Manchac Swamp Kayak Small-Group Tour

Badge of ExcellenceNew Orleans, USA

From $92.00

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Small-Group Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour with Local Guide

408

from $93.00

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Overview

Venture beyond New Orleans to the wilds of the Louisiana bayous on a small-group kayaking tour of the Manchac and Maurepas swamps. Climb aboard a tandem kayak and paddle through a lush landscape of cypress forests and wetlands teeming with wildlife. No kayaking experience is necessary, as a guide teaches you everything need to know to enjoy this Southern-style adventure.

Guided swamp kayak tour near New Orleans
Explore the bayous and wetlands of Louisiana on a tandem kayak
Look for alligators and other swamp wildlife
Great for beginners and experienced kayakers alike
Get a paddling lesson before launching out
Transportation from central New Orleans meeting point available
Small group ensures personalized service

What's Included

Guide
All necessary gear and equipment
Paddle lesson

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

740 N Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116, USA
Departure Point: IF YOU ARE TAKING OUR SHUTTLE, PLEASE MEET AT THE PICKUP ONE HOUR AND 15 MINUTES PRIOR TO YOUR SCHEDULED TOUR TIME... Address: The Rampart Tree House 740 N Rampart Street

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Bring swimsuit or light, layered synthetic clothing, windbreaker/fleece if cooler, change of clothes, towel, hat, sunglasses, sunglasses retainer, waterproof camera, and water
Minimum age is 6 years
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jeffrey_W

This was excellent experience! Our tour guide Ali was fun to be around and very knowledgeable about the area.

Reviews

5.0

901 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 901 reviews

RELAXING, EDIFYING KAYAK TOUR IN NATURE!

muthecaren, Apr 2024

If you're tired of the hustle and bustle of NOLA, take a trip to the beautiful Manchac Swamp and get your sanity back! MJ was our phenomenal driver and our brilliant kayak tour guide. She's knowledgeable about all things ecologically related to Louisiana, and she shares her knowledge generously and enthusiastically. WE LEARNED SO MUCH ON THIS TOUR! When we arrived at the swamp, MJ gave us a quick lesson on how to kayak, and we launched ourselves into the lazy waters of Manchac Swamp. (We definitely weren't white water rafting here!) We saw gators and learned about their life cycles, we saw herons and egrets and even a huge owl! We saw snakes swimming by, and we learned all about how important the bald cypress trees are to the Louisiana ecosystem. There were delicate spider lilies and invasive water hyacinths and stately water tupelo trees. MJ taught us about them all! It was a beautiful day with a cool breeze and hardly any humidity...just perfect! I am a 67 year old woman, and the paddling was easy enough for me to thoroughly enjoy it. DON'T HESITATE, GO ON THIS LOVELY, MELLOW, FASCINATING SWAMP TOUR NOW!

Great experience!

Anne_M, Apr 2024

Great group, great scenery. Our guide, MJ, was amazing - deeply knowledgeable about all aspects of the ecosystem, funny, helpful, and extremely capable - never a moment of feeling unsafe. I lost count of all of the alligators we saw, not to mention the turtles and various birds. A once-in-a-lifetime experience. The transportation from the Quarter and back was very convenient. Highly recommend.

Great tour guided by MJ

Daniel_L, Apr 2024

MJ was a fantastic guide who did a great job of explaining the ecology, history, and purpose of the bayou. I would recommend this tour to any of my friends visiting New Orleans.

Fascinating, educational, & peaceful

Gretchen_G, Apr 2024

MJ was super knowledgeable and educated us as we explored the beauty of the swamp. Lots of gators 🐊 which was a bonus! Ask for MJ! Her love of the swamp is infectious.

Could have been better

David_T, Apr 2024

This might have been more fun if it wasn’t raining. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. One concerning part was this: due to the first van having mechanical issues we were put into another van that didn’t have enough seats because they were removed (because it was used as a moving van by another tour guide).This resulted in one poor guy sitting on the floor. This was not only unsafe for him, but for all of us if there had been an accident. Worrisome to say the least.

Loved it.

Marianne_d, Mar 2024

We had a great guide and saw a few Alligators, rare birds and a turtle 🐢 🧡 Not for beginners though - some Kayak experience is necessary 👌

Kayak Swamp Tour

Jeffrey_W, Mar 2024

This was excellent experience! Our tour guide Ali was fun to be around and very knowledgeable about the area.

Such a great time!

Timothy_Q, Mar 2024

We headed out in the van during a massive downpour with our guide, MJ, feeling fairly confident the weather would break before we got on the water. She was spot-on with the rain stopping just minutes before we reached the launch. Our tour was relaxing, beautiful, and wildly informative. Little alligators, big alligators, eagles, egrets, owls, turtles, and snakes, oh my! MJ was an outstanding guide and we learned a lot about the bayou. My wife, our daughter, and I had a wonderful time. I would highly recommend the tour, which was a great contrast to bustle of being on the streets New Orleans.

Get out there and enjoy our nature

Orion_C, Feb 2024

We had such a great time on our adventure! Even though the wind was a bit oppositional, we had a great opportunity to power through and see true nature. Our tour Guide Alley was kind, supportive, and knew what she was doing. Very impressed and would eagerly go back.

The swamp was amazing but we felt unwelcome

T_O, Feb 2024

A really unique experience. We saw gators and a variety of interesting birds. Our guide Nick was knowledgeable and passionate. He was chatty with other people, but not us personally, and sometimes responded with silence when we greeted him. He did offer some help and guidance at various points though. We were nervous about being complete novices but encouraged by some positive reviews that we’d still be welcome. However, we felt like we were a burden, sadly. We found it hard to hear Nick’s initial instructions and given that we were the only rookies, approaching us individually for a quick recap and a word of reassurance before we got on board would’ve gone a long way. When we struggled we reminded ourselves, and him, that no one’s perfect after only a few minutes’ practice and it takes time to master the correct habits. With some self-reliance, we lasted to the end and navigated tricky parts by ourselves, which was very satisfying. We enjoyed the surroundings, but it was a real shame about the other aspects.

Peaceful Kayak

Lisa_S, Dec 2023

This kayak tour was fine - the environment was peaceful and pretty to look at. Not much wildlife on our tour. I could not really hear what the tour guide was saying, but he was certainly nice and did his best to point out whatever wildlife was available to see.

Great time getting to see swamp

williamsmccauley, Nov 2023

We had a great time with Chelsea, it was a lovely paddle. We saw two alligators and lots of cypresses. Recommend bug spray in case mosquitoes are bad.

Waste of time and money

Jack_v, Nov 2023

We did not spot any bird or animal encounter throughout the entire 2 hours being on the water. Tons of 🦟 made it also very unpleasant. The guide was very nice and friendly. Overall experience very disappointing.

Nothing like it!

Eddie_W, Nov 2023

Now here’s something to tell everyone back at your workplace about. Indeed, what could be cooler than paddling through the bayou? I’ve had swamp tours before, but nothing like this one! I had never kayaked before, but now I want to go out and buy one. We paddled out on open water, and we paddled through tight places while seeing all the wonders of nature which included a couple of alligators. The guide seemed to know a little about everything which made the experience all the better. There are a couple of things to be aware of though. You might want to wear flip flops or go barefooted, and the experience can be a bit of a work out.

Amazing tour! Would do it again in a heartbeat

Sarah_W, Nov 2023

AJ was an amazing guide. We got to kayak in the swamp and see gators, osprey, and nutria. This was the highlight of our trip to New Orleans

Great First Experience!

Hasanna_C, Nov 2023

This was a great experience! I was very excited to go kayaking, but was a little nervous not having previous experience and not being able to swim. However AJ and Simone were very reassuring! They were both awesome, knowledgeable, and helped navigate our group through large and smaller kayak routes. I definitely recommend!

Great trip, have taken...

Christopher_G, Nov 2023

Great trip, have taken guests on this tour several times when they visit. Saw 5 alligators this time, was great!

Fun in the water

Randall_H, Oct 2023

AJ our tour guide was fantastic. We had a very casual kayak trip around the Manchac area. Saw gators, many different birds, including a Barred owl, and had a great time. We booked a 2:00 pm trip so keep in mind if you have dinner reservations back in the city you probably don’t want to book anything until 7:30. We got caught in football traffic on the way back in.

Perfect afternoon outing

Lauren_L, Oct 2023

MJ was an incredible tour guide! She was very knowledgeable and we learned a lot. I felt like I was listening to the "Ologies" podcast about swamps while she was talking, lol. Great outing in a beautiful setting and we saw lots of wildlife. Would definitely recommend to others visiting the area.

Swamp Tour

Sofia_G, Sep 2023

I did the swamp tour with Stephanie and she was amazing! It was definitely the highlight of our trip, she was so informative and was very patient with us as beginners. The sights were amazing to witness and it wasn't hard to kayak at all, Stephanine walked us through every step and ensured we were safe and having fun!

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