It’s easy to get caught up in the music, food, and people of New Orleans. But not far outside of this vibrant city are quieter places equally worthy of exploration: the bayous of New Orleans.
Jean Lafitte Swamp Tours
Swamp tours leave frequently from the heart of the city. Some, like Tours by Isabelle, will collect you at your New Orleans Bed and Breakfast and return you there after the tour.
Keep on the lookout for swamp shacks.
Most swamp tours bring folks outside the city by van or bus. Tours of the bayous take place in high-speed airboats or slower (and quieter) flat-bottomed boats. You’ll learn about the history of the Cajun people, Cajun culture, and swamp plants and animals. You may even get to hold a baby alligator; be sure to hold its mouth closed!
Tall swamp cypress dripping with Spanish moss grow out of the water and provide cooling shade. Ferns and tall grasses give the illusion that there is land between the trees. Alligators sun themselves on logs or slowly swim past, ever on the hunt for a meal. It’s lush here. Even the sunlight that filters through the trees seems green.
It’s hard to believe how different the swamps and bayous are from New Orleans, and how close they are geographically. Take the time to get out of the city and into the heart of the bayou.
A few helpful links:
Gray Line New Orleans Swamp Tours
Tags: alligators, bayou tours, Cajun bayous, New Orleans Bed and Breakfasts, New Orleans swamp tours