Private Tour: Honey Island Swamp by Boat
New Orleans, Louisiana
Trip Type: Private Sightseeing Tours
Duration: 2 hours
Hop aboard a flat-bottom boat to explore one of Louisiana's last protected wetlands: Honey Island Swamp. During this 2-hour private boat tour, a local expert guides your private group to a Cajun village only accessible from the water, and gets you up close to swamp wildlife like alligators, snakes and wild boar. You’ll gain an appreciation for the slowly disappearing wetland and local efforts to preserve its natural treasures. It’s just a short drive across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans to this extraordinary wildlife preserve in Slidell.
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Hop aboard a flat-bottom boat to explore one of Louisiana's last protected wetlands: Honey Island Swamp. During this 2-hour private boat tour, a local expert guides your private group to a Cajun village only accessible from the water, and gets you up close to swamp wildlife like alligators, snakes and wild boar. You’ll gain an appreciation for the slowly disappearing wetland and local efforts to preserve its natural treasures. It’s just a short drive across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans to this extraordinary wildlife preserve in Slidell.
Your tour starts in Slidell, a town about 30 miles (48 km) north of central New Orleans where you’ll find Honey Island Swamp — one of the last protected wetlands in Louisiana. Meet your private guide, a native of the area, aboard a custom-made swamp boat that holds a maximum of 10 passengers, and begin your 2-hour exploration of the wildlife preserve.
As your guide explains the history of Louisiana’s wetlands and swamp ecosystem, the quiet, flat-bottom boat glides safely through the fertile swamplands, passing resident wildlife. Be on the lookout for raccoons, owls, wild boar, nutria, snakes, turtles, black bears, bald eagles and many other bird species, and get a close look at some wild gators as your guide shares facts about these toothy beasts, which can weigh up to 1,000 pounds (453 kg).
En route to an authentic Cajun village that is only accessible by boat, learn about Cajun culture and how local people have utilized Honey Island Swamp for food, shelter and medicine. After you’ve gained an understanding of why the wetlands are slowly disappearing and what efforts are going on to preserve them, your guide returns your private group to shore. From here, you can make your own way back to New Orleans.
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