Louisiana Swamp Tours in 2026
A swamp is an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water.
The lush growth in a Louisiana swamp is indescribable. You have to see it to believe it.
The most impressive objects in the swamp are the cypress trees which are very graceful in their structure, with their reddish bark, exquisitely bent branches, and delicately fine leaves.
Besides the trees and abundant fauna, there are a variety of alligators, turtles, snakes, birds and other wildlife.
Tour Boats into the Louisiana Swamps
One of the most popular things to do for visitors to Louisiana is touring the swamps! Most tours are concentrated in South Louisiana.
In the greater New Orleans area, there are many swamp tour options in communities such as Marrero, Westwego, Braithwaite, Lafitte, Des Allemands and Laplace.
Others can be found in South Louisiana cities such as Breaux Bridge, Henderson, Slidell and Thibodaux.
 Airboat used in a Louisiana swamp tour (Staff Photo) |
Swamp tour operators provide a variety of options, boats, tour length and cost. Some use flat bottom boats, other airboats. Kayak and canoe tours are also available.
If you are visiting the greater New Orleans area, many of the tour operators offer pickups at French Quarter and downtown hotels.
Some operators offer online reservations, others only by phone. Some accept credit cards, some require cash, so plan accordingly.
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The Great Atchafalaya Basin and Swamp
The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of the nation’s most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes.
 Louisiana's Atchafalaya Swamp at Henderson (Staff Photo) |
The Atchafalaya River meanders from near Simmesport southward past Pierre Part down to Morgan City and the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya Basin is a unique combination of wetlands, bayous, marshes, estuaries,and river delta area. It is often called "America's Wetland", and covers an area 20 miles wide and 150 miles long.
Some interesting facts about the Atchafalaya Basin:
- It’s larger than the Florida Everglades.
- It’s five times more productive than any other river basin in North America.
- About 65 species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit the Basin.
- Over 250 known species of birds fly in the Basin.
- Other species of animals found in the area include the Florida panther, black bear, bobcat, nutria, mink, fox, muskrat, beaver, otter and raccoon.
- The Basin is home to the largest nesting concentration of bald eagles in the south central United States.
- There are more than 100 different species of fish and aquatic life in the Basin.
- The Basin has an estimated average annual commercial harvest of nearly 22 million pounds of crawfish.
- The Basin contains the largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in North America and is the largest overflow alluvial hardwood swamp in the United States.
 Atchafalaya Swamp Visitors Center in Butte LaRose, near Henderson on Interstate Highway I-10 (Staff Photo) |
An American-Indian word, "Atchafalaya" (ah-CHA-fa-LIE-ah) means long river. Established in 2006, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area stretches across 14 parishes in south-central Louisiana.
It is among the most culturally rich and ecologically varied regions in the United States, home to the widely recognized Cajun culture as well as a diverse population of European, African, Caribbean and Native-American descent.
Videos Out in the Louisiana Swamps
Troy Landry talks about "One Eye" on a YouTube video uploaded by the History Channel |
An airboat ride with the Louisiana Tour Company in a swamp near New Orleans, Louisiana in Jefferson Parish |
Tom Gregory narrates a tour into the Honey Island Swamp. Video produced by the St. Tammany Parish Tourist Commission and WLAE-TV |
Photographs of Louisiana Swamps
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