Top Louisiana Nature and Wildlife Tours

Experience New Orleans’ wild bayou country on an exciting, family‐friendly airboat ride. This boat tour winds through the mossy cypress swamp close to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, named for the 19th‐century pirate and smuggler. While onboard, enjoy lively commentary from a native guide as you admire lush, forested shoreline and spot local wildlife. Both self-drive and hotel pickup options are available, and hotel pickups begin 75 minutes prior to tour time.

Explore one of Louisiana’s last protected wetlands on a 2-hour boat tour that includes round-trip transport from New Orleans. Depart in the morning or afternoon for Honey Island Swamp, a wildlife preserve teeming with critters such as 'gators, wild boar, snakes and birds. Ride through the swamp dripping with lush foliage and visit a boat-accessible Cajun village with an informative local guide who sheds light on the area’s inhabitants.

Uncover the mysteries of the swamps surrounding New Orleans on an exhilarating airboat tour of the area, led by a professional guide. Cruise along the picturesque waterways in search of ferocious alligators and other rare wildlife while listening to illuminating commentary from your guide. Feel your adrenaline levels surge as your driver accelerates to high speeds, and capture fantastic photographs during regular stops. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation by comfortable, air-conditioned coach.

Get a taste of 18th-century New Orleans while exploring its most notorious haunts aboard a mule-drawn carriage. Join a small group of no more than eight people for an intimate evening tour through the French Quarter, where rollicking nightlife conceals a past filled with dark deeds, natural disasters, and supernatural sightings. Hear the city's most salacious history from a guide as you clip-clop your way past iron-laced balconies, darkened alleys, and southern mansions steeped in legend.

Experience New Orleans’ wild bayou country on an exciting airboat tour. This fun-filled tour includes a ride on the boat plus admission to an albino alligator exhibit and transportation from New Orleans. While on-board, enjoy lively commentary from your guide as you spot local wildlife, including alligators, nutria, and native birds, and visit the secluded fishing village of Jean Lafitte, the infamous 19th‐century smuggler.

Journey back in time to when New Orleans was a budding port town that dazzled visitors with its colorful Creole culture. Board the historic riverboat for a morning or afternoon float down the mighty Mississippi. Stroll the deck, admire the iconic paddlewheel, enjoy live music, and snap picturesque shots of the beautiful urban shoreline. This family‐friendly excursion offers an optional buffet lunch (additional expense).

Journey through time on a paddle-wheel boat ride along the mighty Mississippi. Stroll the deck, cozy up with family and friends, and delight in the sparkle of the urban shoreline at dusk. This excursion includes a Creole‐inspired dinner (if option selected) and live jazz music.

Experience the Jean Lafitte National Park and Preserve on this shaded pontoon excursion. Your tour guide, who was born and raised in the bayou, will teach you about Southern Louisiana’s distinctive ecology as you cruise past magnificent cypress trees and watch for native wildlife like gators and egrets.

Lose yourself in the atmospheric depths of the New Orleans swamps and wetlands on an exhilarating 2-hour boat tour, led by a professional guide. Cruise past ancient wonders and listen to legends surrounding a 2000-year-old Indian burial mound and an atmospheric Cajun cemetery. Scour the Barataria Swamps for sightings of fascinating wildlife such as snakes, turtles and ferocious alligators, and learn about the area’s history and geology from your knowledgeable guide. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation by luxury vehicle fro your New Orleans hotel.

Cruise through the wild wetlands of Honey Island Swamp on a 2-hour boat tour. Located on the marshy shores of Lake Ponchartrain just north of New Orleans, this protected nature reserve is home to an array of southern wildlife, from egrets and herons soaring above to otters and alligators lurking below the water’s surface. Hear tales of swamp pirates, fishermen’s lore and mysterious creatures from your captain as you glide past hanging moss and swooning cypress trees.

Exploring New Orleans in the evening can seem like an intimidating quest on your own, but this ghost, voodoo, and vampire walking tour takes you to the city’s most eerie sites at night in the safety of a group with a knowledgeable guide. Stop by top attractions such as the LaLaurie Mansion and New Orleans Pharmacy Museum, all while listening to your guide’s detailed stories of the paranormal and beyond.

Nowhere is Louisiana’s wildlife more abundant than in the swamps and bayous of New Orleans. Take a boat ride through these swamps and bayous and be on the lookout for alligators, raccoons, snakes, turtles and native birds. Hear stories from your guide about local Cajun culture and the mysteries of the swamps and bayous.

Louisiana’s wild backcountry is known for its cypress swamps that are home to alligators, snakes, and turtles. Explore this area in a safe and fun way in a flat-bottomed boat that travels through the marshes. Learn more about local wildlife from the guide and look out for herons, hawks, owls, and bald eagles too.

Experience the iconic New Orleans swamplands during a small-group airboat tour, led by a professional guide. Alternate between adrenaline-fuelled high speeds and gentle cruising as you sail past fascinating flora and fauna. Capture fantastic photographs of alligators in their natural habitat, and relish the intimate atmosphere of a small-group, limited to only nine passengers. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation by comfortable, air-conditioned coach from your hotel in Downtown New Orleans.

Enjoying a thrilling and high-octane way to immerse yourself in Louisiana’s wild swamp ecosystems—and try out a range of courses and options—with this zipline experience. Pick from one of many available start times, make your own way to the Maurepas Swamp near Lake Ponchartrain and get suited up in your gear. From the cypress treetops, try out five different ziplines, a suspension bridge, and more.

Explore the French Quarter and Marigny aboard a relaxing horse and carriage during this small-group tour in New Orleans. Discover the history, culture, and legends that surround this historic city as you see landmarks including the St. Louis Cathedral, Napoleon House, and French Market. You also get insider tips from your guide about the best places to eat, drink, and explore in New Orleans.

Delve into the atmospheric beauty of New Orleans’ vast swamplands on an exciting 2-hour small-group tour by airboat. With a knowledgeable guide, cruise past fascinating flora and fauna, scouring the picturesque scenery for sightings of alligators and other rare creatures. Experience the exhilaration of traveling at high velocity as your driver alternates between gentle cruising and high-speed bursts. Receive personalized attention from your guide on this small-group tour, limited to only 9 passengers.

This haunted pub crawl combines two favorite New Orleans activities—ghost hunting and drinking! Slip on some Mardi Gras beads and join a storytelling guide at some of the French Quarter’s most famously haunted bars and pubs. Enjoy a cocktail or shot while standing on the very spot of grisly murders, disasters, and ghost sightings on this spooky and social night out.

Discover one of Louisiana’s last preserved wetlands on a Honey Island Swamp boat tour. After making a short drive to Slidell, travel deep into the secluded swamp across Lake Pontchartrain to view native wildlife and witness a remote Cajun village only accessible by boat. Enjoy guided commentary on Cajun culture and the lush swamps as you spot alligators, wild boar, snakes, and native birds. This tour does not include transportation.

Trade in the urban bustle for the bayou on a half-day trip from New Orleans to the wilds of the Honey Island Swamp. Relax on the ride from your downtown or French Quarter hotel, and then cruise beneath hanging moss and cypress trees while a wetland ecologist shares tall tales and fun facts about this protected nature reserve on the shores of Lake Ponchartrain. Learn about Louisiana’s long-standing fishing industry, and keep an eye out for native critters like otters, turtles, egrets, and alligators lurking beneath the surface.

Experience New Orleans from a perspective rare to visitors on a carriage ride through the French Quarter. In addition to navigating for you, your guide tells anecdotes about the historic landmarks from Jackson Square to Bourbon Street. Booking a private tour ensures the itinerary is customized to your own interests, whether it be a food–themed tour or a quiet, romantic ride.

Soak up the atmosphere of the bayou on this 8-hour cultural tour from New Orleans. Visit the Oak Alley Plantation House, dating from 1837, and view the stately row of 28 evenly spaced mature oaks that line the driveway. Follow your guide, dressed in period costume, through the mansion, the blacksmith shop and the onsite restaurant. You'll also learn about life in the bayou's waterways aboard a swamp and wetlands boat tour. See the amazing variety of flora and fauna native to the area and hear about life in the Barataria Swamps from your native guides. Round-trip transportation from New Orleans is included.

Discover the atmospheric swamps surrounding New Orleans on a fascinating 2-hour airboat tour, led by a professional guide. In a small group, head to the outskirts of the city and climb aboard an airboat destined for the rich flora and fauna of the swamplands. Enrich your natural knowledge as you listen to intriguing commentary from your guide; scour the scenery for sightings of ferocious alligators; and feel your adrenaline levels surge as you accelerate and reach high speeds.