Small-group Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour With Local Guide

Great little trip! Adam was so knowledgeable and we didn’t have to worry about anything. He took care of everything.

We had a great time, our guide Adam was knowledgeable and entertaining. Although we didn't see any "gators, there was plenty of other flora and fauna, and you can hear the birds. Amongst our group there were beginners and more seasoned kayakers than us.

It was great from the time we were picked up until we were dropped off. Al’s experience and knowledge of the swamp is only rivaled by the Rougarou. The natural beauty of the area is enough to take tour, the rest is a bonus.

Had a great time. Our tour guide was cool as hell but extremely informative. The water was calm and made for a peaceful day in the beautiful outdoors.

From pick up to drop off - we had a great experience. Our guide Al, was laid back, funny, had amazing stories and history of the area. The heat was excruciating but he made sure to check on everyone and kept us entertained. The fact that he was easy on the eyes was just a bonus! Definitely recommend this trip. And will definitely be doing my this again.

Our guide was Terry. He was very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife! We saw a juvenile Osprey, four small gators, and many other birds. We had a great time and really enjoyed our time on the water.

This was an amazing experience. AJ was such a knowledgeable and pleasant guide. I was nervous at first because I have never been kayaking but I’m so glad I did it. I would absolutely take this tour again.

We had a group of 10 people from various countries and have a great time! Our guide, Al, made the trip extra fun with stories of his life on the Bayou. Tge area was beautiful - wide open spaces, as well as paddling through narrow winding waterways. Highly recommend!

Kayaking on Manchac is magical. The calm of the water, the quiet of the surroundings, watching wildlife in its element was a treasure. We had a smaller alligator within about 2-3 feet from our canoes, completely unfazed by our presence. Our guide, AJ, was incredibly knowledgeable and attentive throughout our tour. It was nice to step away from the bustle of the city and surround ourselves in the wetlands.

The guide was very knowledgeable, we learned so much. The day was a very fun adventure. I would recommend.

Absolutely beautiful day on the bayou, with AJ who was an awesome experienced and local guide. He spotted many gators and birds and plants for us, and shared so much information on the local history. Highly recommend!

We had a great trip with our guide, AJ, who gave us an insightful and entertaining tour, especially in the narrow channel through the forest. Lots of birds and wildlife. Highly recommend.

Gerald was an amazing guide. He was extremely knowledgeable and also local so knew all the lore and ghost stories of the Louisiana Bayou.

We had the best time on our kayak tour. Gerald was our guide and he was highly knowledgeable and super friendly.

Although the weather wasn’t as hot as we had hoped, we had a great time on our tour! The guide made it fun, and pointed out a lot of wildlife. It was easy going. Highly recommend!

Kayaking was just wonderful, and our guide AJ was fantastic. Highly recommend!! Best activity we have done in New Orleans

Odd leaving a review because we got thunder/lightening stormed out and it was cancelled. I can not say enough about the communication and thought for our wellbeing that went into the decision to cancel. I highly respect the people running this tour. Our money was returned within an hour. We will try again next time in NOLA.

So Fun! We had a great time with AJ. Saw tons of owls, birds, turtles and GATORS. The swamp is beautiful and magical. This is the way to see it.

Lots of wildlife. AJ was a great and very knowledgeable guide. The scenery was amazing. Pristine swamp.

Gale was our guide, very personable!! A biologist and hunter who can nerd out with you all about the flora and fauna of the swamp, plus historical facts of the area. Great trip! Once you do the kayaks the steam boat should fall short.

We went as a bachelorette group and had a great time! Our guide AJ was very knowledgeable and really helped us get to know the swamp. Recommend if you want a peaceful break from the usual New Orleans activities or change of scenery

Our tour guide was great very enthusiastic and informative, me and my best friend had a great experience and it being our first time kayaking its an arm workout for sure.

Beautiful morning paddle with a great guide (Greg) who really knows his stuff. We learned about swamp ecology and saw turtles, alligators, bald eagles, hawks and more. Bring sunscreen!

Had a fab time kayaking. From start to finish we were well looked after. Collected from New Orleans by AJ who was perfectly on time so no waiting around! Then drive out to the location with close to 3 hours on the water. AJ was able to answer all our questions and took us on a lovely paddle. Thank you

The pick up in town was prompt and organized. The ride out to the swamp with our illustrious guide, Al, was fun and interesting. Getting into the kayaks was smooth. From there, the tour moved along nicely. Al showed us lots of flora and fauna as we ventured deep into the mangroves. Great tour!

I booked a pick up in New Orleans. The ride to the kayak launch was fun and informative. Our guide, Al, gave us a lot of interesting information about the area. We saw great blue heron, egrets, alligators and lots of turtles. It was a great trip and I recommend Wild Louisiana Tours for that and the photo tour, as well.

We had a great time! Gerald was very knowledgeable and we saw plenty of gators and other wildlife on the tour!

This was a lovely, relaxed pace kayaking experience. We saw a lot of wildlife: herons, egrets, eagles, turtles, nutria, and 2 alligators! Our guide, "Wild Al" was a colorful New Orleans character - so knowledgeable about the swamp and entertaining! Kayaking in the Manchac swamp was the highlight of my trip to New Orleans. My friend and I had a blast and highly recommend this tour!

I was unsure about booking this activity due to the cost and how much time it would take out of my day. I'm more of a history/architecture/museum tourist than an outdoorsy wildlife tourist. But I decided to give this a go as in seemed a unique Louisiana experience, and kayaks were the more unusual way to see the swamp....I am extremely glad that I made the choice to book! This was an excellent experience, which I highly recommend to all visitors to New Orleans, even ones who do not have a special interest in wildlife. Our guide, Gerald, is one of the main reasons I enjoyed this activity so much. Gerald was friendly, informative, and provided anecdotes and personal experiences alongside factual information. I really enjoyed chatting to him about the swamp and Louisiana life. As a scientist, Gerald is very knowledgeable about the ecosystem and environment. His passion for it shines through. I can't praise him enough (if Wild Louisiana Swamp Tours read this, please pass this feedback on to Gerald!). Of course the experience is dependent on if the wildlife wants to venture out on the day. We were lucky enough to see 2 alligators. This was a highlight, but there's also many other types of wildlife, including birds, fish, and trees. Honestly, the cypress trees were one of my favourite things I saw on this tour! This tour was a very good experience as an introduction to swamp wildlife for beginners. Practical Information: - I attended this activity in January. There were 4 attendees in total (myself, another solo traveller, and a pair) . - I attended the 13:30 tour. I took about an hour from meeting the group in New Orleans to getting on the swamp (this included setting off, driving to the swamp with a small stop en route, and getting ready for the kayaking). We were in the swamp for exactly 2 hours. After that, it took about another hour to finish up, pack the kayaks away, and drive back, so we were dropped off in New Orleans by 17:30. Gerald was extremely punctual. - I am not an experienced kayaker, and I managed fine with the kayaking element. A basic level of fitness is required, but this is not strenuous exertion. However, it is a physically tiring experience, so I recommend attendees do not schedule another physical activity for later in the day. Children of around age 8+ may be able to manage the kayaking, depending on their strength and kayaking ability. - The activity should be safe and comfortable for most people. Life jackets are provided. Attendees may get a bit wet, but that is all.

Even in winter its so beautiful. Being practically on the water in a kayak is the best way to see the bayou. All skill levels will find this fun.

Great afternoon spent on the water. Terry was the perfect guide - knowledgable, laid back and funny. We saw alligators, many different birds, all sorts of plants. My two teenagers enjoyed it.

We really enjoyed the swamp tour, beautiful scenery. Our guide Gerald was very knowledgeable and made it a fun afternoon.

Our tour guide, Al, was amazing. We learned so much in our kayak tour and really enjoyed the pace of the tour. You will be getting an arm workout!

Fantastic tour, exactly what I wanted, AJ is a great guide, was so nice drifting through the swamp seeing wildlife! Happy

Fabulous experience Knowledgeable guide who made the trip very enjoyable. I was picked up in New Orleans and the drive out was pleasant and informative. On arrival we were given a good explanation for the kayaking. Once out on the bayou we saw 7 alligators, 6 were about 5 or 6 feet long and the biggest was about 10/12 feet long. Plenty of turtles birds and a great view of an owl. Easy kayaking, good equipment and guide and a great trip (about 4 1/2 hours with transport. Thanks 👍

This was a great tour--definitely one of the highlights of our visit to the NOLA area. AJ was a great tour leader--very knowledgeable, easy to communicate with, organized, and attentive. The whole vibe was very relaxed and enjoyable, and we got to see some really beautiful parts of the Louisiana swampland. I highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants an active but chill way to experience the swamp. We had so much fun, and learned a lot too! Thank you, AJ and Captain Josh!

Gerald was our guide for the amazing Manchac kayak swamp tour, and he made the experience unforgettable! He’s a biologist, so he really knows his stuff—sharing fascinating info about the plants and wildlife while keeping things fun and relaxed. The tour starts with a short shuttle ride from New Orleans (about 30 minutes) and a quick stop along the way. We were first-time kayakers and still had a blast—even when we got stuck in the swamp mud once! The small group made it feel personal and peaceful, a huge plus compared to the big pontoon tours. If you’re looking for a more private, nature-filled experience (and a little workout), this tour is totally worth it. Highly recommend!

If you've never kayaked before they give you extra time to learn the process which is really nice. You get to see many different species of local vegetation. Our guide was very knowledgeable about the different plants in the tour and made sure to let us know what they were. He also made sure we seen some type of wildlife along the way. I would recommend if you book the tour to have aj as your tour guide if you get a choice. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and made our experience very enjoyable.

the organizer was really cool, answering questions. very helpful. the kayaking location was beautiful.

A.J. gave us a great day! Our first time on the bayou and it did not dissapoint. We saw an owl, bald eagle, smallish gator, green heron, baby blue heron, red bellied woodpecker, and a few blue crabs. A very relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

4 of us were in a small boat. Terry was great! He took us deep into the Swamp. He was very knowledgeable. The swamp was Amazing! Highly recommended!

This kayak tour was awesome!! Tough to get through all the hyacinth water plants so you get a bit of a workout, but the accomplishment that you feel afterwards is worth it. We got caught in a massive rainstorm- I’m talking thunder/lightning/kayaks filling up with water… freaked me out a bit at first, but it was so fun!!! You truly are at the mercy of Mother Nature in this beautiful swamp. It was an amazing experience!

I booked this tour very much influenced by the reviews here and because I was looking for something more authentic and with close connection with nature and wild life. First time in the US and in Louisiana so I was very much looking forward to a nice experiece. As I read in the reviews here in this tour you would be guided through the swamp flora and fauna, respectfully and attentively, and accompanied by a professional guide. No motor boats and no feedding the animals to get their attention. I was certain it would be just like that and I chose this tour because it felt safe, true and respectful towards the place and its inhabbitants. Unfortunately my experience was very different from the experience of others here. I was the only one on the tour and the guide - Al - who also said to be the owner of the company did not have a professional atitude at all... Instead of introducing me to the flora and fauna he was more concerned to talk about women and is romances with tourists... not nice!. Unfortunatelly he was also too invested in checking the alligator traps he left to hunt them instead of providing a soft and educational experience. I don't remember reading that seeing alligators being hunt was part of the tour!! otherwise I would have never had book it. Despite the poor conversation all the way, I have to say that the his insistence on checking these traps and showing me the cought alligators was the worst part of the all thing. I had to ask him to stop and end up asking to leave earlier. I was very displeased with the whole tour, with the guide's atitude and the how the booking turned out. But I was happy it finished safely and I could leave. I complaint about it to the third party I booked with, but of course they did nothing about it. It was my worst experience during this trip. According to my experience, I can only advise to be careful when you book.

We were in New Orleans for 10 days, running out of things to do, so we saw this great opportunity. Pick up in French Quarter, was a group of 10. I am experienced Kayaker, but we did have young women that had never been on a kayak before, which slowed us down. Manchac swamp pretty boring until you get to end of tour going out, start to go through the Cypress Forest and path gets narrow for Kayak. Best part of trip is a end, then you have to paddle all the way back! We saw Gators, lots of birds. Guide was great. Cost about $95 each.

We had an awesome tour of the bayou. Our tour guide Gerald was very knowledgeable about the area. He was a field biologist by trade so he was able to tell us a lot about the different species we encountered a long the way. The drive to the boat launch was about 30 minutes from where we were picked up. Gerald told us about the different parts of Louisiana we were seeing along the drive. Once on the water we had a nice relaxing paddle. I didn’t feel that we were rushed to move at a certain pace. It happened that on this day, my partner and I were the only ones on the tour and the water was not crowded with other boats. It wasn’t until we were almost finished with our tour that we saw other groups. Along the way we saw turtles, aligators, birds, and spiders. Highly recommend this company.

We had a chill late afternoon paddle through the swamp. AJ, our guide, was calm and knowledgeable about the Louisiana waterways, wildlife, and plants. The sounds of nature added to the peaceful experience. Overall, it was a fun and educational adventure.

Our kayak trip today with Wild Louisiana Kayak Swamp Tours was great. From the moment we arrived. Our guide, Al, made us feel welcome, safe, and excited to explore. Gliding through the cypress-lined waterways felt like entering another world—peaceful, mysterious, and alive with birdsong and the gentle rustle of the trees. We spotted herons, egrets, turtles, and even a few gators from a respectful distance. Our guide struck the perfect balance between engaging storytelling and giving us time to soak in the quiet beauty of our environment. The overall experience was thoughtfully curated. Highly recommended, this tour is an absolute must if you’re anywhere near New Orleans or southern Louisiana. Thank you, Wild Louisiana, for a truly unforgettable day on the water—we’ll be talking about this experience for years to come!

AJ was an amazing guide. He took us to a beautiful and unique bayou spot to paddle and he shared extensive environmental knowledge of the area. It was our favorite activity for our vacation. I highly recommend.

The other half of the group cancelled so we were only the 2 of us and our guide AJ. We had a great time and saw so many swamp puppy's both big and small, he was really good at spotting wildlife in general. 10/10 so great.