8 Kayak Trips in New Orleans Worth Booking

1.Small-Group Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 973 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) Our pick

Paddle Manchac Swamp from New Orleans, spotting alligators, owls, turtles, and birds with a guide in a small group of eight.

“If you're tired of the hustle and bustle of NOLA, take a trip to the beautiful Manchac Swamp and get your sanity back! MJ was our phenomenal driver and our brilliant kayak tour guide. She's knowledgeable about all things ecologically related to Louisiana, and she shares her knowledge generously and enthusiastically. WE LEARNED SO MUCH ON THIS TOUR! When we arrived at the swamp, MJ gave us a quick lesson on how to kayak, and we launched ourselves into the lazy waters of Manchac Swamp. (We definitely weren't white water rafting here!) We saw gators and learned about their life cycles, we saw herons and egrets and even a huge…”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Small-Group Manchac Swamp Kayak Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 480 reviews · 2 to 3 hours (approx.) · from $93

Paddle Manchac Swamp from New Orleans with a local guide, spotting alligators, birds, plants, and ghost-town ruins on a relaxed kayak tour.

“If it was not for our excellent tour guide the tour would of been a flop. It was on the chilly side so not much to see. Saw one little gator, being from Florida gators are common.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Manchac Magic Kayak Swamp Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 114 reviews · 2 hours · from $90

Paddle Louisiana’s Manchac swamp near New Orleans with a local guide, spotting alligators, birds, turtles, cypress trees, and bayou history.

“Gerald was an amazing guide!! He was so knowledgeable and great speaker. We were in the kayaks for a great amount of time, any longer and I would have melted honestly. But the water felt great and it was overall an amazing experience”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Manchac Swamp Extended 4-Hour Kayak Tour with Pickup

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · 6 hours (approx.)

Paddle Manchac Swamp for four hours with a guide, wildlife sightings, kayak gear, and New Orleans pickup in a small group.

“Our guide nick was so full of knowledge about the local wildlife. I learned so much and had a great time”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.New Orleans Self-Guided Kayak Bayou Swamp Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · 1 to 2 hours (approx.)

Paddle Bayou Bienvenue near New Orleans at your own pace, spotting herons, turtles, alligators, and a distant city skyline.

“First off: great communication. They called me in the morning to make sure I had the correct address (there are two identical street addresses with different cities). We did the unguided tour but Becks (the employee who got us set up) was fantastic and made sure we were oriented and where to go. The kayaking was very easy, the water extremely calm, and plenty of wildlife and interesting terrain to look at. So many herons! The day we went it started out foggy which gave a spooky mysterious vibe (seen pic) but it cleared up an hour later so we got to experience the bayou in full sun as well.…”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Manchac Swamp Wildlife Kayaking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 8 reviews · 4 - 8 hours · from $84

Paddle quiet Manchac Swamp waterways from New Orleans, spot alligators and owls, and learn about Louisiana wetlands with a small-group guide.

“Great well informed guide who found the alligators & even called them over😀 Only 3 of us on the early morning trip & it was exactly what we were after. Definitely recommend👍”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Mystical Private Kayak and Canoe Tours on Caddo Lake

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 8 reviews · 2 hours (approx.)

Paddle Caddo Lake’s cypress forest by private kayak or canoe, with Leah, peaceful water, wildlife, flowers, and flexible weather cancellation.

“The sunrise view is beautiful! The tour guide is very nice and knowledgeable. During that period of time many areas of the park were closed due to flooding. As a result all boat tours were cancelled. I am glad that the tour guide still accepted my booking, otherwise I could not see this beautiful lake.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Kayak Tour Of The Honey Island Swamp and Backwaters

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $59Best value

Paddle calm Honey Island Swamp waters near New Orleans with a small group, local guidance, wildlife, and peaceful backwater scenery.

“Great experience! I can say that I kayaked in the swamps of Louisiana now! The girls were amazing guides and so sweet and accommodating to us. They gave lots of fun info about the area and showed us the nature around which was beautiful. Unfortunately we saw no gators since they are in hibernation but the whole thing was very serene and peaceful (:”

Check availability →Read our full review