New Orleans Small-Group Airboat Swamp Tour
5
New Orleans Small-Group Airboat Swamp Tour
By Louisiana Tour Company
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About
Cruise through the Louisiana marshes on an airboat swamp tour that’s an easy half-hour drive from New Orleans. Reach speeds of up to 35 mph (56 kph) thanks to the boat's powerful fan engine, and look for native swamp life including alligators during slower stretches. Small group size limited to nine means more personalized attention from your captain and guide.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 8-99, max of 9 per group
Duration: 2h
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Meets animal welfare guidelines
Live guide: English
More
Highlights
- Venture into the Louisiana swamps with a guide on an airboat tour
- Spot native wildlife including alligators in their natural environment
- Powerful fan engine means boat reaches top speeds of 35 mph
- Small group size of no more than 9 for a more personalized cruise
- Professional guide
- Small group swamp airboat tour
- Entry/Admission - Barataria Preserve
What's not included- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Make your own way to the launch point near the town of Marrero, located about 30 minutes from downtown New Orleans. After a safety briefing, board an airboat with a maximum of eight other passengers, ensuring an uncrowded and intimate ride. Zoom through the surrounding swamps on a loud and fast ride powered by a 454 Chevy engine and propeller fan. When your captain slows the engine, look out for native plant species and Louisiana wildlife, including American alligators lurking in the water and marshes. It's a great chance to see these massive reptiles up close. After about two hours on the water, return to the starting point.
- Start:
- 9706 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072, USADeparture Point: Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA Address: 9706 Barataria Blvd Marrero, LA 70072 Dates: Daily
End:This activity ends back at the meeting point. - Not wheelchair accessible
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 15200P3- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travelers can participate
- All children must be at least 48 inches
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 15200P3
From
$89.00
per adult
Select date and travelers
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About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- melissar9440 contributionsGreat company and excellent excursion!!We’ve been to New Orleans so many times and this was our first time doing a swamp tour! Absolutely the highlight of our trip! This is a must do! Bobby was so knowledgeable and clearly takes great pride in his job!Written October 11, 2024
- andreamatthews0060 contributionsAmazing experienceMy husband and our friends (all of us from New Zealand) booked the tour and all four of us agreed that it exceeded our expectations. Jason was an amazing guide, the tour was interesting, informative and he was engaging to listen to. Thanks for an amazing experience.Written October 10, 2024
- Ronald M0 contributionsGreat adventureWe tried an airboat tour as this was the first time our three teenagers had been with us to the New Orleans area. They loved it. We all did. We expected to see some alligators and learn a little about the area, but we had so much fun. Our tour guide Trey was awesome with a lot of very dry humor. We saw lots of alligators of all sizes. Going fast in an airboat through the small swamp passages was really cool too. I would highly recommend this tour to all ages.Written October 9, 2024
- N3152WWangelaw0 contributionsErnie is awesome!My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. Ernie our captain was funny and very informative. The weather was amazing. Highly recommend.Written October 9, 2024
- stevenjV8483OT0 contributionsVery informativeIt was very informative! Loved the guide he knew a lot of the area and history. The tour was about the right length and the stop for Beignets was fantastic!Written October 8, 2024
- stevenjV8483OT0 contributionsLoved this tour would do again!Completely enjoyed this trip. The guides in the busses were knowledgeable and personable. The plantation was a real sight to see. But the swamp tour was a blast. Captain Jason did a great job taking us about and insured that we got to see plenty and take the pictures we wanted to take. This is a must for your New Orleans trip.Written October 8, 2024
- aundrayad0 contributionsAhoy Captain Ernie!🐊Captain Ernie was FANTASTIC!! An extremely intelligent tour guide - I could listen to him all day! I learned so many new things about alligators that I never even learned in school. And he sure knows how to steer an airboat! Thank you thank you Captain Ernie!Written October 8, 2024
- susantaylorfla0 contributionsSuper great time!!This was such a good time. I’m from Florida so I’ve seen swamp and alligators but had never been on an airboat. Our guide was so much fun! We cruised all around, fast, slow, a bunch of different areas. Saw tons of gators, one huge one!! Some coyotes and held a baby gator. The guide (sorry I can’t remember his name) gave us tons of info and answered all questions. He was so much fun. He was in no rush to get back and drop us off, I think we got a little extra time which was fantastic. I highly recommend this tour. Also got picked up and dropped off right at our air bnb. 👍👍Written October 8, 2024
- 682parkerm0 contributionsCaptain Ernie is Great!Captain Ernie was awesome! He is so knowledgable, he was funny without being cheesy, and our group learned a ton from him. The 2-ish hour boat tour was perfect.Written October 7, 2024
- surfpange0 contributionsAwesome airboat swamp tourExcellent tour & outstanding guide. Very highly recommend them! Tour guide was very knowledgeable & talked about the various swamp animals & plants.Written October 6, 2024
- Worldbutterfly0 contributionsHighly Recommended Small Airboat AdventureWow...what an adventure in the bayous! We are so glad we opted for the small airboat tour, which allowed for a more intimate, varied experience. Our guide Bobby was extremely skilled and knowledgeable. It was clear he knows the area and has a deep understanding of the inner workings of the plant, animal and, yes, reptile life. We saw quite a few alligators, but he didn't bait them or get them to do anything unsafe or unnatural. He had also made friends with a young pack of coyotes. It was a treat to see them up close, too. Though, to be honest, speeding around in an airboat and getting out of NOLA into such a unique ecosystem would be a thrill even if we hadn't seen a thing. Highly recommended!Written October 5, 2024
- S9707NDellieb0 contributionsSwamp Tour in the afternoonIt was a lovely experience. Capt. dusty explained everything to us so it took the fear away once you understood how the wildlife works. The weather was beautiful and it was peaceful and calm. We saw lots of alligators, raccoons, snakes it was a full experience. Recommend highly.Written October 5, 2024
- Melody S0 contributionsSuch a fun experience!!We had a blast and saw many alligators. Ken the tour guide/boat captain was spectacular. Definitely knew how to handle that boat. Would definitely do this again!Written October 5, 2024
- Pj D0 contributionsVery insightful and informative tourThe tour was informative and the grounds were beautiful. Very good at showing the differences between the lives of the slaves and their owners. The restaurant was very good as well.Written October 4, 2024
- M2876PPbrianb0 contributions10/10 would go again!Wow did we have an awesome time out on the fan boat tour with Dewy yesterday. I learned so much about the land, the wildlife and the area. Dewy did such a good job as our tour guide and making the tour such a memorable experience. Thanks again!Written October 4, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
281 reviews
Excellent
264
Very good
13
Average
3
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Niki T
Salt Lake City, UT148 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This is a large tour company that pushes many people in and out multiple times a day. At over $400 for a group of four, the experience felt staged, rushed, and inauthentic.
The gators are regularly fed marshmellows to ensure they approach the boats, which is not natural behavior. The boat is a straight ride in and out. It goes fairly fast, but it's not a "thrill" ride.
The swamp area is quite pretty though and is busy with birds.
Aside from not being the private, small group thrill it is advertised (many groups go out at the same time), the guide was also inappropriate. He made fun of people's names (an Asian group), hair, clothing, and started off immediately with foul language, and when asked questions, told us "don't be sheep".
If you are looking for an "authentic" experience, this is not it. Save your money, go on a small inland fishing or sightseeing tour instead.
The gators are regularly fed marshmellows to ensure they approach the boats, which is not natural behavior. The boat is a straight ride in and out. It goes fairly fast, but it's not a "thrill" ride.
The swamp area is quite pretty though and is busy with birds.
Aside from not being the private, small group thrill it is advertised (many groups go out at the same time), the guide was also inappropriate. He made fun of people's names (an Asian group), hair, clothing, and started off immediately with foul language, and when asked questions, told us "don't be sheep".
If you are looking for an "authentic" experience, this is not it. Save your money, go on a small inland fishing or sightseeing tour instead.
Written July 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for your feedback. We have four tour times each day and multiple boats go on the same schedule. The duration of the tour is the same for every boat, which is 1 hour and 40 minutes, as advertised. It would not be feasible to operate just one boat at a time for the entire swamp. Also, there are other tour companies that operate their tours in the same area. We understand that everyone's expectation of the tour is different, so thank you for your feedback.
As far as the captain's inappropriateness, we do not condone those actions and we will further investigate the situation to make sure that it doesn't happen again. We would like to go ahead apologize about that if it is true.
Written July 27, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Dreamer246786
2 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
My fiancé and I booked a airboat tour for a small group on Viator’s website. Our tour guide, Rocky, was freaking phenomenal! He steered the airboat with such finnase and repeatedly got out of the boat to feed and play with a couple of the gators.
The people seated in three other airboats also stared at Rocky with amazement as he treated the alligators as if they were his pets and we think it pissed off the other tour guide who happened to be steering a larger airboat because he unnecessarily blasted the engine loudly as he sped off while we were in the smaller part of the Bayou. I think he was trying to show out for the lack of spontaneity on his part though.
Book with Rocky! Best tour guide ever. I promise you won’t be bored.
The people seated in three other airboats also stared at Rocky with amazement as he treated the alligators as if they were his pets and we think it pissed off the other tour guide who happened to be steering a larger airboat because he unnecessarily blasted the engine loudly as he sped off while we were in the smaller part of the Bayou. I think he was trying to show out for the lack of spontaneity on his part though.
Book with Rocky! Best tour guide ever. I promise you won’t be bored.
Written May 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review!
Written May 10, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
MinnesotaSunChasers
Saint Michael, MN38 contributions
Definitely a highlight of our trip to NOLA area and want to call out our Tour Guide Jason as he was excellent. He made it super fun but also learned a ton about the Bayou ecosystem. We chose the smaller boat (9pp) and we’re glad that we did as could get into the smaller channels and back areas. Of course going fast and getting misted on a hot day felt good as well. A “must do” if you are in the area and highly recommend this group and Jason!!
Written October 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review!
Written October 18, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Julieanne A
6 contributions
AMAZING!!! Small airboat tour was a complete thrilling blast. Our guide Chaz was wonderful! He is born and raised right there in the bayou, with that lovely cajun accent to boot. He knows a tremendous amount about the area, wildlife, and swamps. We saw atleast 30 alligators ranging in size from babies to giant daddies. Everyone got to see the alligators up close and personal and we even got to touch them. Chaz fed a few and that was so exciting to see! We saw lots of birds, other critters, and the gorgeous nature. This is truly a wilderness tour, not a gimmicky touristy water route. The small airboat flies and whips around turns and corners in the most exciting way! We definitely got soaked sitting in the front seat and didn't mind a bit! What an Extraordinary, AUTHENTIC and thrilling tour. My goodness it's one of the funest things we've ever done! If you book this trip remember to tip your captain!
Written July 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the awesome review!
Written July 14, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Sierra527
Phoenix, AZ6 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
We were going to be a few minutes late and called to let them know. They wouldn’t hold the boat and wouldn’t give us a refund. Total rip off. We chose the small tour boat company on purpose with less people but they were very inflexible. Can’t believe they can’t hold a boat for a few minutes on a two hour boat tour.
Written May 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Customer, while you state that you called to say that you were going to be a few minutes late, we had other passengers that paid their money for a tour and arrived on time, to be provided a fun tour and timely event. If you had used our ground transportation, you would have arrived at our dock on time. If you had been more prudent with your own transportation, then you would have been here. I am sorry that you could not arrive in a timely manner, but other passengers were here and expected to leave at the time the tour begins. I am sorry that you feel that we owe you something because you could not arrive at our dock before the tour began, when our advertisement states " arrive 15 minutes early". I am sure that if you had arrived on time, you would have given us a 5 star review instead of 1 star.
Written May 17, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Jeffrey E
Las Vegas, NV27 contributions
Apr 2022
If you're torn between a Small Airboat and a Large Airboat, spend the extra money and take the Small Airboat Tour. I feel like we were able to do a few more things than we could have done if we did a large tour. Captain Brad was phenomenal. He was very knowledgeable about the area, gave a lot of facts and history, and had a great sense of humor on top of it all. We've been in New Orleans for 5 days and this has truly been the highlight of our trip.
Written April 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review, Jeffrey!
Written April 14, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nick Cressman
5 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
Our tour guide was incredible was very knowledgeable about the entire area. We were a 2:10 Group on 9/22. It was hot but our tour guide made sure to cool us off many times by getting us wet and then going fast like turning the air conditioning on. He was able to bring gators up on the boat and showed us a lot of beautiful locations. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone and everyone.
Written September 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review!
Written September 23, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Michaela E
Chicago, IL7 contributions
Sep 2023 • Friends
Captain Dewey was awesome!! He was informative, fun, and kept an eye out for other animals and not just alligators. We saw a good amount of gators and some pretty decent sized ones too. Our group of 6 had a blast! Highly recommend doing this tour if you’re in New Orleans and request for Captain Dewey, if possible! You will not regret it. Thank you so much for an amazing time and making my birthday a memorable one!
Written September 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review, Michael!
Written September 29, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kathryn G
17 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
We took the small air boat tour with ground transportation from New Orleans. Highly recommended! The bus driver / guide was really informative and gave us an excellent crawfish boil recommendation! The actual air boat ride was amazing. It was just the captain and 8 guests, and he knew the marsh/swamp lands so well that we got a lot out of the 1.5 hour ride. Huge (and quite friendly!?) alligators came right up to our boat. And we also saw a snake, and an incredible bald eagle. Numerous turkey buzzards and other large birds too. The swamp was surprisingly beautiful! And unbeknown to us there was a baby alligator on our boat the whole time - just at the end the captain produced him from the back and we all got to hold him. He will be released to the wild when he has reached 4ft in length, to give him the best chance of surviving.
All in all this was a brilliant experience and one that the whole family would enjoy.
All in all this was a brilliant experience and one that the whole family would enjoy.
Written April 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review!
Written April 3, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rachel and Shaw... L
1 contribution
Mar 2024 • Couples
We had an absolutely amazing airboat alligator ride. This boat ride was worth every bit of the $89 price. You will see gators, you will go fast, and you will come back saying the exact same thing. That was awesome! We had Captain Rocky and he was great.
Written March 21, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the five-star review, Rachel!
Written March 21, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
How much does it cost? Is it per person or for so many people?
Written June 16, 2021
Do I have to buy a ticket for a 3-year-old?
Written October 11, 2020
How much extra would it cost for transportation from the French Quarter?
Written January 20, 2020
I honestly don't remember the exact amount, maybe around $20 per person? It is listed on the website.
Written January 28, 2020
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