewater cypress swamp while encountering bayou creatures of every size, shape, and species. Get onboard a pontoon boat that offers unparalleled flexibility, accommodating both intimate gatherings and large groups. Explore the bayou, a slow-moving swamp waterway gracing the Louisiana landscape with its abundance and charm. Along the way, encounter a diverse array of bayou inhabitants, including alligators, snakes, turtles, egrets, herons, and ibis. If you're lucky, you might even spot majestic hawks, owls, and the iconic bald eagles.

Climb aboard a unique airboat to explore Louisiana’s wetlands south of New Orleans in a truly unique fashion. Board an airboat just 30 minutes from downtown New Orleans, and listen to informative commentary as you zip through the bayou and squeeze into tiny canals hidden deep in the swamp. For 105 minutes, the captains at Airboat Adventures share some of the most beautiful and secluded areas of Louisiana. Wildlife such as alligators, turtles, and birds are common sights, but you never know what else might come out to visit! Round-trip transfers are available from New Orleans for guests without a car. Upon arrival, check in to the Airboats Adventures facilities, before departing on the airboat to zip across the swamps. Grab a snack at the gift shop, or check out Sugar and Flour, the only albino alligators on the bayou. Picnic tables are available both inside and out, where you can relax before your airboat departure. The boats can hold between 6 and 30 people. Opt for a small boat, with a capacity of up to 10 passengers, for a more personal tour, when the captain can spend more time with each guest. But even the large boats, with capacity for up to 30 passengers, allow an up-close experience with the wildlife of the Louisiana swamps. Sit back and enjoy the ride through a unique landscape, and listen as you captain feeds you fascinating bayou facts. You never know; he might haul in a ‘gator if the opportunity arises, or even let you hold a baby ‘gator!

Discover Louisiana on a guided day trip from New Orleans to the historical Oak Alley Plantation, with entry tickets included, and a bayou airboat ride. Benefit from round-trip transportation from your New Orleans hotel. Start your experience with hotel pickup, and relax on the drive to Oak Alley Plantation. Enjoy a guided tour of the plantation home by guides in period dress while you hear and learn about the times of slavery.  Take in the house's Greek Revival architecture, the antique farm equipment exhibits, and walk around the grounds where 28 evenly spaced, huge oak trees grow. Browse the blacksmith shop and souvenir shop, or stop for a snack (at your own expense) in the restaurant. Continue onto Barataria Basin for an airboat tour of the bayou swamplands, where your local captain will guide you through the swamps, marshes, and lakes. Travel at high speeds for an exciting ride, then slow down to spot local wildlife on this exciting airboat experience. Look out for alligators, birds, and other animals. Every airboat tour is unique, so you never know what you’ll see. Even in winter — when alligators hibernate — you’ll have a good chance of spotting these reptiles.  Back on dry land, return to the bus for the drive back to New Orleans, where you’ll finish off your trip with a convenient drop-off back at your hotel.

Drift slowly past 2,000 years of Louisiana history on this boat tour. Encounter the beautiful nature and wildlife of the swamp in the company of your expert captain guide. Set sail with your captain, a native of the Barataria Swamps with a background in alligator hunting, fishing and trapping. He will tell you all about the ecology of the swampland. You'll also learn about the culture and lifestyle of the Cajuns of the Bayou and see plenty of wildlife, including birds, snakes, turtles and alligators.  The boat passes calmly through beautiful, moss-draped trees and soft waterways for ample opportunities to take pictures. Enjoy an entertaining, educational and exciting tour with a relaxing view of this unique landscape. Note that in the winter, gators mostly hibernate, except to soak up some sun on warmer days, but your local tour can sometimes spot a sunbathing gator for you on the tour. 

Experience an airboat ride from New Orleans and discover the vast swamps that surround the city. Travel at high speeds in the airboat with plenty of photo stops along the way, as you spot local wildlife with your captain and guide. Set off from the dock and discover an area of swamp, marsh, and lakes. Take a break from the hustle and bustle of the party in the French Quarter and search for a variety of wildlife species in the area, including raccoons, wild pigs, bald eagles, pelicans, and ospreys. Keep a lookout for the alligators that lurk beneath the water. Although more common in summer months, you may spot them at any time of year. Enjoy the thrilling adventure as you feel the wind in your hair as you ride through the waterways at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour. Learn more about local ecology and the lives of Cajuns that once inhabited the wetlands, before heading back to the dock.

Bring your cameras and adventurous spirits as you explore the Barataria Preserve of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Meet your guide at the meeting point and go to the swamp. Embark on a pontoon boat ride around the waters of the area. Get the chance to spot alligators, local wildlife, and two other friendly creatures, Sunshine the Pig and Patrick the Possum.  Listen to stories and legends told by your informative local guide. Following the tour, enjoy a delicious Cajun lunch (not included) at a local eatery down the street, the perfect way to refuel. After lunch, you’ll be driven back to New Orleans and dropped off at the original meeting point.

Explore Louisiana with a visit to the Oak Alley Plantation, followed by a swamp boat tour. Enjoy a guided day trip from New Orleans for a day you won't forget. Begin your day with a pickup at your New Orleans hotel. Enjoy the views as you head out to the Oak Alley Plantation, where you will be led on a tour by guides in period costume. Explore the house and its grounds as you learn about the history of the plantation. Next, head out on a boat tour to explore the Louisiana bayous. Relax in the covered boat and tune in to your guide’s commentary about the local culture of the wetlands.  Cruise past a Native American burial mound, a Cajun cemetery, and a fishing village. Drift down narrow waterways and pass moss-covered trees. Be on the lookout for wildlife, including snakes and alligators. Back on dry land, you will board the bus to return to New Orleans, then you will be dropped off at your hotel.

Cruise through the Barataria Preserve and discover the beauty of South Louisiana in a custom-built swamp pontoon, as you float through a section of the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park. Discover how the seafood from Louisiana’s waters provides a wide assortment of delectable local dishes! After a short motor coach ride across the Mississippi River, take a fascinating boat trip into the Louisiana swamps and Bayous. Native guides will reveal the mysteries of the swamps and bayous and you will get to experience the Cajun “Joie de Vivre.” Observe the nesting grounds of alligators, egrets, raccoons, nutria, and many species of snakes. Some wildlife is more numerous during the warmer months of the year. Learn why the wetlands are disappearing due to coastal erosion and discover man’s effort to correct the damage it has done and to restore this vital habitat.

Destrehan Plantation is an antebellum mansion, in the French Colonial style, modified with Greek Revival architectural elements. It is located in southeast Louisiana, near the town of the same name, Destrehan. This plantation is about 45 minutes away from downtown New Orleans.   Welcome to the New Orleans Swamp Tours and Wetlands Adventure. See the Cajuns of the bayou living and surviving in harmony with the swamps. Here, the waterways are their highways. From the relaxed comfort of the covered New Orleans Swamp Tour boats, you will drift slowly past a 2000-year-old Indian burial mound, a Cajun cemetery and fishing village. You may see the wildlife that made the Barataria swamps the crown jewel of the Louisiana Purchase. Here, birds, snakes, turtles, fur animals and gators are the king of the swamp and easily spotted in spring, summer and fall. Your captains are natives of the Barataria swamps with a background in gator hunting, fishing and trapping. They will entertain you and amaze you with their knowledge of the ecology of the swampland. They have lived the life. Pick up begins at 8:30am and return by 245pm. Ground transportation included.