Airboat ride through the Bayou Country swamps? Are you kidding me? Oh yeah, I am in, no second thoughts, let’s go! Which outfitter do you use for a swamp tour?
Seek the best swamp tour in Bayou Country!
You don’t just take a swamp tour in Bayou Country lightly because you will experience so much (if done right) that every second counts.
Every single photo and video in this post were taken by me, as we ‘whizzed’ along in our airboat!
A swamp tour in Bayou Country is totally bucket list-worthy IF you find the right outfitter!
Parallel The Swamp Boat Tour in Bayou Country To A Quote From An Iconic Movie With Tommy Lee Jones
Now no disrespect meant in the following but to gravitate to the truest way to find the best swamp tour in Bayou Country, think about how Tommy Lee Jones went about it in U.S. Marshals.
Yes, Tommy Lee Jones as Sam Gerard had a very particular skill set he was looking for, and the point is, you don’t go to anyone other than a local who REALLY knows how to ‘McGyver’ the airboat and the waterways.
The RIGHT local guide is one who has more knowledge than he/she can share in just 90 minutes but thrills and intrigues just by sharing their knowledge. He knows when to talk, and when to just let the airboat sit, because his action, causes our reactions and allows us to watch the stir of events!
Those that know it, love it. Those that love it, venture daily and know the area better than the back of their hand and they don’t need a map.
Your experience should be fantastic, and you should see alligators, eagles, trees swaying, wildlife, blooming florals(maybe), and perhaps even an owl, snakes, and ghost homes!
If you don’t come out wondering where you were and how you got back and questioning some of the areas you were in, you didn’t have a good guide! Sorry, not sorry!
What is An Authentic Swamp Tour in Bayou Country?
Tours are tours, as far as I am concerned, but my whole philosophy changed when I visited Houma, Louisiana.
Hands-down one of the best-ever one-on-one press trips in all my years of traveling.
My days were filled with unparalleled dining experiences, authentic southern hospitality at a B&B, and an alligator encounter that let me laugh at myself. Can it get any better?
Being peripatetic is my nature and job, but I am adventurous, not a seeker of perilous journies.
This outfitter and swamp tour in Bayou Country offered me the perfect blend.
He didn’t have to sell anything except a ticket on his airboat. The swamp sold itself, legendary, slick, serene, complex, understated, and mysterious.
So The Answer to What Is An Authentic Swamp Tour in Bayou Country is:
A natural experience, via an airboat, with a LOCAL, born, bred, and intrigued by every nook and cranny of waterway in the area.
Visiting:
- the swamps
- marshes
- wetlands
- bayous
- estuaries of Terrebonne Parish in Gibson, Louisiana
Perhaps the most dangerous part of the trip is the fact that my existence over the next few hours depends solely on the knowledge of a local, authentic Cajun guide. But there within lies the mojo that creates the best swamp boat tour in Bayou Country.
A local with deep knowledge of the area. His skills of maneuvering throughout all the different waterways are imperative and relative to the truest ‘back country’ one can delight in.
Scenic waterways, wildlife, plus abandoned homes, and more.
Buckle Up Baby We Got A Swamp Tour In Bayou Country Waiting for Us!
My 2-hour tour will cover areas most will never see, and it’s not because I’m part of the press, it’s how this outfitter rolls! Bookmark the post, and seek this outfitter!
Gaining Perspective: Swamp Tour In Bayou Country.
Generally, I will wait until I am with my husband to experience something like this, but I had heard a lot of chatter in the background (gossip, y’all) that Bayou Black Airboat Swamp Tours is the safest and most knowledgeable in the area.
Remember, I am a writer, and I investigate any and everywhere I travel to.
Asking questions about safety, personalities, and other people’s experiences are vital to my travels and key to uncovering some real hidden gems.
You gotta know I talked to some of the most ‘in-the-know crowd in Terrebonne Parish, and without name-dropping, I can assure you they’ve been there as long as this tour has.
One particular person I spoke to has watched some of these guides grow up!
Authenticity and grit are what seek, and this team has it! Talk. Learn. Listen. Seek. Do.
That’s the best travel, and you won’t find that advice on most websites! It’s how I travel.
Bayou Black Airboat Swamp Tours
What I learned is that Bayou Black Airboat Swamp Tours is the real deal.
Why? First, because they are one of the safest and most authentic airboat swamp tours in Bayou Country.
Truly this harbors around the fact that the guides are local cajun guides who grew up right here.
Our local guide Wayne knows the area like the back of his hand.
To that point that he needs no map, no phone, no navigational system to get around.
Trees are markers, smiles and questions are his feedback that he’s shared well (and don’t forget a tip at the end, cause he deserves it!).
As I alluded to, I generally have Michael (husband) by my side for this kind of adventure, but not this time.
Never did I fear for my life, feel unsafe, or feel that Wayne would put us in harm’s way.
Rather, there were no sudden stops, and there was total adrenaline rushes when he sped up down long canal patches.
Through low-lying areas, with lots of flora, he was always in control, yet, managed to keep it exciting.
Traveling through trees, stumps, shallow and deep areas, we were always ‘in the best of care. No worries, and a ton of fun!
But Where Did We Go on this Swamp Tour in Bayou Country?
Gotta give credit where credit is due, this experience is definitely off the charts.
We ventured through areas, most other outfitters just don’ go to.
The ROI for those out-of-the-way areas for discovery?
A Water-Based Camp in the Airboat Swamp Tour in Bayou Country
A camp in the water is one of the tops for me. We arrived there and it was like a scene from a total horror movie. I mean, I am not used to living on the water or in the water, so this was over-the-top cool.
There were alligators hanging out on the docks and snakes. How would you walk on that dock and if there are alligators on the docks and snakes what has settled in the camp house? No, I don’t want to know!
Who-Who-Who? Swamp Tour in Bayou Country will have you head-turning!
I had to remember I was in a moving airboat, but I kept on revolving my head, and the payoff? An owl. Just sitting and waiting and doing his thing.
Nature in its own surroundings, calm, and untouched, there for a look without all the photographic gloss. Simplistic.
Jumping For Fun
Never did I take my eyes off the water or surroundings.
Why? I wanted to see alligators, but what I saw in this little cove was far more exciting.
Did you see the video with the fish just kept on jumping alongside us as we circled?
Bald is always in Fashion Here!
Bald is beautiful, especially when it is high up and nest-watching. We came to this clearing, was it marsh, estuary, bayou, I don’t know, but what I do know is this, 2 Bald Eagles at elevations higher-up in the trees were there.
One would leave the nest to hunt and the other would fly to the nest. The exchange was ‘Loo-eee-see-anna- cool’ for lack of better words!
Bigger is Better and 12 Feet is Humdingity Awesome!
The droned-out sound of the airboat, muffled by our earphones suddenly lulled.
Why? ‘I spy with my little eye, a 12-foot humdinger of an alligator!’ Photo time y’all. So close, not in a cage, in its real ecosystem.
Hiding between the flora and fauna and dark water that is like a mirrored reflection of its surroundings is an alligator.
Snap! Snap!
Not the alligator my cameras, plural because I was running 2 fisted and could not get enough of this experience!
The House Is No Longer Upright on this Airboat Swamp Tour in Bayou Country
Yes, it is what I saw and I was so intrigued.
Had it not been for an intense fear of snakes or what MIGHT be inside I would have so asked to go over and see more.
I kept thinking about the scene in Anaconda and the house on the river, lol! #NotTheSame
Made Possible By Authenticity
Personally, I am not a crowd-loving kind of gal.
Don’t put me on a large tour with a bunch of people.
Why? More people on a boat more noise, less action!
Animals can hear you above the water.
Silence is the best!
Second, guides that grow up in an area, know where things lurk, hide, and seek shelter.
They are not disturbing them, just sharing what our fabulous ecosystem looks like.
Third, never ONCE did Wayne pull out a phone or have a phone call or annoying 2-way radio.
He did not give a rat’s A#@ who might be looking for him, he’s out there enjoying it all with you so that you can appreciate Bayou Country.
When It’s Real It’s Fun
Don’t think about it, book this trip way ahead of your time there.
IT gets filled up fast! It’s word of mouth for this place.
Most are outfitters, these guys are locals with a vestment of pride in their knowledge of the area.
The hand you shake is their hand of knowledge.
No maps, no navigation system, just the knowledge of the area they grew up in.
Now, are you ready to seek out the most authentic airboat swamp tour in Bayou Country and see my personal experience? ~ Dana XO
The tour was hosted by Houma, not the operator. We were paying customers, just like all of you!