The Louisiana Bayou Experience

If you have ever done the Everglades tour in Florida or a jungle tour in the Amazons, and like these kind of adventure experiences, you will definitely enjoy the Bayou experience in Louisiana’s swamps.

Boat Ride through the Swamps

According to Wikipedia:

A bayou is a Franco-English term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying area, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), or to a marshy lake or wetland. Bayous are home to crawfish, certain species of shrimp, other shellfish, catfish, frogs, toads, American alligators, American crocodiles, herons, turtles and myriad other species.

Although the modern-day experience is filtered down for mass appeal to tourists, one can still find a very authentic immersion in to the Acadian heritage of Louisiana on such tours.

Majority of the operators of the swamp tours have grown up in these parts and essentially know the myriad pathways through the Bayous on the back of their hands.

Look closely, you can spot a wild boar hidden in the foliage

The swamp tours are mostly offered by local operators but one can also book the tours through major city tour operators, such as GrayLine in New Orleans.

Money Saving Tip: Instead of booking individual tours, try combo-trips (pre-packaged) or buying multiple individual tours at once and benefit from bulk discount (up to 10%). Ask the agent at the tour desk. Also check out Viator for pre-discounted tours.

Feeding the alligators for entertainment purposes on these tours is STRICTLY PROHIBITED under state bylaws. So please, don’t feed the gators and crocs!

Alligators will pull up beside the the boat by curiosity

And definitely don’t pet them off-board, although at a point during the ride, you can get to hold a young Alligator.

Remember to be gentle when holding them.

Preserved full grown adult gator skull

Acknowledgement: This visit was part of a media tour arranged by New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau. All comments are my own. For other fun experiences in New Orleans, check out my other stories here.

Tags: Adventure Travel, Alligators, Bayou Tours, Louisiana Travel, Swamp Tours

Category: Budget Adventure Travel, New Orleans, USA Jaunts