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.

Th premium small-group tour is limited to 6 people, regular small airboat (up to 10 people) or large airboat (up to 30 people) 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.

There are no rideshare or taxi services to this area. Gators are more commonly spotted in summer months.

City: New Orleans

Fri 04 Jul

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $59.00

Make a reservation

Fri 04 Jul

Starting at $59.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Local guide

Airboat ride

Small storage space under seat

Roundtrip transportation (if option with transport is selected at time of booking.)

Ear protection

Unobstructed views

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 (sunny or rainy); 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
We offer a full refund in case of inclement weather that is unsafe to operate tours (lightening/ thunderstorms/ high wind). We still operate in the rain.

What To Expect

New Orleans

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)

laurels727

Sep 2023

We were disappointed. It started 15 minutes late, ended 25 minutes early, and the first 10 minutes were filled up with a talk and boarding a large number of boats one at a time. The ride was slow and hot. Except for short intervals and on the homeward trip, we moved at trolling speed. We stopped in the middle of waterways, where the sun was hottest, while the boat driver talked about the hurricane (he had lived through it) and how it had changed everything so much. We did see alligators, several of them about 4-5' long. They are conditioned to come to the boats because the drivers throw them marshmallows (which he called Swamp Crack, and it's probably as good for the alligators as crack is for humans; but that's another story). They have a captive albino alligator inside the ticket sales building, along with lots of merch. I do not recommend this, and was dismayed to find the advertising so different from the reality.

Response from Host

Sep 2023

We're sorry to hear you did not have a good experience while with us! Could you please email us at [email protected] with any information (your confirmation number, boat number, or captain's name) so that we can look further into this matter. In regards to the albino alligator, We apologize for any distressed caused. Due to its lack of melanin and pigment in the skin, the albino alligator lives indoors to prevent any harm caused by UV rays from the sun. The size of the enclosure was decided accordingly to the size of the alligator, per reptile experts. We hope this dissolved any misconceptions. Please email us at info AT airboatadventures.com if you have further concerns. . We hope this does not deter you from visiting our company again in the future! Thank you for leaving your feedback!

Paula_J

Sep 2023

We had a great time on the airboat tour. Our guide was very knowledgable and we were able to see a lot of wildlife. The alligators were pretty incredible and we saw an American eagle which was amazing. The waterways were beautiful and it was a great way to see the New Orleans skyline from a different perspective. Our pick was horrible, she left us before the scheduled pick up time (we had to catch her at another stop) she then proceeded to be rude to us on pick up and drop off.

BillieJean_C

Sep 2023

This was definitely a cool experience BUT the description definitely says 2-4 hours and we only got an hour and was also promised to get an alligator on the boat and that never happened in our tour guide only spoke to us probably the first 1015 minutes and never said anything else. I think he may have been hung over which is fine like I said the trip was fun but a better description and a more honest description of what you’re actually getting would’ve been nice because like I said we only got one hour when it said 2 to 4.

Response from Host

Sep 2023

We're sorry to hear you did not have a good experience while with us! Could please email us at [email protected] with any information (your confirmation number, boat number, or captain's name) so that we can look further into this matter. We hope this does not deter you from visiting our company again in the future! Thank you for leaving your feedback!