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Ultimate Swamp Tour: New Orleans Experience
4.1
59 Ratings
New Orleans
Embark on the ultimate swamp tour experience in New Orleans with the city’s oldest tour company. Explore the swamps and bayous once inhabited by legendary pirate Jean Lafitte. Book now for the highlight of your trip to the Big Easy!
Duration:
3 hours, 45 minutes
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Barataria Preserve - You will travel through the Barataria Preserve, part of the Jean Lafitte National Park & Preserve system. The preserve offers a taste of Louisiana’s wild wetlands, protecting 23,000 acres of bayous, swamps, marshes and forests.
![](https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/attractions-splice-spp-720x480/06/71/35/db.jpg)
What's Included
- Swamp boat tour
- Transportation from the French Quarter
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks (available for purchase)
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Experience the paramount of swamp tours with our Ultimate Swamp Tour Experience. We, being the longest-running tour company in New Orleans, offer the premier swamp tour in the city! Take a journey from the urban cityscape to the untouched swamps and bayous, once home to the famed pirate and hero of the War of 1812, Jean Lafitte. Don’t hesitate, secure your spot now for an unforgettable part of your journey to the Big Easy!
Location
Gray Line New Orleans
Toulouse Street
Gray Line Lighthouse on the Steamboat NATCHEZ dock (Toulouse Street at the Mississippi River)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.1
(59 Ratings)
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Vivicad2013
May 23, 2024
Possibly the best guided event in New Orleans. - Well worth the time and money. The scenery is beautiful. The scaly water monsters are fabulous. The guides are interesting and informative. A wonderful and repeatable experience!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jay
Dec 29, 2022
Bayou fun - The swamp boat tour in the Bayou was a little bit of fun in the sun great, lol adventure for you and your girl or a family. I suggest you do it if you have the time if you’re in New Orleans, the boat Captain was fun and educational. You’ll love the wildlife in the gators.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justinerd9512dm
Nov 3, 2022
Had a great time! - Looked around at a few options and decided to take this 2-hr pontoon boat swamp tour. It was so fun!
Our captain, Hunter, was super knowledgeable about the area and shared a ton of interesting facts about the flora and fauna. He was also super entertaining and we loved his dad jokes.
Even though it’s not prime alligator sighting season (which I guess is normally in the spring), we still saw 5–6 gators plus a variety of birds and turtles. Hunter also caught a baby gator and let us hold it! Very cool. Even if we hadn’t seen any gators, this was just a beautiful area to get to experience from the boat.
We lucked out with great weather, but I’m glad we opted for the pontoon boat tour, which was covered and have our pale Pacific Northwestern selves some shade from the sun.
My boyfriend and I skipped the shuttle bus and just took a Lyft to and from the dock so we didn’t have to worry about catching the bus back to New Orleans at a specific time, which was nice and gave us time to wander around the dock and nearby State Park afterwards. Overall, this was a super cool experience and I highly recommend it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cortney_d
Jul 26, 2022
We had a good time! - Great tour. The site was also clean and professional with clean bathrooms which is always a plus when out and about on vacation.
Review provided by Viator
Marydave07
Jun 17, 2024
Great experience - We really enjoyed this. We paid extra for a smaller airboat and this was perfect. Great pickup service from our hotel and back. The scenery was fabulous and our guide was knowledgeable. We didn’t see any gators as it was just too hot for them but we weren’t disappointed as the airboat ride was thrilling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Atrina_t
May 28, 2024
Wasn't interested, and then... - We had a blast. My cousin and her husband were curious. My husband and I went along and enjoyed every moment. The heat wasn't a factor. And the drinks were delicious. Our guide was the best
Review provided by Viator
Mallory_y
Aug 6, 2022
Mostly Great, But… - Overall, this was a very good tour. It was almost cancelled due to the rain at the time we arrived, but luckily it let up and we were able to go.
First of all, the pickup was really easy. We were staying at a hotel on Canal St. on the edge of the French Quarter between Bourbon and Royal and the walk to the Steamboat Natchez dock on Toulouse St. took about 15 minutes. It was easy to find the Grey Line area where we redeemed our Viator vouchers for physical tickets. The bus got there on time and was nice, roomy, and air conditioned. The driver was pleasant and the ride was good, albeit rainy.
Once we got there, we were in the gift shop for a little while, and saw the albino alligator they had in captivity in the back corner of the shop. I think her name is Sugar. We then got a wristband and went to the platform next to the dock where we waited probably thirty minutes to get on the boat, which felt like a pretty long time.
Another person mentioned this, but I thought I’d signed up for an airboat tour; this was however a pontoon tour that held many more people. I was able to sit at the front near the gates, so my view was pretty good, but I wish there had been fewer people.
We did see many alligators! The rain apparently brings them out. We saw the tour guide feed one or two marshmallows and that was about it. Most of the tour was just recorded music, which was fine and relaxing, but I did want to hear a little bit more about the nature and ecosystem of the swamp.
On the way back, we saw the Native American/Philippine cemetery and burial ground and the tour guide did explain that and the town’s founding pretty well, but that was at the very end of the tour.
On the way back, I’m not sure if Grey Line didn’t have a bus there or what, but there were two other buses with different company names that we just eventually got onto one. The driver wasn’t really helpful in telling us where we belonged, and no one else really knew either. So, instead of getting dropped back off on Toulouse St. where we started, we got dropped off down the block from our hotel, which worked, but wasn’t what I was expecting. I’m just glad I was oriented enough to the city that I knew where to get off at.
Like I said, overall, this was a fine tour. There were just some things I wish had been done differently. Still, for the price, it’s not a bad option.
Review provided by Viator
Lisa_b
Oct 17, 2022
Boring - It seemed like the tour has their own “pet “ alligators. We stopped 3 times and each stop had 1 gator or raccoon. A little boring
Review provided by Viator
Maurice_j
Feb 18, 2024
Don’t do it - Tour guide was great. The trip should have been canceled or a notice that you were not going to see wildlife if the temperature was below 55 degrees. It was a waste of time and money. Personally, I would Not recommend this tour unless it’s 70 degrees or better.
Review provided by Viator
Jeanlouis_l
Nov 29, 2023
Worst tour ever - None .
No guide .
Not a word from captain .
Did not see any animals .
Nothing more to say to stay polite .
Review provided by Viator