New Orleans: Honey Island Swamp Boat Tour
4.8
2,221 Ratings
New Orleans
Embark on a thrilling 2-hour boat tour in the Honey Island Swamp, one of Louisiana's last protected wetlands. Explore a hidden Cajun village, encounter diverse wildlife, and learn about the fascinating plants and animals of the lush swamps.
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Lake Pontchartrain - After pickup in central New Orleans, it’s a short drive across Lake Pontchartrain to Honey Island Swamp, a wildlife preserve that is one of the last protected wetlands in Louisiana.
- Honey Island Swamp - Your guide welcomes you aboard a custom-made 22-passenger flat-bottom boat. The smaller sized, quiet boat can fit through narrow passages in the swamp foliage so that you see more and get closer to wildlife.
As your guide explains the history of Louisiana’s wetlands and swamp ecosystem, be on the lookout for alligators, raccoons, owls, wild boar, nutria, snakes, turtles, black bears, bald eagles and other bird species. Get a close look at some wild gators as your guide shares facts about the toothy beasts, who can weigh up to 1,000 pounds (453 kg).
Glide safely through the fertile swamplands, learning about Cajun culture and how local people have utilized the swamp for food, homes, and medicine. You even see an authentic Cajun village that is only accessible by boat. Gain an understanding of why the wetlands are slowly disappearing and about the efforts being made to preserve Louisiana’s natural treasures.
After a fascinating 2-hour boat tour, your guide returns you to shore.
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Transportation from downtown New Orleans
- Live commentary on board
What's Not Included
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Join your leader at the meeting point in downtown New Orleans and embark on a 2-hour boat journey through Honey Island Swamp, one of Louisiana’s last safeguarded wetland preserves. Venture into a Cajun community reachable only by water, discover the flora and fauna that thrive in these rich marshes, and experience an intimate encounter with the local wildlife under the expert guidance of a local.
Kindly bear in mind that viewing wildlife is not always assured.
- PLEASE NOTE: tour ONLY picks up from the location listed. Pick ups from any other location cannot be accommodated.
Location
Homewood Suites by Hilton New Orleans French Quarter
North Rampart Street
Please be outside the Homewood Suites French Quarter at 317 North Rampart Street at the beginning of the pickup window. Your shuttle departs promptly.
9:30AM Tour (Picks up at 8:00AM)
12:15PM Tour (Picks up at 10:15AM)
2:45PM Tour (Picks up at 1:15PM)
5:00PM Tour (Picks up at 3:30PM)
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.8
(2221 Ratings)
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Lonettia_r
Apr 16, 2024
Best swamp tour ever - The ride there was very informative and our driver was the best and not to mention our swamp guide was awesome as well I would definitely do this again…..
Review provided by Viator
Justin_g
Apr 10, 2024
Bucket list! - Great tour guide. Neil knows his swamps, sounds like grew up on the water. Went out of his way to help us see wildlife.
Review provided by Viator
Amber_b
Apr 7, 2024
Great time on the water - We had a great time! There's a bit of a wait to get checked in and to leave that could have easily been coordinated differently to reduce time waiting, but the actual tour was great! Capt. Sonny has a great sense of humor, keen eye for nature and made sure we all had fun!
Review provided by Viator
Tom_w
Mar 14, 2024
Full of wildlife, birds, gators and snakes. - A must see when in New Orleans. Our captain Dustin was very informative and knowledgeable of the swamp. He made the trip fun and a great experience.
Review provided by Viator
Bob_m
Mar 2, 2024
A Water World Teaming with Life - Jacob, our guide and captain of our tour boat, was very knowledgeable on all things Swamp that we encountered. Our flat-bottom boats held about 20 people, 10 on each side facing out the side of the boat, so everyone had a front-row seat. Jacob found about 8 alligators, herons, eagle, swamp chickens, and egrets, on our tour. Not a single mosquito to be found. But the groups of raccoons really stole the show. Their dexterity to beg for protein bars on floating logs was fascinating. Well worth the 2 hour tour. Jacob’s narration was very clear and understandable.
Review provided by Viator
Kimberly_r
Mar 2, 2024
Awesome - Amazing, Dustin was fun and informative. I would recommend this tour amd kids will love it. It was very safe too
Review provided by Viator
Staceyw
Feb 29, 2024
Cajun Encounters was a fun time! - We had a great experience with Captain Jacob who shared his wealth of knowledge about the local area. He was able to find plenty of wildlife including numerous species of birds, raccoons, and alligators even though the weather was cooler. Our driver Dwayne was also a joy during our trip to the Cajun Encounters.
Review provided by Viator
Tcook17
Feb 29, 2024
Peace in nature - Beautiful experience in nature. Our tour guide was incredible. Very knowledgeable. A peaceful experience in nature.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Diana_c
Mar 27, 2024
Less than expected - Captain was good. We did see a variety of wildlife. Excursion was not quite as Cajun/bayou as advertised - a little disappointing.
Review provided by Viator
Royhs2448mf
Feb 29, 2024
ONLY HALF THE BOAT GOT TO SEE WILDLIFE UP CLOSE! - Was pretty disappointed that Captain Steve spent 95% of the tour only focusing on the RIGHT side of the boat, not pointing out anything on the left side. At about 20 minutes in, it became quite apparent that Captain Steve was constantly standing only to the right side of the boat, only looking for animals on the right side and completely ignoring the left side of the boat. At first, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, thinking maybe he would make sure the left side got some action too, but sadly this was not the case!
Would have appreciated it if he would've at least maneuvered the boat around so both sides could clearly see and take photos of the wildlife. The people on the left side were craning our necks the entire tour. And when we finally saw some animals, because there was literally an entire row of people in front of us, it was SUPER difficult to take clean photos of the wildlife without getting the left-side passengers in the photos.
THE ONLY EXCEPTION was the Raccoon feedings. This was the ONLY part of the tour where BOTH sides got to see the animals from our respective sides!
I have a hard time recommending this tour based on our experience yesterday. I mean, how do you go on a swamp tour and come back not being able to grab ONE SINGLE CLEAN PHOTO of an alligator?? Yes, we saw some, BUT ONLY THE RIGHT SIDE GOT THE CLEAN SIGHT LINES, so only the right side of the boat got those! I was super sad and disappointed. It really killed the vibe for me.
It was as if Captain Steve completely forgot that 50% of the passengers also paid the same fare as the others. When only HALF of the passengers get what they paid for, I call that a scam.
Sadly, based on my experience, I cannot recommend this tour to others.
If you are considering going on this, just know that you are taking a gamble that is essentially a coin flip. 50% chance you might not come back with much other than pictures of trees.
Our bus driver Michelle on the other hand, was the sweetest, funnest bus driver ever! She was literally the best part of our tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
