Louisiana Bayous Boat Tour: Intimate Wildlife Experience
5.0
43 Ratings
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Embark on an intimate wildlife adventure through the Louisiana bayous. Discover hidden waterways, learn about the local culture, and encounter fascinating wildlife, including alligators. Don't miss the chance to visit a unique bayou camp and mingle with the locals at the bayou bar.
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Happiness Bayou Tours - Enjoy two - two and a half hours of our diverse, fun and educational tour. The scenery throughout this tour is nothing like most have ever seen. A lifetime resident, Captain George will talk about personal experiences and knowledge related to much of what you see. He is a commercial blue crab fisherman and stops at one of his crab traps and describes the process. You’ll see the “Great Wall of Louisiana,” a flood wall constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after Hurricane Katrina. Midway through the tour, you’ll stop at our camp on the bayou for a peek inside of bayou living, and a restroom stop. You are sure to see various wildlife, although nothing is guaranteed, as this nature and not a controlled environment.
What's Included
  • Ice chest available on board
  • Rain ponchos provided
  • Life vests for guests aged 16 and under
Additional Information

As one of the most petite boat trips around, passengers feel a personal touch even on a packed cruise. It’s not just an amusing excursion for individuals of all ages, it’s an unparalleled encounter.

Visitors have a unique opportunity to get a glimpse of life on these marshlands that only the inhabitants know of. Guided through multiple channels, visitors acquire knowledge about everything they observe, the environment, local custom, endemic wildlife (particularly alligators), and might bump into hobby or professional anglers in activity. It is the only Parish that was completely affected by Hurricane Katrina, visitors will witness and familiarize themselves with the details of the deluge and the barrier built post-Katrina to isolate and protect our settlement from the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, which led to area flooding.

A halt at our bayou refuge (which is only reachable via water) serves as a restroom break. Adult visitors can choose to come early for their adventure or linger afterwards, to step into the local bar located on the site and maybe socialize with the locals.

Location
6201 E St Bernard Hwy
East Saint Bernard Highway
Turn in on the road along the waterway when you see our signs for Happiness Bayou Tours and De Pope Tavern. The boat dock is to the left, the bar to the right, and the parking lot is located behind the bar.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(43 Ratings)
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Juliencd5183cv
May 26, 2024
Immersive bayou tour - Really great experiment. Capatain George is amazing (and really understandable for frenchies as I am) : he entertain us with his personal stories ans fun facts. He is a real gator whisperer 😉 Memories in our head fors decades !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ben
May 24, 2024
The highlight of our trip! You will not regret - I had no idea what to expect with this but George and Samantha made this such an amazing day! George has grown up his entire life around the swamp and you can tell, he is so passionate and knowledge about everything! He’s SUCH a great storyteller that there was never a dull moment in the entire trip and he even took his to his house in the swamps to show us around! And we bumped into a few crocs along the way! I can’t recommend this enough and to top it all off Samantha saved me and 3 others by dropping us back into town as she was heading that way! Talk about southern hospitality! You can buy beer/water and take it with you on the boat! We were lucky as the humidity wasn’t bad at all!
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Thereseb189
Apr 30, 2024
So much more than just a swamp boat ride!! - Took a chance on this tour and loved every minute! This isn’t just an alligator tour, but a tour of the bayou, swamp areas, and inlets. Captain George is a very friendly and fun tour guide who grew up in the area — so he knows every nook and cranny. So many stories about the area including riveting personal stories about Hurricane Katrina. It was a beautiful day, and all the birds were out playing. This is not an airboat ride, but we really flew like one in some places. Totally enjoyed the people and the time spent. Plus, don’t forget to hang around at “Da Pope Tavern” after for a beverage. Best crab cakes!
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Branfordj
Apr 21, 2024
Fun family trip on the bayou. - We had a fun and informative tour with Captain George on the bayou. His stories were informative and gave us a great sense of life on the bayou. The setting was beautiful. It was for our three generations from 10 to 80.
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Meander59035962597
Apr 16, 2024
Highlight of our trip - This tour was an absolute DELIGHT! The bayou was absolutely gorgeous, we saw tons of gators, and Captain George was an extremely knowledgeable and entertaining storyteller. We heard a lot about the crabbing business, got to see some crabs in one of his traps, and he told personal stories about Katrina. The bar was a hoot - we met lots of friendly locals who were giving us (an obviously queer couple from San Francisco) hugs by the time we left. The food was also fabulous - my wife said it was the best crab cake she had ever had in her life.
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Heidipresson77
Apr 16, 2024
Captain George is amazing! - Captain George and his wife are extremely accommodating and made it an incredible experience for our group. The weather was cold and windy but we still had an enjoyable time. If you're interested in learning about the locals, life in the Bayou, and surviving Katrina, you will not be disappointed. George's colorful stories were funny and entertaining. He invited us into his "camp" and made us feel more like friends than customers. We saw a couple 'gators, a swamp and may interesting sites. We had an amazing time with this company and we can't recommend them highly enough.
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Jennymc124hi
Apr 16, 2024
Wonderful Experience - We did the tour with another couple but also would be a great option for families. Captain George and his wife Samantha were so welcoming and fun. We ate before our ride at their tavern and got some drinks to go. Food was awesome (and inexpensive) and Samantha was super responsive via email to help plan what we wanted ahead of time. We learned a lot about the area that we would not have had the opportunity for otherwise during our visit to NOLA. It was also a nice break from the crowds in town. Highly recommend the whole experience to anyone visiting!
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Nottnott
Apr 12, 2024
Loved this tour with Captain George! - We had a great time with Captain George and Happiness Bayou tours. George has so many interesting stories to tell, and we learned a lot about the area. I’m sure no 2 tours are alike; this is no corporate driven tour with canned dialogue. Feeding marshmallows to alligators, sunken boats, camp shacks, flood prevention systems; We just loved the whole experience. Samantha was great too. So nice to go on a family-run tour. Highly recommend.
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N2240rwbrendam
Apr 9, 2024
Don't miss this tour - Look no further. My daughter and I are so happy to have found this tour run by a local couple. Captain George and Samantha are the real deal, so kind, interesting and authentic. Captain George is very knowledgeable about the area and bayou life. He shares his personal stories of life on the bayou, which are fascinating. Local residents wave to him as they pass by on their boats. You can tell he has a heart of gold as he shares his stories of rescuing animals and helping his neighbors. I heard some call him the Batman of the Bayou. Love that. After the tour, we spent time in their tavern talking with Samantha and having a beer (or two) and meeting a couple of locals. She was so kind to give us the time in sharing about their lives, backgrounds and experiences living in the area, including living through the hurricanes. She is an amazing lady. We are grateful and plan to return one day.
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Lindsayw897
Apr 7, 2024
Best Part of our Trip! - Captin George and his wonderful wife were SUPER kind and lovely. It was an absolute delight meeting them. He has such a colorful way of telling his stories about the area and clearly takes great pride in where he is from and what he does. I would recommend this to any family or friend visiting New Orleans. It was cool meeting his pet turtles and hearing about his support for the community. Can't wait to come back and do it all again!
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