14 Airboat Tours in New Orleans Worth Booking

1.New Orleans Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour with Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 5,399 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $70Our pick

Ride from the French Quarter to Honey Island Swamp, then board a quiet 22-passenger boat with a local captain such as Steve, Scottie, Marc, or Jody. Expect narrow waterways, lush foliage, alligators, raccoons, birds, and stories about Cajun life. Wildlife is less active in cold weather, so season matters.

“Great experience with Justin as the tour guide! I had a great time learning about the rich history. Will do this again!”

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2.New Orleans Airboat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4,891 reviews · 2 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $59

Travel from Lafitte into a 20,000-acre cypress swamp on a 1-hour-45-minute airboat ride. Choose a 6-to-8-passenger boat or a larger vessel, and look for alligators, bald eagles, herons, turtles, and snakes. Guides such as Ronnie, Mark, Shane, and Captain TikTok add local stories and plenty of humor.

“This is a wonderful tour that I would encourage every traveler to experience! Our airboat Captain, Adam, was extremely professional, courteous and very knowledgeable about the environment and the ecosystem. The tour exceeded our expectations, a nature extravaganza -- and full of alligators, indeed!”

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3.Swamp Boat Ride and Oak Alley Plantation Tour from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3,303 reviews · 7 hours 45 minutes (approx.) · from $131

Ride from the French Quarter to Oak Alley or Destrehan Plantation, then board a covered pontoon boat at Cajun Pride Swamp Tours. Expect local guides, live commentary, historic sites, mossy cypress trees, and chances to see alligators, raccoons, wild hogs, snakes, turtles, and birds. The trip lasts about 7 hours 45 minutes.

“This was a fantastic trip from beginning to end, lots of information given by the awesome guide Dionne, she truly knows her history! The driver was just as friendly and the swamp tour was brilliant (although we didn't see many gators due to it being winter) However, we saw lots of cute Raccoons! Great Experience! 🥰🥰”

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4.New Orleans Self-Transport Swamp and Bayou Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,824 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $37

Drive yourself to Slidell for a two-hour Honey Island Swamp cruise aboard a quiet, 22-passenger boat. Guides such as Jody, Emmett, Dustin, and Wade G. explain Cajun culture, wetland ecology, and local wildlife while you look for alligators, raccoons, birds, turtles, snakes, and wild boar.

“This is an amazing thrilling experience to see aligators and other wildlife animal so close. Dont miss it...its worth the experience. You'll be on this steamer boat so close to the gators and its a great experience”

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5.High Speed 16 Passenger Airboat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 2,380 reviews · 100 minutes - 4 hours · from $65

Ride a 16-passenger airboat through the wetlands of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, about 35 minutes from New Orleans. Stadium seating gives you a clear view as local captains such as Bebop, Dewey, Ian, and Ernie point out alligators, birds, and swamp plants. Hotel pickup is optional.

“Very educational and a lot of fun - highly recommended..”

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6.New Orleans Swamp Tour Boat Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,855 reviews · 1 hour 40 minutes (approx.) · from $35Best value

You’ll cruise the Barataria Preserve wetlands from Marrero in a roofed, cushioned boat with raised or lowered windows, a restroom, and room to move. A local captain such as Ernie or Dewey narrates the ride, pointing out alligators, snakes, turtles, birds, a Cajun cemetery, an Indian burial mound, and an old fishing village. Wildlife sightings vary by season.

“Captain Ernie was awesome, gave us a very fun filled tour covering the history of the area and injecting humor along with content. It was 40F out so we didn’t see large alligators, just a small one sunbathing but it was nonetheless a fun educational ride through the swamp.”

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7.Large Airboat Swamp Tour with Transportation from New Orleans

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,832 reviews · 4 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $90

Ride a 16-passenger airboat through the Barataria Preserve wetlands with captains such as Ernie, Kenny, or Captain Beebop. Expect two hours on the water, bursts of speed up to 25 mph, slow wildlife searches, photo stops, and commentary on alligators, birds, plants, and bayou life. Hotel pickup from downtown New Orleans is included.

“The driver to the bayou was very funny and informative. Our tour captain was great and we saw gators, eagles and herons.”

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8.New Orleans Manchac Bayou Swamp Cruise W/ Optional Pick-Up

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,587 reviews · 1h 30m · from $35

Cruise Manchac Bayou by pontoon boat with a local captain who points out cypress trees, birds, raccoons, wild pigs, turtles, snakes, and alligators. Guides such as Danny, Dustin, and Tom mix swamp facts with Cajun stories. Choose hotel pickup from New Orleans or drive to Cajun Pride Swamp Tours in Frenier.

“It was awesome! We got to feed marshmallows to alligators, and hold little baby Bruce 🐊 ! We highly recommend!”

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9.Bayou Swamp Tour and Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,147 reviews · 7h 30m · from $125

Leave New Orleans for a 1.5-hour narrated boat ride through Manchac Swamp, where you may see alligators, raccoons, wild pigs, turtles, and birds. Then visit Oak Alley Plantation, with its 28 live oaks and guided house tour. Drivers such as Big Joe add local history along the way.

“The boat ride and guide were entertaining and informative.”

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10.Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 906 reviews · 8h 30m · from $160

Leave New Orleans by air-conditioned bus for Oak Alley Plantation, where a period-dressed guide explains the house, sugar farming, and slavery. Then ride an open airboat through Barataria Basin with captains such as Ernie or Bee Bop, looking for alligators, birds, and other wildlife. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included.

“Loved the whole day. Plantation visit was amazing. Visit to big house was really interesting, trip to the swamp on the airboat was highlight of my whole trip to USA. Guide very informative.”

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11.High Speed 9 Passenger Airboat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 818 reviews · 100 minutes - 4 hours · from $89

Leave New Orleans for the wetlands of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. A captain such as Bobby, Ian, Rocky, or Captain Bebop guides up to nine people through the swamp at speeds reaching 35 mph, slowing for alligators, birds, and photo stops. Hotel pickup is available, and hearing protection is provided.

“The guide was exceptionally knowledgeable about the swamp and found other animals beside gator for us to see!”

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12.From Lafitte: Swamp Tours South of New Orleans by Airboat

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 792 reviews · 105 minutes - 4 hours · from $59

Take a 105-minute airboat ride from Lafitte through open marsh and narrow swamp canals. Guides such as Steve, Jay, Ronnie, and Larry share local wildlife stories while you look for alligators, turtles, herons, egrets, and ospreys. Choose a boat for up to 10 people, or add hotel transport from New Orleans.

“Everything went very smoothly and was Great seeing the alligators, riding the Swamps.”

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13.Guided Swamp Cruise by Tour Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 570 reviews · 100 minutes - 4 hours · from $35

Leave New Orleans by coach or meet at the dock for a covered 100-minute cruise through the Barataria Swamps. Your local captain explains Cajun life, swamp ecology, and wildlife, with chances to see alligators, raccoons, turtles, snakes, and birds. Captains such as Ernie and Dewey are known for lively stories and good animal-spotting.

“Our guide had a pet small alligator it was so cute he let us hold it. he fed the big alligator mush mellows and chicken. they’re were over at least 6 alligator we saw. We visited where princess and the frog was filmed at on the exact boat that was my favorite part. He was an excellent guide 7/10 experience we left on time i just wish we saw more alligators and other animals everything else was cool. i’ll try it again definitely round hunting time. I would recommended this i went and they wasn’t a lot of black people (our color) so just fyi that it’s rarely you’ll see…”

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14.Swamp Boat Ride & Oak Alley Plantation Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 383 reviews · 7h 30m · from $131

Spend about 7.5 hours exploring Oak Alley Plantation and Manchac Swamp from New Orleans. Ride in a covered pontoon boat with a local Cajun captain, watch for alligators, and tour Oak Alley’s 1839 mansion, gardens, cabins, and exhibits. Guides such as Dionne, Kate, John, and Brandon have been praised for clear storytelling and good humor.

“very interactive. our guide always knowledgeable and full of humor. We even got to hold a baby gator. A++ will do again”

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