New Orleans: Airboat Swamp Tour with Alligators & Small Group

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/10

Duration1h 40m

GroupUp to 9

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Fast, loud, and closer to alligators than you expected

You ride an airboat at high speed through Louisiana marshlands with a professional guide and small group, wearing a safety jacket. The tour includes frequent stops to spot alligators and other wildlife up close. It's a 35-minute drive from New Orleans, lasts a couple of hours, and you're back at the departure point in Marrero before heading back to the city.

1h 40m

Step-by-step itinerary

Airboat swamp tour near New Orleans

Drive 35 minutes to Marrero
Meet captain and get briefing
Board airboat and start engine
Explore swamp with wildlife stops
Observe alligators near boat
Return to departure location

The Experience

You're probably picturing a slow bayou cruise with Spanish moss and jazz playing somewhere in the distance. This isn't that. The airboat leaves Marrero—about 35 minutes outside New Orleans—and within minutes you're moving at 35 miles per hour with a 454 Chevy engine roaring behind you and a fan pushing wind speeds over 200 miles per hour. It's fast and loud, which is exactly why the alligators show up. They're not shy about swimming right up to the side of the boat to see what's making all that noise.

Your captain briefs everyone on safety and procedure before you leave the dock, and you'll wear a flotation jacket the whole time. The group stays small—six or nine passengers maximum—so you're not crammed in with thirty other people all trying to get the same shot. The tour itself is straightforward: you head out into the Louisiana marshlands, the captain cuts the engine at spots where wildlife hangs around, and you watch. Alligators in spring, summer, and fall are pretty reliable. Winter is quieter on that front, since they're hibernating. Either way, you're seeing the swamp from angles you can't get from a dock or a traditional boat.

The whole thing takes a couple of hours from the time you arrive in Marrero until you're back at the departure point, ready to head back into the city. Plan to show up about 20 minutes early so there's no rush with the safety briefing. If you're booking with other people, make sure you're all on one reservation—that's the only way the company guarantees you'll be on the same boat.

What’s included

Your tour includes a professional captain, safety flotation jacket, and the small-group airboat experience itself.
The captain briefs you on safety and procedure before departure, makes frequent stops in the marshlands for wildlife viewing, and returns you to the Marrero departure point when the tour is complete.
Transport to and from New Orleans is your responsibility.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Louisiana Tour company

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Louisiana swamp wildlife up close and don't mind speed and noise—the engine and fan are loud, which is what draws the alligators to the boat. Plan for a couple of hours total, plus 35 minutes' drive each way from New Orleans.