Shaded, spacious pontoon boat492 reviews
1.5 - 3 hNew Orleans: Swamp Tour on Covered Pontoon Boat
★ 4.6 · 492 reviews
- 1.5 to 3 hours, Louisiana swamps and waterways
- Shaded, spacious pontoon boat
- Must book at least 3h in advance
- Free cancellation
Covered boat or airboat
New Orleans swamp boat tour: which boat to book
A New Orleans swamp boat tour on this site means one of two boats. The covered pontoon costs $31 for 1.5 to 3 hours on a boat its listing calls shady and spacious, rated 4.6 from 492 reviews. Airboats start at $50 from Lafitte and $65 for the 16-passenger ride, and four plantation days end on one, up to $179. The boat ride is what is included, with birds and alligators to look for, as the pontoon and Lafitte listings put it. Covered boat for shade and room to move; airboat for speed.
Quick answer
The short answer. Want a New Orleans swamp boat tour with shade, space and the lowest price? The covered pontoon, $31. Want speed? An airboat, $50 or $65. The pontoon is the one covered boat among the seven swamp listings; the other six are airboats.
New Orleans swamp boat tour options at a glance
- Kinds of boat
- 2covered pontoon and airboat
- Covered boats
- 1 listing$31, 1.5 – 3 hours
- Airboats
- 6 listingstwo on their own, four with a plantation
- Shade in the description
- Pontoon only“shady, spacious”
- Speed in the title
- High Speed ride$65, 16 passengers
- Rating, pontoon
- 4.6492 reviews
- Rating, standalone airboats
- 4.8 and 4.9925 and 2,879 reviews
- Gap in price
- $19pontoon to cheapest airboat
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationon every swamp boat here
Two boats, two promises
Covered pontoon or airboat: what each New Orleans swamp boat tour promises
Shade and space, or speed: each New Orleans swamp boat tour here sits on one side of that line.
The covered pontoon. A pontoon boat swamp tour New Orleans listings describe as shady and spacious, on Louisiana swamps and waterways, with the birds and alligators that live there to observe. Nothing in its description talks about speed. It is the only covered boat swamp tour New Orleans has among the seven listings here.
The airboat. A flat boat pushed by a big fan at the back, which is why people also search for a fan boat swamp tour New Orleans. Here the listings talk about gliding over the swamps, high speed and an exhilarating ride. None mentions a roof or shade.
Spelling it as an air boat swamp tour New Orleans or as one word changes nothing: the six airboat listings are the same boats. They are compared in detail on the airboat rides page.
Boat by boat
Each New Orleans swamp boat tour, and what its listing says
What the descriptions say about the boat itself, not about the day around it.
- Covered pontoon — $31
Shady, spacious, listed at 1.5 to 3 hours. The lowest price of any swamp boat here.
- Lafitte airboat — $50
Glides over the wetlands of Bayou Barataria, looking for alligators, turtles and native birds. 925 reviews at 4.8.
- High Speed airboat — $65
Up to 16 passengers, an exhilarating ride and wildlife up close. 2,879 reviews at 4.9.
- Small airboat — inside a $175 plantation day
On private property, after Oak Alley or Laura. Rated 4.8, on 16 reviews.
- Destrehan airboat — inside a $179 plantation day
A 2-hour ride into secluded Cajun Country bayous, weather permitting. 28 reviews at 5.0.
Book direct
Four New Orleans swamp boat tour listings, ready to book
The covered pontoon, the two airboats on their own, and the most-reviewed plantation day with an airboat.
Bestseller925 reviews
105 min - 4 hFrom Lafitte: Swamp Tours South of New Orleans by Airboat
★ 4.8 · 925 reviews
- 105 minutes - 4 hours, over the Lafitte swamps by airboat
- Bayou Barataria wetlands
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
Rated 4.92,879 reviews
100 min - 4 hNew Orleans: High Speed 16 Passenger Airboat Ride
★ 4.9 · 2,879 reviews
- 100 minutes - 4 hours, Airboat ride through the waterways
- Up to 16 passengers aboard
- Must book at least 2h in advance
- Free cancellation
Bestseller1,060 reviews
8.5 hNew Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo Tour
★ 4.8 · 1,060 reviews
- 8.5 hours, to Oak Alley Plantation
- Hotel pickup available
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$160$18.82 / hour
Check availability→ Every trip, current fare
Four New Orleans swamp boat tour options side by side
Price, listed length and rating with review count.
| Tour | Length | Price | What you get | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans: Swamp Tour on Covered Pontoon BoatShaded, spacious pontoon boat | 1.5 - 3 h | $31 | Louisiana swamps and waterways | — | 4.6 · 492 |
| From Lafitte: Swamp Tours South of New Orleans by AirboatBayou Barataria wetlands | 105 min - 4 h | $50 | over the Lafitte swamps by airboat | — | 4.8 · 925 |
| New Orleans: High Speed 16 Passenger Airboat RideUp to 16 passengers aboard | 100 min - 4 h | $65 | Airboat ride through the waterways | — | 4.9 · 2,879 |
| New Orleans: Oak Alley Plantation & Airboat Swamp Combo TourEntry tickets and pickup included | 8.5 h | $160 | to Oak Alley Plantation | $18.82 | 4.8 · 1,060 |
Which one if…
Which New Orleans swamp boat tour fits your group
Matched to the words in each listing, and to the live numbers.
- …you want shade
The covered pontoon at $31. It is the one listing that says shady.
- …you want an adventure on the water
A new orleans swamp tour boat adventure, in a listing’s own words, is the High Speed ride: “an exhilarating ride”, $65.
- …you want a named bayou
For a New Orleans swamp and bayou boat tour, Lafitte names Bayou Barataria, at $50.
- …alligators are the reason you are going
On a new orleans swamp tour alligator boat choice comes down to wording: the pontoon and Lafitte both name alligators; the High Speed ride says wildlife.
- …you want to be picked up
For a swamp boat ride tour from New Orleans with pickup in the description, the Oak Alley combo at $160.
- …you would rather have a small boat
A small boat swamp tour New Orleans listings describe: the small airboat in the Oak Alley or Laura combo, $175.
Want every swamp option, plantation days included, on one page?
All seven swamp trips→Is the cheaper boat the worse boat?
Pontoon versus airboat, on the numbers
The pontoon costs $19 less than the cheapest airboat and $34 less than the High Speed ride. Its rating, 4.6, is 0.2 below Lafitte and 0.3 below the High Speed ride. Its 492 reviews are about half of Lafitte’s 925.
So the cheaper New Orleans swamp boat tour is rated a little lower, by people who paid less for a different kind of ride. Which is the best swamp boat tour New Orleans offers for you depends on whether you came for shade or for speed.
If the boat is part of a bigger day, the plantation and swamp combos run $152 to $179. The other swamp boats on this site are in the cards on the home page.
Common questions
Swamp boats, answered
What is the difference between a pontoon and an airboat?
The pontoon listing describes a shady, spacious covered boat. The airboat listings talk about gliding over the swamps, high speed and an exhilarating ride, with no roof mentioned.
How much is a New Orleans swamp boat tour?
$31 on the covered pontoon, $50 and $65 on the two airboats sold on their own. Plantation days with an airboat run $152 to $179.
How long is a New Orleans swamp boat tour?
The pontoon is listed at 1.5 to 3 hours. The two airboats are listed at 105 minutes to 4 hours and 100 minutes to 4 hours. Destrehan states 2 hours on the airboat.
Which New Orleans swamp boat tour is better with children?
The descriptions do not set age rules, so check the live listing. The pontoon is the one that describes its boat as shady and spacious.
Is a fan boat the same as an airboat?
Yes. Both names mean a flat boat pushed by a large fan. Every airboat on this site is listed under the word airboat.
Can I cancel a swamp boat booking?
All seven swamp listings show Free cancellation. The deadline is on the live listing.
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