Six swamp and bayou trips near New Orleans, set side by side by format, length, price and departure point.
Updated 3 November 2026
Built for visitors without a car: round-trip transport from 317 North Rampart Street, a 2-hour ride on a 22-passenger flat-bottom boat in Honey Island Swamp, live commentary and life jackets for guests under 16.
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For drivers heading north on their own: the same 2-hour Honey Island boat ride with a local guide, live commentary and a stop by a Cajun village reachable only by boat, with transport not included.
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The shortest slot of the six, 1 hour 40 minutes on a covered boat drifting past a 2,000 year old Indian burial mound, a Cajun cemetery and a fishing village, leaving from 9706 Barataria Blvd in Marrero.
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For travellers who want speed and engine noise in the Barataria Preserve: 1 hour and 40 minutes on a 16-passenger airboat with narration by the captain, plus hotel pickup and drop-off from downtown.
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The choice for families with young children, pairing the slow covered Barataria boat with pickup and drop-off from downtown New Orleans hotels only, 4 hours in total.
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For an aerial look at the cypress canopy instead of a boat deck: over half a mile of ziplines and suspension bridges across the Maurepas Swamp at Laplace, with safety instruction, helmets, harnesses and lanyards included.
See this tourPhotos: the tour operator
Five of the six trips on this page are boat rides, and the sixth puts you in a harness above the water. The boats work two separate areas: Honey Island Swamp on the Pearl River side, reached by crossing Lake Pontchartrain, and the Barataria swamps south of Marrero, where the dock address is 9706 Barataria Blvd. The zipline runs over the Maurepas Swamp at 301 Peavine Rd, Laplace.
The Honey Island boats are custom-made 22-passenger flat-bottom craft that slip into narrow cypress-lined waterways, and the ride itself lasts 2 hours. The airboat seats 16 and gives you 1 hour and 40 minutes on the water with narration from the captain. On the covered Barataria boats you drift slowly past a 2,000 year old Indian burial mound, a Cajun cemetery and a fishing village.
Guides look for alligators, wild boar, raccoons, turtles, snakes, egrets and herons, and the operator states plainly that sightings vary by season and are never guaranteed. Alligators brumate rather than hibernate, going dormant below 55°F (12.8°C) and stopping their feeding unless temperatures are above about 70°F (21°C), so winter sightings tend to be large animals basking on warm days. Birds, snakes, turtles, fur animals and gators are easiest to spot in spring, summer and fall.
October and November are the most comfortable window for a daytime trip, with average highs in the 60s F, lows in the 40s-50s F and less frequent rain. June through September is hot and humid, highs often in the low 90s F and a heat index that can reach 110°F, which is a good reason to take the 9:30 AM departure. Hurricane season runs June through November and spring brings frequent afternoon thunderstorms, and both can stop boats going out.
Mosquitoes are active most of the year in these wetlands. The Park Service advice for the Barataria area is insect repellent and closed-toe shoes, and it also warns about stinging caterpillars and fire ants on the ground. Feeding alligators and other wildlife is prohibited in Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, and you are told never to approach or harass them because they can move very quickly.
No car and a first swamp trip: the 5-hour Honey Island boat tour, from $76, 4.9 ★ (7171 reviews). You wait outside the Homewood Suites French Quarter at 317 North Rampart Street and the shuttle leaves promptly, so treat the pickup time as the start of the tour.
Short on time with your own car: the 1 hour 40 minute Barataria boat from $35, 4.9 ★ (2348 reviews). The Marrero dock is about 35 minutes from New Orleans, and the boats depart on time.
Already driving over Lake Pontchartrain towards Slidell: the self-transport Honey Island ride, 2 hours, from $43, 4.9 ★ (3322 reviews). Same boats and the same route as the version with the shuttle, without the city transfer.
Families with young children: the 4-hour covered boat with transport, from $60, 4.8 ★ (1366 reviews), picked up from downtown New Orleans hotels only. New Orleans & Company suggests slower swamp boat tours for young kids, and says to check age requirements before booking an airboat with little ones.
Airboat speed with the logistics handled: the large airboat trip, 4 hours 15 minutes, from $90, 4.9 ★ (2132 reviews), with hotel pickup and drop-off and 1 hour 40 minutes of running time on the water.
Action rather than a boat deck: the zipline, 1 hour 15 minutes, from $89, 5.0 ★ (1066 reviews). All participants have to arrive 30 minutes before the start time at 301 Peavine Rd, Laplace.
| Tour | Length | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour with Transportation | 5 h | $76 | ★ 4.9 (7171) |
| New Orleans Self-Transport Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour | 2 h | $43 | ★ 4.9 (3322) |
| New Orleans Swamp Tour Boat Adventure | 1 h 40 min | $35 | ★ 4.9 (2348) |
| Large Airboat Swamp Tour with Transportation from New Orleans | 4 h 15 min | $90 | ★ 4.9 (2132) |
| New Orleans Swamp Tour Boat Adventure with Transportation | 4 h | $60 | ★ 4.8 (1366) |
| New Orleans Zipline Swamp Tour | 1 h 15 min | $89 | ★ 5.0 (1066) |
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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Dates and start times for each New Orleans swamp tour option change with the season, and the morning boats fill first in summer. Open the tour you want and look at the live times.
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