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New OrleansAirboat tours

Our most recommended New Orleans Airboat tours

New Orleans: High Speed 16 Passenger Airboat Ride

1. New Orleans: High Speed 16 Passenger Airboat Ride

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.

New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour

2. New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour

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.

New Orleans: High Speed 6-9 Passenger Airboat Tour

3. New Orleans: High Speed 6-9 Passenger Airboat Tour

Experience the best of both a swamp tour and an airboat ride. Travel at high speeds in the airboat then slow down and stop for pictures. Along the way, enjoy a personal tour by your local captain. The airboats have stadium seating so every airboat seat is great for experiencing the tour and viewing wildlife. Yes, gators will get close, real close. So close that you will be able to look into those reptilian eyes. Alligators do hibernate in the colder months, but your experienced captains know where to look for them. On average, during the winter, you have better than a 50/50 chance of seeing a gator. In the warmer months, you will see a gator. Every New Orleans Airboat Tour is unique and you never know what could be around the next corner. Tour an area that is a combination of swamp, marsh, and lake, spotting anything from a Bald Eagle to a Pelican, from an Osprey to an Owl. The airboats are driven by a 454 Chevy engine that will produce speeds of up to 35 miles an hour. They are propelled by a huge fan that will blow air from the back of the boat in excess of 200 miles an hour. These tours are truly a blast. They ride in inches of water and go where traditional boats can't. The boats were designed to take you to inaccessible areas of the swamp, places that you cannot reach by foot or car, ensuring a unique experience.

From Lafitte: Swamp Tours South of New Orleans by Airboat

4. From Lafitte: Swamp Tours South of New Orleans by Airboat

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!

New Orleans: Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour

5. New Orleans: Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour

Meet your guide in New Orleans, then leave the city behind as you travel back in time to the Oak Alley Plantation. Passing by the impressive Lake Pontchartrain. See the plantation's quarter-mile-long alley of oak trees, each over 250 years old, and the cypress trees which border the Mississippi River. Explore the plantation with your guide, and listen to stories of its history dating back to 1839. Learn about the site's former uses and residents, and visit the plantation's on-site exhibitions, Slavery at Oak Alley, Blacksmith Shop, and Sugarcane Theater, to learn more about its past.  Afterwards, travel past several of the area’s plantations as you head to the Manchac Swamp. Explore this privately-owned wildlife refuge, and hear about the legend of the Rougarou werewolf. Take a boat ride across the swamp, and get up close to alligators and other wildlife.

New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Cruise Day Trip

6. New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation and Swamp Cruise Day Trip

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.

From New Orleans: Swamp Airboat, 2 Plantation Tours & Lunch

7. From New Orleans: Swamp Airboat, 2 Plantation Tours & Lunch

After being picked up from your hotel in New Orleans in a 13-seater high-roof van, your enthusiastic historian driver-guide will take you on a scenic narrated drive out of New Orleans, preparing you for a pilgrimage back in time.  After crossing over the Mississippi River on a high bridge, you will arrive at a remote swamp to board a small airboat. With your Cajun boat captain, glide comfortably over marshes and deep into secluded bayous. Discover the swamp’s fascinating fauna and flora, including alligators, turtles, and exotic birds.  Next, you will drive upriver through sugar cane fields to arrive at Laura Plantation. Enjoy a guided tour of this Creole plantation dating back to 1804. Hear the compelling stories of Laura's family saga, as well as stories of the West-African, enslaved people who worked on this sugar plantation. At the end of the tour, visit the museum exhibit dedicated to "Slavery on Laura Plantation" in a restored overseer's cottage. Back on the old River Road, you will pass by Felicity Plantation, where "12 Years A Slave" was filmed, and St Joseph Plantation, where the "Queen Sugar" TV series was filmed. Stop in front of Oak Alley Plantation to admire its parallel rows of centuries-old oak trees. After crossing over the Mississippi River on the Sunshine Bridge, you will arrive at the iconic "Sugar Palace", Houmas House Plantation. Lunch will be served in their elegant dining room, with genuine Cajun cuisine. Then, enjoy a guided tour of the mansion with a guide dressed in Antebellum costume. After the tour, enjoy some free time to stroll around the splendid gardens, before you return to New Orleans. Sample Lunch Menu (subject to seasonal changes) Luncheon includes home-baked bread and butter, iced tea or soft drink, dessert, and coffee.  Choice of Entrees: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (gluten-free without croutons): Served with tender romaine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese Crown Jewel Hamburger: Grilled 7oz burger topped with cheese, bacon, mayo, ketchup, lettuce, tomato, and onion served with French fries Shrimp Po Boy: Shrimp, crispy fried and served on New Orleans French bread with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and Creole mayonnaise Breast of Chicken (gluten-free without grits): Skin-on breast of chicken, served with stone-ground grits, roasted veggies and rum-spiked Houmas House beehive honey glaze Vegetarian Pasta: Veggies and baby heirloom tomatoes with fettuccine pasta and parmesan cheese Choice of Dessert: White Chocolate Bread Pudding Turtle Creole Cream Cheese Cheesecake

New Orleans: Airboat Swamp & City and Katrina Tour Combo

8. New Orleans: Airboat Swamp & City and Katrina Tour Combo

Enjoy a full-day tour of New Orleans that consists of two parts; a high speed airboat swamp tour and a 3-hour New Orleans City and Katrina Tour. Pickup at your New Orleans accommodation is included. - Embark on a 3-hour New Orleans tour in comfort, aboard an air-conditioned minibus. Visit historical landmarks such as Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, and the former seat of the Spanish colonial city hall at The Cabildo. See areas that were most impacted by Hurricane Katrina. Get a French Quarter preview for later exploration. Pass century-old homes on Esplanade Avenue, en route to City Park's Dueling Oaks. Explore a unique above-ground cemetery on foot, uncovering the reasons behind the burial tradition. Travel along St. Charles Avenue to discover the American side of the city, including the elegant Garden District. Pass the residence of the Gothic fiction writer, Anne Rice. Witness the Lower 9th ward's post-Katrina recovery and learn about how residents are rebuilding. - Experience the thrill of a combined swamp tour and high-speed airboat ride with photo stops guided by a local captain. Our stadium-seated airboats offer close encounters with alligators. Alligators do hibernate in the colder months, but your experienced captains know where to look for them. On average, during the winter, you have better than a 50/50 chance of seeing a gator. In the warmer months, you will see a gator. Every New Orleans airboat tour is unique and you never know what could be around the next corner. Tour an area that is a combination of swamp, marsh, and lake, spotting anything from a Bald Eagle to a Pelican, from an Osprey to an Owl. Powered by a 454 Chevy engine, these boats reach speeds up to 35 mph, utilizing a powerful fan to blow air at 200+ mph. Navigate inches-deep waters for a unique, inaccessible adventure beyond foot or car reach.

New Orleans Airboat Adventure Tour

9. New Orleans Airboat Adventure Tour

Climb aboard a flat-bottomed airboat and prepare for an exploration of Louisiana's wetlands just south of New Orleans. Head 30 minutes from downtown and experience some of the most beautiful and secluded areas of the state while catching glimpses of alligators, turtles and birds. Set out on a 20,000-acre (8,095-ha) track of tidewater cypress swamp close to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Your boat is powered by an aircraft propeller to allow a fast, fluid trip through the shallow marshes. Feel the wind on your face as you zip into bayous lined with mossy cypress and tupelo-gum trees as your pilot points out a stunning variety of wildlife. Prepare to see plenty of alligators in the warmer months (and warmer days in winter) and your guide may even feed the gators, affording you amazing photo opportunities. As you zigzag through the soggy wetlands, keep your eyes open for turtles, snakes, egrets, herons and ibis. You may even catch sight of a hawk, owl, or bald eagle. In the cooler months, look for white-tailed deer, raccoons and the large rodents known as nutria.

New Orleans: 10 Passenger Airboat Swamp Tour

10. New Orleans: 10 Passenger Airboat Swamp Tour

Get ready for an exciting adventure! Take a thrilling ride through the marshland and bayous of Louisiana, accessible only by airboat. We have been offering our airboat tours since 2001. Each vessel is ready to take you to the far reaches of the bayous by using Chevy 454, 450 horsepower engines. Located just 30 minutes from downtown New Orleans, we're just about as far as you can get from a prefab, artificial experience. The Louisiana wetlands are nature's amusement parks. Our swamp tours are authentic adventures – thrilling, enlightening and, most importantly, real. Holding up to 10 passengers each, the small airboat tour explores Louisiana's back country along meandering bayous abundant with exotic plant and wildlife. Trained navigators escort you into the murky waters of Louisiana swamps where you will come face to face with the beauty and beasts of nature.

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What people are saying about New Orleans

Overall rating

4.7 / 5

based on 497 reviews

Our tour guide, Jason, was phenomenal! He’s from the area and gave so much more than a sightseeing tour! He’s so knowledgeable, articulate and passionate about what he does! We learned so much about the area, saw some wildlife and even had the chance to hold Nubby, a rescued alligator! We went during the winter, so we only saw 2 alligators, but still totally worth it! Me and my mom are a little wild, so we were cracking up the entire time we were speed drifting through the water! What a blast! Will definitely book this tour again the next time we travel to New Orleans! Thanks for the great experience!

Awesome tour!! Our tour guide Matt was very knowledgeable of the area and animals, he had a great personality and made the tour entertaining! Even with the weather being on the cooler side, we were able to see lots of alligators. We also saw turtles, bald eagles and an owl. Recommend doing the airboat so you get to cover more ground and get closer to the alligators.

We absolutely loved this tour and would definitely recommend. The bus picked us up from our apartment and dropped us back afterwards. The tour itself was great value for money and our guide was very knowledgeable - and we saw a ton of 'gators.

It was a very nice way to learn about the city quickly, our tour guide Kendalin gave us so many recommendations to see/do/eat which made it a lot easier to plan the rest of my stay in Austin.

super friendly guides, we had Dwyane as a driver and Kate Hoffman as a guide