Bayou Tours in New Orleans
Head into the Louisiana bayou and see a side of New Orleans most visitors never find. Our bayou tours take you through the cypress swamps where alligators, herons, and turtles live just 30 minutes from the French Quarter. Choose an airboat for speed or a pontoon for a relaxed ride.
Tours for this experience
Best ValueSignature 16-Seat New Orleans Airboat Swamp Tour
Our Signature 16-seat airboat is the #1 choice for New Orleans swamp adventures. The perfect balance of thrills, intimacy, and value. It's our most-booked tour and the one we recommend to first-time visitors.
Family FriendlyNew Orleans Covered Pontoon Boat Swamp Tour
The swamp tour for everyone — no age limits, no weight limits, no restrictions. Our covered pontoon is the most comfortable ride on the bayou: shaded from the summer sun, and if a light shower rolls through mid-tour, you’re in the driest seat in the swamp. At $37, it’s the most affordable swamp tour we offer.
Family FriendlyNew Orleans Super-Sized Airboat Swamp Tour
The 30-passenger Super-Sized Airboat packs the most powerful engine on the bayou. Fast, loud, and thrilling, it delivers serious thrills at the best airboat price in New Orleans.
Very PopularNew Orleans Small Airboat Swamp Tour
Small Airboats seat no more than 10 people and get deeper into the bayou than the larger boats. Fast, loud, and thrilling — with a smaller group, you'll feel every bit of it.
PremiumNew Orleans Premium VIP Airboat Swamp Tour
The ultimate VIP swamp experience. With only 6 guests, you'll enjoy an intimate, exclusive tour that reaches hidden areas larger boats can't access. Perfect for photographers, couples, or anyone wanting the most personalized Louisiana bayou adventure.
PremiumPrivate Airboat Charter - Exclusive Swamp Tour
Book the ENTIRE airboat for your private group! Choose from four boat sizes to match your party. Perfect for families, bachelor/bachelorette parties, corporate outings, birthdays, or anyone who wants an exclusive Louisiana swamp experience.
Book Your Bayou Tour
Book online or chat with us for personalized recommendations.
Book Your Bayou TourFrequently Asked Questions
What is a bayou tour?+
A bayou tour takes you by boat through Louisiana's bayou waterways -- the slow-moving, tree-lined channels that wind through the swamp. You'll see alligators, birds, turtles, and cypress trees. It's nature, not a zoo -- every trip is different.
Are bayou tours and swamp tours the same thing?+
There's a real distinction: a bayou is the waterway itself, the slow-moving, tree-lined channel your boat rides on. A swamp is the wider wetland ecosystem around it, the trees, the marsh, the whole habitat the bayou runs through. Our tours travel the bayou to get you into the swamp, so in practice you're getting both on the same trip, which is why most people use the terms interchangeably.
How far is the bayou from New Orleans?+
Our bayou tours launch from Jean Lafitte, Westwego, Luling, and Marrero -- all about 30 minutes from the French Quarter. Hotel pickup is available on select tours.
Why Choose Gators & Ghosts?
We're locals, not a faceless booking site. Every tour is curated by experts who actually live in New Orleans.
3,000+ Five-Star Reviews
Real guests, real reviews. Thousands of families and groups have trusted us with their New Orleans trip — and told their friends about it after.
Family-Owned Since 2008
Aunt and nephew team — not a corporate chain. We'll give you an honest recommendation even when it means suggesting a less expensive tour.
One-Stop Shop
Swamp tours, ghost tours, plantations, city tours — one place to compare, book, and ask questions instead of juggling a dozen browser tabs.
Talk to Local Experts
Not sure which tour to pick? Chat with us or call (504) 226-5433 — real locals who'll point you in the right direction.
French Quarter Location
Walk in, say hi, ask us anything at 728 St. Louis Street. If plans change day-of, we're right here in the Quarter — not in another state behind a 1-800 number.
Curated by Insiders
Every tour on our site is hand-chosen. We know the operators, we've done the tours, and we only sell what we'd recommend to friends.