Swamp Boat Ride Tour from New Orleans to Honey Island Swamp

What the swamp boat ride tour from New Orleans includes

The trip lasts 5 hours and starts from $76, and only two of those hours are spent on the water. The rest is travel: a shuttle from 317 North Rampart Street across Lake Pontchartrain to Honey Island Swamp, then the same road back to the city once the boat is in.

The boats are custom-made 22-passenger flat-bottom craft, quiet enough to fit through narrow passages in the swamp foliage instead of staying out in the open channels. Alligators, raccoons, owls, wild boar, nutria, snakes, turtles, bald eagles, egrets and herons are all on the list the operator gives, and black bears are in the Honey Island area too. Sightings vary by season and are never guaranteed.

Transportation from downtown New Orleans, life jackets for guests under 16, live commentary on board and a professional tour guide are all part of the price. Food, drinks and gratuities are not, so eat before the 8:00 AM pickup if you have taken the 9:30 AM departure, or bring something with you.

How the five hours break down

1. Across Lake Pontchartrain
   After pickup in central New Orleans the shuttle crosses Lake Pontchartrain to Honey Island Swamp, a wildlife preserve and one of the last protected wetlands in Louisiana.
2. Two hours aboard the 22-passenger flat-bottom boat 120 min
   The guide takes you aboard a custom-made 22-passenger flat-bottom boat, small and quiet enough to slip into narrow gaps in the foliage and get closer to wildlife. On the way you hear how the wetlands and the Pearl River ecosystem work, how local people used the swamp for food, homes and medicine, and facts about gators that can weigh up to 1,000 pounds (453 kg). The route passes an authentic Cajun village reachable only by boat, and covers why the wetlands are slowly disappearing and what is being done about it. After the two hours the boat returns to shore and the shuttle takes the group back to New Orleans.

What is included

Meeting point and pickup times

• Meeting point: be outside the Homewood Suites French Quarter at 317 North Rampart Street at the beginning of the pickup window, because the shuttle departs promptly.
• 9:30 AM tour: pickup 8:00 AM.
• 12:15 PM tour: pickup 10:15 AM.
• 2:45 PM tour: pickup 1:15 PM.
• 5:00 PM tour: pickup 3:30 PM.
• Ages: child 0-11, adult 12+.

How this swamp boat ride tour from New Orleans compares

The airboats on this site are faster and far louder, and they spend less of the day on the water; this one is the quiet option with the longest boat time. Take the large airboat from $90 if you want the speed with hotel pickup and drop-off solved, the small-group airboat from $115 for narrower channels and more contact with the guide, or the covered boat trip from $60 if you are out with young children and want a shorter day away from the city.

Tour details from the operator's listing, checked 3 November 2026. Prices and times can change; the booking page has the current ones.

More ways to plan your visit

What to expect on a swamp tour

When to see alligators

The six types of swamp tour near New Orleans