Airboat Swamp and Destrehan Plantation Tour from New Orleans

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

New Orleans, USA

Great choice

10+ bookings last month.

5 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Whitney Plantation and Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour Combo

New Orleans, Louisiana

5.0

(41)

Whitney Plantation and Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour Combo

from $199

Likely to Sell Out

Small-Group Bayou Airboat Ride with Transport from New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana

4.8

(515)

Small-Group Bayou Airboat Ride with Transport from New Orleans

from $130

Small-Group Airboat Swamp Tour with Downtown New Orleans Pickup

New Orleans, Louisiana

4.9

(1,648)

Small-Group Airboat Swamp Tour with Downtown New Orleans Pickup

from $115

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Take a wild ride through the bayous of Cajun Country on this airboat adventure from New Orleans. In a small group, wind through tree‐lined swampland and spot abundant local wildlife, including nutria, alligators, and giant catfish, and stop at Destrehan Plantation to get a taste of the elegant antebellum south.

Enjoy a scenic drive along the shores of Lake Ponchartrain
Tour Destrehan Plantation with costumed guides bringing history to life
Free time to explore the spectacular grounds of the plantation
Experience real Cajun Country on a high-speed airboat ride

What's Included

Transport by 14-passenger air-conditioned van, with exact pick up time provided
1.5-hour airboat ride
Tour of Destrehan Plantation
Visit "1811 Slave revolt Exhibit"

Gratuities
Snacks and drinks (available for purchase at both gift shops)

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Please specify hotel at time of purchase. We pick up in New Orleans at any hotel, Bed & Breakfast or select Airbnbs, uptown (close to St. Charles Ave.), in (or close to) the French Quarter, and on the Westbank. We do not pick up by the airport, in New Orleans East, in Slidell, or on the North Shore. Supplier will contact you the day before your tour to give you an exact pick up time.

Itinerary

Your bayou and plantation tour begins with morning pickup from your downtown New Orleans hotel. Make sure to grab breakfast and coffee before boarding the bus for the ride to your airboat launch point. In a bayou‐side Cajun Village near Paradis, Louisiana, you’ll transfer to a small airboat for an exhilarating ride. Skirt along the water, viewing the lush greenery and spotting local wildlife.

Following your bayou adventure, enjoy a relaxing drive along Lake Pontchartrain to Destrehan Plantation, the oldest documented plantation home in the Mississippi Valley. As a costumed guide leads you through the restored antebellum mansion, hear stories of the estate’s former owners and slaves before taking a self‐guided tour through vibrant gardens and down oak‐lined paths.

The tour bus will return you to your hotel at the conclusion of the tour.

Destrehan Plantation

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Swamp Adventures LLC

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

New Orleans (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 5 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there is not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
Service animals are permitted. Please advise at time of booking to arrange accommodations
Not wheelchair accessible
Child rate applies for all children and infants
Due to the nature of the airboat, children under the age of 5, pregnant women, people with back or neck issues or recent surgeries are not allowed to participate.

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Jeanette_B

Highly recommend "Tours with Isabelle". The airboat was such fun! We got to see alot of alligators and other wildlife. The Destrehan Plantation was beautiful and very educational. Our driver Gisele was GREAT, very knowledgeable and entertaining!!

Reviews

4.8

based on 260 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Very knowledgeable guide....

Alan_T, Dec 2025

Very knowledgeable guide. Very enjoyable experience. Saw a family of alligators. Mom and babies! Would highly recommend. Air boat was great as well!

Response from Host, Dec 2025

Thanks Alan! Yes, we do see a lot of gators, big and small, as long as the temp. is above 70 degrees... I am so happy you enjoyed! Cordially, Isabelle C.

Tours by Isabelle

Jeanette_B, Oct 2025

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you Ms Jeanette, Yes indeed, "fun, beautiful and educational" that's exactly what our tours aim to be! I'll forward your kind words to Gisele, for sure, this will make her day! Thank you again, cordially Isabelle C.

A Fabulous Tour Guide Made it a Special Day

Matt_J, Sep 2025

I cannot record this tour highly enough. Rene collected me from my hotel and drove me and the other members of the tour to the location of the airboat ride. On the journey to the swamp Rene, our tour guide was very engaging, very informative and exceptionally knowledgeable about many aspects of New Orleans and its history. The airboat tour of the swamp was great fun. The boat captains knew exactly where to find different gators and kept us all very entertained with information about the gators, the swamp and its wildlife. After the airboat tour, Rene drove us to the Destrehan Plantation and again was a fountain of great knowledge and insights. Upon arriving at Destrehan we were given a tour by a member of the Destrehan team, who was also very knowledgeable and made for a thoroughly informative tour. After this tour, Rene joined us and shared lots more fascinating insights, which added huge value to what was already an enjoyable day. On the journey back to our hotel, Rene continued to entertain us, share great information about where to go and what to do in New Orleans. A fabulous tour made extra special by the knowledge and personality of Rene. Highly recommended

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Thank you so much for this great detailed review, Matt! I am so happy you had such a great experience on our tour. I am forwarding it to Rene and also to the Manager at Destrehan as well as to the airboat captains! You will make their day! Cordially, Isabelle C.

Excellent

Belinda_C, Sep 2025

Fantastic adventure all staff were wonderful and very informative. We loved the day out and would certainly recommend it!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you so much Ms Belinda, we are so happy you enjoyed our Plantation & Airboat tour, please come back to visit NOLA soon! Cordially, Isabelle

An exhilarating experience!

Yvette_B, Jul 2025

A must do! The airboat/swamp experience was well worth it! Isabelle was right on time to pick me up at my hotel, she's very pleasanr, friendly and have a world of knowledge to share, as we made our way through town and to the swamp. Grant is very knowledgeable and the added humor is a plus! We were able to see a few alligators and some raccoons, and Grant gave us sufficient time to absorb the views and the experience. The Destrehan Plantation tour was informative and worthwhile if you value history of course. Beverly was energetic, knowledgeable and had a great sense of humor! All proceeds for this Plantation goes directly back into upkeeping its maintenence and employee salary, which I loved. Definitely bring your sunglasses, wear comfy clothing and shoes, and wear sunscreen!

Response from Host, Jul 2025

Good morning Ms Yvette, thank you for taking the time to write this very detailed and positive review, I will forward your compliments to the airboat Captain: Grant and the docent at Destrehan Plantation: Beverly. I hope you enjoy your stay in our incredible city of NOLA ! Isabelle C.

Highly recommended!

Robert_S, Apr 2025

We had a great time on this tour. The half day tour was the perfect balance to see the swamp, tour the plantation and still have time left in the afternoon for other exploring. Rene, our guide on the trip, was a true joy. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a great time. The logistics of it all were flawless, too.

Come see alligators!

Lewis_W, Mar 2025

The swamp airboat experience was thrilling, saw and interacted with numerous alligators! Plantations experience was well guided and educational.

Excellence

Bruno_H, Mar 2025

Very well organized, excellent guide, scenery phantastic, much to see, history, quality of the equipment

Super great half-day trip...

Johanna_T, Mar 2025

Super great half-day trip to explore the New Orleans area more with a nice small group! Our tour guide Gisele was fantastic, gave excellent insight into the area’s history and must-see things. The air boat tour was exciting, we saw plenty of alligators. The plantation tour with Beverly was excellent, she gave an interesting tour and was very knowledgeable about the plantation. Shout out also to Ann at the plantation museum, she had excellent knowledge about the 1811 revolt. Overall, can definitely recommend this tour!

Side trip from NOLA

Shaun_K, Feb 2025

It was very convenient, easy, smooth. Isabelle checked in with us before the trip to make sure we had everything and knew where we were going. Giselle, our guide, and the other guides were all enthusiastic historians who made everything fun and interesting. It was unusually cold and Giselle gave us ponchos and gloves to keep us warm. It was a great side day from our NOLA trip. After the trip Giselle helped us pick out a restaurant in NOLA and dropped us there. Totally recommended. Be aware that there is no lunch on the trip so you will need to eat before you go and when you get back. But that all worked out perfectly.

They were really helpful...

Mikiko_M, Dec 2024

They were really helpful with pick up info, what to wear since it was a bit chilly in the morning. Enjoyed the tour very much.

Very fun tour with a little bit of everything!

TrishWootton, May 2024

We loved the swamp tour, it was so interesting and we learned so much. Our captain was knowledgable and very funny, I had no idea how much I didn't know about alligators! He touched on the preservation of the area and the animals and the history of these great gators! The plantation tour was also interesting, smaller than some of the other plantations but the history was honest and interesting. We liked that this was about 5 hours so we got to do both things in just a half day and it ended in time to grab lunch. Steve, our driver, was professional and full service including as a tour guide!

With the time!!!

SHELLY_A, Apr 2024

Awesome time! Boat captain was friendly, fun and entertaining!! One of the best things we did during our time in NOLA!!

Very memorable

terry_v, Apr 2024

Renee was wonderful and so was our boat operator Very knowledgeable informative and fun Timing was great

Great Tour!

Judy_T, Mar 2024

Our airboat captain was knowledgeable and informative about the 'gators and birds that we encountered. The Destrehan Plantation and the family that owned it had fascinating histories, including involvement in an 1811 slave rebellion. Our van driver was full of interesting information about New Orleans topography, flooding and water management, as well as cooking.

Beyond words

Paula_M, Mar 2024

This was a fantastic 1/2 day tour. We were so lucky & saw many alligators, eagles etc.... on the swamp excursion. The Destrehan Plantation was fascinating so much history .... Our guide Rene from Isabelle Tours gave us some much information whilst at the plantation & also in transit to & from. It was a spectacular tour. Highly recommended.

Fun and interesting sights just outside of NOLA

Chcarner, Mar 2024

Cool seeing the alligators and fascinating history at the plantation. Isabelle also shared lots of great info about NOLA on the ride there and back.

Isabell gets a 5 star rating.

Dixie_V, Mar 2024

The best part of this tour was the pick up and drop off by Isabell. She gave us a great deal of information about the past of New Orleans. And the present. She was a wealth of knowledge. She made sure that each leg of our tour was done in a timely fashion. She was always there when we needed her! The Airboat ride could have been a bit more informative.

Perfect combination of excursions

Yvonne_O, Mar 2024

The small group experience felt very VIP being picked up from the hotel and getting personal treatment. The guide was very an experienced local who gave us interesting details. The airboat ride was a thrill and we saw a lot of wild birds in addition to the alligators. The Detreshan plantation was small enough to get a real feel of the time period and was unforgettable.

Exciting and informative

Jonathan_G, Feb 2024

Nice long fast airboat ride, lots of gators and then the sobering reality of a slave plantation explained in knowledgeable and enduring detail.

Isabelle is awesome!

Wendy_Y, Feb 2024

Unfortunately the tours were cancelled twice due to bad weather. Isabelle was accommodating and kind and promptly refunded. If we ever get back here we will book with only her!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you Ms Wendy, I am so sorry the weather was so cold and rainy! Please do come back to NOLA soon, the sun DOES shine a whole lot down here most of the time ! Isabelle

Great tour, great company!

charlotte_C, Dec 2023

Great tour. We were in contact with Isabel several times leading up to our tour. Great communication! We were picked up promptly at our hotel and taken to the tour location about 30 minutes away. The other people on our tour cancelled but they took us anyway which we really appreciated. Captain Shawn was great at spotting wildlife. We saw gators, pigs, eagles and cranes among other birds. The air boats are a fun ride too. Highly recommend!

Wow!!

Jennifer_E, Oct 2023

John picked us up and was absolutely amazing. Great history and personal stories were great. Captain Dillon was the best airboat tour guide, very informative and fun. Evelyn at Destrehan plantation was our own little Betty white, funny but very informative, with a love for the antebellum Era and how hard life actually was then. Totally incredible tour and wanted you to know, we loved it and will be back to take these and other tours.

Great trip

Phillip_C, Oct 2023

Very informative driver. The airboat tour was awesome saw a bunch of gators. The guide brought the alligator across front of the boat to feed it ( best part of trip). Plantation was so informative and brought history back to life.

Great adventure.

Thomas_M, Oct 2023

The air boat was great, also the plantation tour was very nice. The history of New Orleans by Steve was wonderful. Steve did a great job!!!

Caught an alligator in the swamp

Beverly_G, Oct 2023

Our tour guide caught a baby alligator in the swamp. We got to take pictures with it. The airboat was fast at times and alot of fun

Aligators galore

David_J, Oct 2023

A fabulous swamp tour and we did get up close and personal with aligators. I wish they werent tempted over with marshmallows though - it cant be right to give those to a reptile! Nevertheless, the guide had good knowledge of the area and kept us all amused. The air boat was a good way to see a lot in a short time. The plantation tour was very good - especially the guide there, Susan. The tour was informative and gave a real insight into the conditions for those associated with the Plantation and beyond

We had an amazing time. ...

Tarsha_S, Sep 2023

We had an amazing time. The boat tour was so fun and we got a chance to feed the alligators. The plantation tour was interesting and it was good to hear how it was built. All of the tour guides were very knowledgeable about the history of New Orleans. I would definitely suggest everyone take this tour.

Fun day trip

Sonya_Y, Apr 2023

The tour guide was informative and so friendly. We had a wonderful comfortable tour with lots of variety from the nature portion to the plantation!!

Swamp and plantation tour with a personal touch!

Rachelle_R, Feb 2023

Absolutely great experience made possible by Isabelle! She provided transportation from our hotel, and made every guest feel like they were the only ones there. On the way, she gives a great history tour and is full of information that you may not have heard on other tours she times it perfectly, and makes sure every guest sees what they want And has a truly great experience! We couldn’t have asked for a better day! I can’t say enough about Isabelle truly ensuring her guests have the experience they’re hoping for- she’s a gem! We’ll worth the money!

Response from Host, Feb 2023

Oh wow! Thanks Ms Rachelle! It really was a pleasure to give you all your tour! Your little group was an awesome audience! Please come back soon and Happy Mardi Gras! Isabelle C.

Likely to Sell Out