In shortThese five trips are the closest thing to a private swamp tour New Orleans visitors will find among the tours on this site: airboats capped at six, nine or thirteen passengers, a 2-hour ride on a custom-made 22-passenger flatboat in Honey Island Swamp, and a guided kayak paddle in the Maurepas Swamp. Every one includes a professional guide with live commentary in English, and lengths run from 1.5 hours to 4 hours 15 minutes. Take an airboat if you want speed and noise, the flatboat if you want a steady deck and a longer narrated ride, the kayak if you want quiet water.
5tours compared
from $43per adult
★ 5.031 reviews
Small-Group Airboat with Downtown Pickup
4 h 15 min · from $115 · ★ 4.9 (1798)
Suits travellers without a car who want a nine-passenger airboat and 1 hour 40 minutes on the water, with hotel pickup and drop-off handled.
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Small-Group Airboat from Marrero
1 h 40 min · from $89 · ★ 4.9 (803)
Suits drivers with a tight schedule: a boat of six or nine passengers, safety flotation jackets provided, and a dock 35 minutes outside New Orleans.
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Honey Island Swamp Flatboat, Self-Transport
2 h · from $43 · ★ 4.9 (3322)
Suits visitors already driving who want two hours on a 22-passenger flatboat, a Cajun village reachable only by boat and plant and animal commentary from a local guide.
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Small-Group Bayou Airboat with Transport
4 h · from $130 · ★ 4.8 (545)
Suits anyone who wants the fastest ride of the five, a 1.5-hour airboat run at up to 45 mph (72 kph) with a maximum of 13 passengers and an exact hotel pickup time.
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Guided Maurepas Swamp Kayak Tour
1.5 h · from $59 · ★ 5.0 (31)
Suits paddlers who want 1.5 hours at eye level among cypress trees and winding bayous, with restrooms and lockers at the check-in building.
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See this tourPhotos: the tour operator
What a private swamp tour New Orleans trip looks like in practice
None of the five tours below is a boat chartered for your group alone. What they share is a low passenger cap: the airboat on the downtown-pickup tour takes a maximum of nine, the Marrero airboat six or nine depending on the boat used that day, the small-group bayou airboat thirteen, and the Honey Island flatboat is custom-made for 22. If a small boat and real contact with the guide is what you are after, start with the two six-to-nine-passenger airboats.
The airboats are part tour and part ride. The small-group bayou airboat runs at up to 45 mph (72 kph) for roughly 1.5 hours and goes into marshes and secluded bayous; the downtown-pickup version gives you 1 hour 40 minutes on the water at a destination 35 minutes from the city. Expect wind, engine noise and sudden stops when the guide spots something.
The Honey Island Swamp tour sits at the other end. Two hours on a flatboat with live commentary, a wildlife preserve described as one of the last protected wetlands in Louisiana, and a Cajun village that can only be reached by boat. Honey Island Swamp covers about 70,000 acres, is over 20 miles long and nearly 7 miles across, with roughly 34,896 acres permanently protected.
The Maurepas kayak tour is the quietest of the set at 1.5 hours, paddling among cypress and winding bayous. It is also the one where the season matters most for comfort: June to September is hot and humid with highs often in the low 90s F and a heat index that can reach 110°F, while October and November bring average highs in the 60s F with lows in the 40s-50s F and less frequent rain.
Alligator behaviour follows the temperature rather than the calendar. LSU AgCenter reports Louisiana alligators are torpid in winter and surface only to breathe, bask in late winter and early spring, feed vigorously by late April and tail off around early October. They stop feeding unless it is above about 70°F (21°C), and large animals are commonly seen basking on warm winter days, so a January airboat run is a different trip from a May one.
Which one fits you
No car and you want the airboat: take the Small-Group Airboat with Downtown Pickup, 4 hours 15 minutes, from $115, 4.9 ★ (1798 reviews), with hotel pickup and drop-off and 1 hour 40 minutes of airboat time inside it.
Driving yourself and short on time: the Marrero small-group airboat is 1 hour 40 minutes, from $89, 4.9 ★ (803 reviews), departing 9706 Barataria Blvd in Marrero. Arrive at least 20 minutes early; the boat leaves on time and the start cannot be pushed back.
Lowest price and the longest narrated boat ride: the Self-Transport Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour, 2 hours, from $43, 4.9 ★ (3322 reviews), at Honey Island Swamp. You drive to the dock, and food, drinks and gratuities are not included.
Anyone who wants the ride to feel fast but the logistics simple: the small-group bayou airboat, 4 hours, from $130, 4.8 ★ (545 reviews), with an air-conditioned 13-passenger van, an exact pickup time and snacks available for purchase. New Orleans & Company advises checking age requirements before booking an airboat with young children, and slower boat tours suit small kids better.
Photographers and paddlers who want silence: the Guided Kayak Swamp Tour in the Maurepas Swamp, 1.5 hours, from $59, 5.0 ★ (31 reviews). Check in inside the building with the customer service representative, where restrooms and lockers are available at no charge.
Before you book
- The Marrero airboat departs from 9706 Barataria Blvd, Marrero, LA 70072, and asks you to arrive at least 20 minutes before the tour time; the boat departs on time and the start cannot be delayed.
- Hotel pickup and drop-off is included on the downtown-pickup airboat and on the small-group bayou airboat, where the exact pickup time is given to you in advance and transport is by air-conditioned 13-passenger van.
- The Honey Island Swamp flatboat tour does not include transportation, so plan the drive from the city to the dock yourself.
- For the Maurepas kayak tour, go into the building and check in with the customer service representative; restrooms and lockers are there at no charge, and the 1.5-hour paddle is what the price covers.
- Food, drinks and gratuities are not included on any of the five. On the small-group bayou airboat, food and drinks are available for purchase.
- Safety flotation jackets are provided on the Marrero small-group airboat; the other listings do not mention them as a separate inclusion.
- Bring insect repellent and wear closed-toe shoes. Mosquitoes are active most of the year in the wetlands, and the Park Service also warns about stinging caterpillars and fire ants.
- Hurricane season runs June through November, and spring brings frequent afternoon thunderstorms; both can stop boats going out, so build a spare half-day into a short trip.
- Never approach, harass or feed an alligator: the Park Service warns they can move very quickly, and feeding wildlife is prohibited in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve.
Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 3 November 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.
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