Family swamp tour New Orleans: covered boat with hotel pickup
A 4-hour trip into the Barataria swamps with 100 minutes on the water, a local captain narrating from a covered boat, and pickup from downtown New Orleans hotels.
Updated 3 November 2026
In shortThis is a 4-hour swamp trip from $60, rated 4.8 ★ (1366 reviews), with 100 minutes on the water in Barataria Preserve aboard a covered boat and pickup and drop-off from downtown New Orleans hotels only. A local captain narrates the whole ride in English, and the boat has a roof, cushioned seats, a restroom and room to stand. It suits families with young children and anyone who would rather sit on a slow covered deck than ride an airboat.
4 htour length
from $60per adult
★ 4.81,366 reviews
What this family swamp tour New Orleans boat trip includes
The trip runs 4 hours from $60 and is rated 4.8 ★ (1366 reviews). Of those four hours, 100 minutes are spent on the water in Barataria Preserve with a local captain narrating; the rest is road time out of the city and back, since hotel pickup and drop-off from downtown New Orleans hotels is part of this option.
The boat is set up for sitting still in heat or drizzle: a roof overhead, cushioned seats, windows that can be raised or lowered for the weather, a restroom on board, and enough space to stand and walk around. Children who will not stay in one seat for 100 minutes have somewhere to go.
The route drifts slowly past a 2000-year-old Indian Burial Mound, a Cajun cemetery and a fishing village, with commentary on how people in the bayou live along waterways that serve as their roads. Birds, snakes, turtles, fur animals and alligators are easily spotted in spring, summer and fall.
Age bands on this tour are infant 0-3, child 4-12 and adult 13+. New Orleans & Company advises that slower swamp boat tours suit families with young children and that age requirements should be checked before booking an airboat with little ones. If anyone in your group is a toddler, take the covered boat.
Alligator sightings follow the thermometer. The Park Service explains that alligators brumate rather than hibernate, going dormant below 55°F (12.8°C) but still able to wake and move, and that they stop feeding unless temperatures are above about 70°F (21°C); on warm winter days large animals come out to bask, which is why winter trips still produce sightings even though the listing promises easy ones in spring, summer and fall.
Walking the Barataria boardwalks is not part of the planning picture this season. The Barataria Preserve Visitor Center and most of its trails, including the Bayou Coquille and Marsh Overlook boardwalk, closed on 2 February 2026 for Hurricane Ida repair work the National Park Service expects to last about two years. The boat tour works from the water, so none of that affects it.
Bring insect repellent and put everyone in closed-toe shoes. Mosquitoes are active most of the year in the preserve, and the Park Service also warns about stinging caterpillars and fire ants on the ground around the wetlands.
New Orleans Swamp Tour Boat Adventure with Transportation
Four hours door to door, 100 minutes on the water in Barataria Preserve, a covered boat with a restroom on board, and pickup from downtown New Orleans hotels only.
Barataria Preserve100 min A fully narrated ride through the Barataria swamps with a local captain, on a covered boat with cushioned seats, a restroom and windows that open or close depending on the weather. There is standing and walking room on board, and close encounters with swamp life happen from the deck. Ground transportation is part of this option.
Photos: ours and the tour operator's
What is included
Included
Professional guide
Swamp boat tour
Hotel pickup and drop-off (from downtown New Orleans hotels only)
Not included
Gratuities
Food and drinks
Meeting point, pickup and cancellation
Pickup: be out front of your hotel at the beginning of the pickup window, or the bus will have to leave without you.
For pickups, there will be a 30 minute window. Please be on the lookout for a bus that says Alert Transportation.
Each pickup time shown at booking opens a window of about 30 minutes, and the last departure of the day is seasonal. Pickup and drop-off cover downtown New Orleans hotels only.
Cancellation: For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Ages: infant 0–3, child 4–12, adult 13+
Other swamp tours from New Orleans compared
The 5-hour boat tour at $76 gives a longer day and picks up at a fixed French Quarter address rather than at your hotel, which suits first-time visitors without a car. The same covered-boat ride without transport runs 1 hour 40 minutes from $35 and only works if you are driving yourself to 9706 Barataria Blvd in Marrero, arriving at least 20 minutes early.
The zipline in LaPlace is 1 hour 15 minutes from $89, with helmets, harnesses and safety instruction, and all participants must arrive 30 minutes before the start time. Pick it for older children who want to move instead of sitting on a deck.
Tour
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New Orleans Swamp Tour Boat Adventure with Transportation (this page)
Pickup and drop-off cover downtown New Orleans hotels only, with a window of about 30 minutes at each pickup time; the booking page shows which dates and departure times are open.
