Small-Group Bayou Airboat Ride with Transport from New Orleans

Recommended by 96% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

New Orleans, USA

High interest

Booked 3 times today.

4 hours (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.8

· Greg_B ·

Sep 2025

Very fun. Beautiful scenery. Lots of information. Great ride. Isabelle was a great guide. Highly recommended.

· Steve_N ·

Jul 2025

Great tour through the bayou. Saw lots of alligators and other wildlife. Airport driver was knowledgeable and fun. Tours by Isabel provided transportation and she was marvelous. Would highly recommend.

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Overview

Experience Louisiana’s wild bayou country on an exciting, family-friendly airboat tour. This tour includes a ride on a small airboat (maximum 13 passengers) that zips through the tree‐lined marshes at speeds up to 45 mph (72 kph). While onboard, enjoy lively commentary from your guide as you view lush scenery and local wildlife, including alligators, nutria, and native birds. Pickup and drop-off from downtown New Orleans and French Quarter hotels included.

Enjoy the lush marsh scenery and watch for native wildlife
Hear entertaining facts and stories about the region from your guide
Small-group tour limited to 14 people ensures a more personalized experience
Transport to and from your New Orleans hotel included

What's Included

Transport by air-conditioned 13-passenger van
Hotel pickup and drop-off, with exact pick up time provided
1.5-hour airboat ride

Food and drinks (available for purchase)
Gratuities

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

Choose the morning or afternoon for your small-group airboat adventure and enjoy pickup from your downtown New Orleans or French Quarter hotel. Once aboard the air-conditioned van, settle into a comfortable seat for the ride to your launch site deep in Cajun Country. Enjoy lively onboard commentary about the history and culture of the area from your guide as you leave the city behind for the wild wetlands.

Upon arrival, take a seat on the small airboat and hold on as the boat takes off for your tour. Enjoy close proximity to the water surface and warm breezes as you zip through secluded bayous, reaching speeds of up to 45 mph (72 kph). Spot alligators, snakes, beavers, and giant river rodents called nutria lurking in the waterways. Savor the moments of calm when the boat slows and your native captain shares stories about the area’s history and abundant wildlife.

Your bayou adventure ends with a return to your hotel by van, arriving in early afternoon or evening.

New Orleans (Pass By)

Bayou Segnette State Park

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

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
In case of inclement weather, the tour may be shortened, postponed or replaced with a similar tour on a covered boat
Not wheelchair accessible
Sunglasses are recommended
For parties of up to 14 who wish to not be split up, there are 14-passenger airboats available
Service animals are permitted. Please advise at time of booking to arrange accommodations
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

Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 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

Randy_H

Had a fabulous experience with the Airboat ride. Funny, informative, and lots of nature to take in. Saw PLENTY of gators and Sean (our guide) was great. Just a beautiful ride through an amazing part of this country. I would wholeheartedly recommend this company and would do so without reservation.

Reviews

4.8

based on 517 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Review

Mike_B, Jan 2026

That in winter hardly any alligators would be around And that there would be no explanations of Environment or alligators habits It seemed like the driver just enjoyed driving the boat

Response from Host, Jan 2026

Thank you for taking the time to write us about your Airboat tour. Yes alligators do hibernate and we don’t see them as much when the temperature is under 72° and I’m sorry if the weather was cold when you took your Airboat tour, we do see a lot of birds however, even bald eagles in the winter. I will be having a talk with the Airboat Captain as it is highly unusual that they would not give an narration on the fauna and flora in the Swamp and I’m very surprised about that and sorry you were disappointed. I hope you come back to New Orleans soon and we could show you the Swamp under normal circumstances Isabelle C

Our guide Garrett was...

April_L, Nov 2025

Our guide Garrett was great!! My only little “ding” was that the booking should advise that when the weather is cooler you really don’t see many alligators at all…so the tours from end of October on will see little to no alligators. But the boat ride and the history was great!!

Extremely enjoyable...

Richard_B, Sep 2025

Extremely enjoyable morning away from the city... our guide was very knowledgeable and comfortable with his boating skills. This exceeded my expectations.

Definitely recommend

Catherine_R, Sep 2025

Great way to end our holiday in New Orleans. Very friendly and informative information from the pick up driver to the guide in the swamps. We got to see lots of alligators!

Great experience

Greg_B, Sep 2025

Very fun. Beautiful scenery. Lots of information. Great ride. Isabelle was a great guide. Highly recommended.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Thank you for this recommendation, Greg! We are so glad you both enjoyed our airboat swamp tour! Please come back to New Orleans soon... Isabelle C.

Fun time on the bayou

Steve_N, Jul 2025

So much fun being on the...

Jose_Z, Jul 2025

So much fun being on the air boat going thrift the swamp. Alligators, raccoons, birds, mushrooms, the different trees and insects are all being pointed out and some info is shared with you. We got to feed different critters. Fish and crab! It was a great time!

The driver was very...

Kevin_L, Jun 2025

The driver was very friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this activity to all my Canadian friends

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Thank you Kevin, I was happy to be your driver-guide. Our Canadian guests are always friendly and fun! Isabelle

So much fun!!!

Aaron_R, May 2025

Shawn was our guide. Very knowledgeable and funny!! We are very happy with our experience! Definitely the highlight of our trip!!

Shawn was a great guide

Carla_S, Apr 2025

Shawn was a great tour guide!! Made the experience fun and was very informative!! I would highly recommend him as a guide!!

Swamp tours Cajun Ragin

Robert_B, Mar 2025

The tour guide provided us with alot of knowledge about alligators and the area. We really enjoy the experience.

Great time

LeeAnne_E, Feb 2025

Fun, interesting experience. From DC’s pick up at our hotel, until drop off back at our hotel everything ran smoothly. We loved seeing the gators up close, and the boat ride was a lot of fun!

Guide Michael was amazing! Saw lots of gators!!

Kathe_H, Oct 2024

Love the airboat ride and seeing all the gators! Amazing in their natural habitat. They were very respectful of the gators

Great Tour with Capt. Mike

Puelladriver, Oct 2024

We enjoyed our trip with Captain Mike. The trip was very interactive. Mike included us in the experience and was very knowledgeable! Thank you.

Definitely do it

Charles_H, Oct 2024

We had a great time. We were on the Rising Sun boat. Really a gator encounter trip! Animals totally respected and treated well. I’d recommend it. Great service oriented business. Well run. Pick up at hotel. Facilities available at the office area. Beautiful area. Definitely do it; a great departure from the city. Ride to the start point is only about 25 minutes on a cushy van.

Alligator time!

Ruth_S, Oct 2024

Brilliant guide, really informative. Really enjoyed this and would highly recommend. We saw plenty of alligators, even babies in their nest. Loved the airboat ride.

Gators galore!

Maureen_T, Oct 2024

Lots of fun! Our guide Captain Mke lured Ray Charles out for a vist. His stories were a hoot. We also loved our driver Cam...great guy with many helpful tips.

Highly recommend this tour!

Elizabeth_P, Oct 2024

From the get go, this tour company was amazing. We were on the Snot Rocket and our guide was great! Very friendly, knowledgeable and funny. A real down to earth person. He even coaxed an alligator on the boat!! The 2hrs flew by so quick.

Great day

Paul_S, Oct 2024

Our driver / pilot was fanatic and made the journey really enjoyable - the whole set was very good and Everyone one was very friendly

Go for the Gator!

Emily_L, Jul 2024

We learned so much about the area and the wildlife and had a fantastic boat ride! Holding an alligator was not on my bucket list but Im glad I did!

Amazing Experience of the Bayou

Jessica_M, Jul 2024

Super fun experience of the bayou! Saw a ton of gators and bird species. Tour guides are super knowledgeable and love answering questions. Each air boat ride is unique in experience, I would go again! Hold onto your hats and glasses when the boat picks up speed in the open bayou. Beautiful surroundings in July, but super hot! Come prepared with sunscreen and water.

Awesome experience

Randy_H, Jul 2024

Great Excursion, Highly Entertaining and Fun!

Keith_B, Jun 2024

Our experience with Ragin Cajun Small Group Airboat Ride was enjoyable from the time we were picked up to when we were dropped off at the door of our hotel. The driver was very friendly and personable, and made the ride to the airboats memorable and entertaining. Once we reached the site, registration was fast and easy and we waited a short bit for our group to gather so we could board the boat. The airboat driver took us on a wide ranging tour of the everglades. We stopped in several areas of the swamp where he whistled or "clicked" his tongue to call to different alligators, who swam up to the boat and leapt out of the water to snatch chicken legs that he was dangling from a pole. The driver shared with us what he knew about the individual alligators and he was interesting and very entertaining. We also took some smooth and high speed tracks through the swamp, seeing egrets and herons, other birds and some "fields" of lotus flowers growing in the swamp. All in all it was very fun for myself, my wife and our teenage granddaughters. One bonus was that once the boat started moving the breeze was very cooling and made the whole thing a break from the hot and muggy weather. We'll definitely do this again when we travel to New Orleans in the future.

Goodtime Swamp Fun

Chad_C, Jun 2024

Shawn was a great airboat driver and guide. We had a great time! The swamp was beautiful and the flowers were blooming!

A fun afternoon

Suzie_A, May 2024

What a fun afternoon we had! Our tour guide was great and very knowledgeable! There were plenty of gators to see and the boat ride was amazing.

So Fun!

Julie_T, May 2024

This is a really fun and unique adventure. We highly recommend it on your next visit to New Orleans.

Lots of Gators

Rhonda_M, May 2024

This was a great tour for us. Our boat was the VooDoo Queen captained by Dalton. He was a great driver and his interactions with the gators was amazing. He really cares about the area and the wildlife. He made sure we saw plenty of various size alligators. One reason we chose this adventure was the hotel pickup, right on time and comfortable ride out to the boats. Thanks for a great experience.

Highlight of trip

Micheal_R, Apr 2024

Great trip! We were on Tiger Bait. Our guide was knowledgeable about the area and animals. Lots of alligators!!

Great guide, Very...

Lorene_M, Apr 2024

Great guide, Very knowledgeable! The airboat ride was a lot of fun! The pick up and drop off back to the hotel made the day easier since we had no car.