Get up close and personal with authentic southern Louisiana wildlife. Numerous such beautiful nature encounters abound with two of them within 30 minutes of the city, and others deeper into the Cajun country.

These trips are fun and safe, some of them on covered flat boats, others on air boats. They guarantee an exciting afternoon right there among the gators, birds and old growth, moss-covered cypress trees.

Note that if you main reason for taking a tour is to see alligators plan for coming in the spring or summer as gators enter into a state of hibernation in the chilly winter months. But a swamp tour is more than just getting a gator experience, you get to see the amazing diversity of flora and fauna in the swamp.

If you really want to get up close and personal with the water you can do a swamp kayak or canoe tour. Of course, these are all lead by professional guides who are well-educated on the swamp wildlife and plant life.

There are even sunset excursions that use spotlights to get a glimpse of animals that you might not otherwise see during the day.

Some of these tours are very hands-on where you may get a chance to hold a baby alligator or a large turtle. A memorable experience not to be missed.

Go here to check out some of the many swamp tours available.  https://www.usnews.com/features/the-best-new-orleans-swamp-tours