Swamp Tours in the Atchafalaya Basin in Louisiana

The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing almost one million acres of the nation’s most significant bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes.

Besides the giant cypress trees and abundant fauna, the swamp is home to a variety of alligators, turtles, snakes, birds and other wildlife.

One of the most popular things to do in Louisiana is touring the swamps!

The area between Lafayette and Baton Rouge offers a number of swamp tours, operating from communities such as Breaux Bridge, Henderson, St. Martinvile and Plaquemine.

Swamp tour operators provide a variety of options, boats, tour length and cost. Some use flat bottom boats, other airboats. Kayak and canoe tours are also available.

Some operators offer online reservations but others accept reservations only by phone. Some tours accept credit cards but others require cash, so make your plans accordingly.

Airboat used in a Louisiana swamp tour

Louisiana's Atchafalaya Swamp at Henderson

 

 

We have no connection with any of the tour operators listed below ... we just know of their existence and offer their names, web addresses and phone numbers as a starting point in choosing the right tour for you and your group. We also offer links to TripAdvisor to read reviews for many of the tour companies.

List of Selected Atchafalaya Swamp Tours by City

Swamp Tour Operator, Website, Address & Phone Number	City
Cajun Country Swamp Tours 1209 Rookery Road. 7 miles off the I-10 Breaux Bridge exit 109 Flatboat tours in the Cypress Island and Lake Martin Swamps. Owned and operated by Walter "Butch" Guchereau and his son, Shawn, who are proud to offer eco-swamp tours that are done with as little environmental impact as possible through a beautiful surreal cypress/tupelo swamp. p 337.319.0010	Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Champagne's Cajun Swamp Tours 1151 Rookery Road Swamp tours on Lake Martin. Handicapped accessible dock. Tours in French are available as are custom photography and bird watching tours. Kayak and canoe rentals and/or tours. Reservations are required. RV and tour bus parking is available as is a store with drinks, snacks, sandwiches, etc. p 337.230.4068	Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Houseboat Adventures Cypress Cove Landing, 1399 Henderson Levee Road Tours into Henderson Lake in the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp. p 800.491.4662	Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Swamp Tours of Acadiana 1209 Rookery Road Lake Martin swamp tours. Night tours by request. p 337.342.3867	Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Couret's Swamp Tours Ernest Couret operates a custom all-welded aluminum 16 foot long, wide bottom boat, into the Atchafalaya Swamp near Henderson. p 337.296.1173	Butte La Rose, Louisiana
Atchafalaya Basin Landing & Marina 1377 Henderson Levee Road Airboat tours in the Henderson Swamp p 337.228.7880	Henderson, Louisiana
The Atchafalaya Experience 1212 Bordelon Road Expeditions by Coerte Voorhies and Kim Voorhies for photographers, birders and lovers of nature into the Atchafalaya Swamp p 337.277.4726	Henderson, Louisiana
Cajun Customized Excursions Atchafalaya Welcome Center Enjoy a personalized nature adventure deep inside the Atchafalaya Basin with Cajun Customized Excursions. Enjoy a customized tour aboard the “Wood Duck”, a deep woods excursion vessel, and venture into a world only accessible by small boat. The boat has custom made benches and a Bimini top to protect guests from the sun. ​Safety of tour guests is in the hands of Captain Mark Allemond, a captain of more than thirty-five years. Mark is a native of the Henderson, Louisiana area and knowledgeable of regional waterways. Captain Mark will share in French or English the beauty of the swamp, his lifelong nature experiences, and firsthand stories about the ways of life in the swamps and bayous of South Louisiana. The tour service offers a minimum two-hour Deep Swamp Excursion in the Henderson Swamp Area as an introduction to the beauty and mysteries of the Atchafalaya Swamp. Tour guests are met at the Atchafalaya Welcome Center at Exit 121 near Butte LaRose. For more information, visit ... Cajun Customized Excursions website Cajun Customized Excursions on Instagram Cajun Customized Excursions on YouTube p 337.303.8060	Henderson, Louisiana
McGee's Landing 1337 Henderson Levee Road Atchafalaya Swamp tours and airboat tours; kayak rentals. Restaurant and cafe on the premises. Cabin rentals and campground are also available. p 337.228.2384	Henderson, Louisiana
Mequet Swamp Tours 1399 Henderson Levee Rd. Jude Mequet and Mitch Mequet provide swamp tours and airboat tours in the Atchafalaya Basin p 337.258.0700	Henderson, Louisiana
Miss Sandi Houseboat Rental 637 N. Belle River Road p. 337.298.2705	Pierre Part, Louisiana
Last Wilderness Tours 33115 Highway 75 Personalized day and night swamp tours, by appointment, into the Atchafalaya Basin. Night tours in the summer. Family owned by Albert (Al) Wilson. p. 225.385.9562 or 225.692.4114	Plaquemine, Louisiana
LeBlanc Swamp Tours 4939 Main Highway p 337.654.1215	Saint Martinville, Louisiana
Acadian Swamp Tours 58235 New Camp Road Tours into the Atchafalaya Basin and Bay Natchez. Minutes from Nottoway Plantation. p 225.247.4156	White Castle, Louisiana

 

 

List of All Swamp Tours in South Louisiana

Section 1: Swamp Tours Near Slidell & Lacombe, Honey Island & the Pearl River

Section 2: Swamp Tours in the Greater New Orleans Area

Section 3: Swamp Tours Near Morgan City, Houma & Thibodaux

Section 4: Swamp Tours in the Atchafalaya Basin

 

McGee's Landing, Henderson, Louisiana, starting point for some tour boats into the Atchafalaya Basin Swamp (Staff Photo)

 

The Atchafalaya Basin is the nation’s largest river swamp, containing about a million acres of bottomland hardwoods, swamps, bayous and backwater lakes.

Blue skies in the Atchafalaya Basin swamp in Louisiana

An American-Indian word, "Atchafalaya" (ah-CHA-fa-LIE-ah) means long river. Established in 2006, the Atchafalaya National Heritage Area stretches across 14 parishes in south-central Louisiana.

The Atchafalaya River meanders from near Simmesport southward past Pierre Part down to Morgan City and the Gulf of Mexico. The Atchafalaya Basin is a unique combination of wetlands, bayous, marshes, estuaries,and river delta area. It is often called "America's Wetland", and covers an area 20 miles wide and 150 miles long.

Some interesting facts about the Atchafalaya Basin:

• It’s larger than the Florida Everglades.

• It’s five times more productive than any other river basin in North America.

• About 65 species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit the Basin.

• Atchafalaya Swamp Visitors Center in Butte LaRose, near Henderson on Interstate Highway I-10 (photograph by the author)

  Over 250 known species of birds fly in the Basin.

• Other species of animals found in the area include the Florida panther, black bear, bobcat, nutria, mink, fox, muskrat, beaver, otter and raccoon.

• The Basin is home to the largest nesting concentration of bald eagles in the south central United States.

• There are more than 100 different species of fish and aquatic life in the Basin.

• The Basin has an estimated average annual commercial harvest of nearly 22 million pounds of crawfish.

• The Basin contains the largest contiguous bottomland hardwood forest in North America and is the largest overflow alluvial hardwood swamp in the United States.

It is among the most culturally rich and ecologically varied regions in the United States, home to the widely recognized Cajun culture as well as a diverse population of European, African, Caribbean and Native-American descent.

 

Video in the Atchafalaya Basin by Troy Landry

Troy Landry talks about "One Eye" on a YouTube video uploaded by the History Channel