New Orleans Airboat Ride

Overview

Take a break from the hustle-bustle of New Orleans and escape to nature on this exhilarating, family-friendly airboat ride! Spot alligators, snakes, turtles, egrets and herons as you take a fast, fun ride over a tidewater cypress swamp close to Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Admire moss-covered cypress and tupelo-gum trees as you explore bayous teeming with life and take advantage of incredible photo ops.

This small-group tour is limited to eight people (small airboat) or 30 people (large airboat) to allow for better views of the wildlife.

Please note: If you book the self-drive option you will not receive hotel pickup. If you book the option with pickup, pickups will begin 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to tour time.

City: New Orleans

Sat 16 Nov

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $59.00

Make a reservation

Sat 16 Nov

Starting at $59.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Airboat ride

Hotel drop-off (If tour option with Transport is selected at the time of booking.)

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Operates in all weather conditions; please dress appropriately
Minimum age is 5 years
Reservations booked separately will not be guaranteed to be on the same boat
Taxi & Ride Share services not available in our area
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Guides required to regularly wash hands
Regular temperature checks for staff
Contactless payments for gratuities and add-ons

What To Expect

Mississippi River

Drive-out along the Mississippi River approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the embarkation point of your airboat from your New Orleans hotel. Depending on the option you selected, board a large airboat holding 15 to 25 passengers or a small airboat limited to six to eight passengers for a more intimate, personalized experience.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve

Set out on a 1 hour and 45 minute tour on a 20,000-acre (8,095-hectare) tract of tidewater cypress swamp close to the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve. Your airboat is powered by an aircraft propeller to allow a fast, fluid trip through the shallow marshes. Feel the wind on your face as you zip into bayous lined with mossy cypress and tupelo-gum trees. Prepare to see plenty of alligators in the warmer months (and warmer days in winter), some of which may be out sunning themselves on rocks! Your guide may even feed the gators, affording amazing photo opportunities. Keep your eyes open for turtles, snakes, egrets, herons and ibis. You may even catch sight of a hawk, owl or bald eagle. In the cooler months, look for white-tailed deer, raccoons and the large rodents known as nutria. Be sure to check out the indoor exhibits of alligators, including an albino alligator. Note: This tour does not include hotel pick-up or drop-off unless option selected at checkout.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

3LeannR

Nov 2022

This was the best airboat ride ever! We rode the small airboat and had so much fun! TikTok was our driver and guide. Our ride through the swamp was thrilling and exciting. Such a beautiful area filled with wildlife. We saw birds and many alligators. TikTok put on quite a show feeding the alligators!

Kimberly_P

Nov 2022

Very professional, and very organized. This was a phenomenal tour. From the second Dionne picked us up, we knew we were in good hands. She is a gem! Her laugh and smile are contagious and we knew we were in for a treat. When you first arrive, you can visit the small gift shop and take a look at the albino alligator. You can make your way over to the dock where you at your boat. They allow you to buy alcoholic beverages so we purchased a bucket of beer, because, when in Rome… TikTok was our guide. He was also equally amazing. He’s like the alligator whisperer. We saw a bald eagle and a lot of eagle, nests, many different birds and a TON of alligators. I highly recommend taking the small airboat. You will get back into the marsh be able to interact with them much more. My only suggestion is to have them at change the start time on Viator. We have used this site on many occasions, and every time the start time has indicated the time you were actually picked up. This tour included pick up from and back to our hotel and we were surprised to get a phone call an hour before saying that our shuttle had arrived at 8:45. It was no big deal, Dion was wonderful and called to let them know we needed to reschedule. We rescheduled for the afternoon tour with zero problems and everything was OK. However, many guests were surprised by the early visit as well so I would suggest to the company to change the start time to the actual pick up time from your hotel. Other than that very well done, and highly recommended!!!

scottharrington2005

Nov 2022

Had a fantastic experience touring the swamp in the small airboat. We had Captain Jay looking after us and he was amazing. Calling to and interacting with an Alligator as part of the tour. He was great fun and focused on an interactive tour Highly recommend.