Top 4 Lafayette Swamp Tours To Try This Summer

Situated on the Vermilion River, the city of Lafayette serves as a great base to explore the region’s swamps and marshes. Whether you’re looking for a guided tour or the chance to paddle your own kayak among the cypress trees, you’ll have a wonderful time with one of these local tour operators.

Champagne’s Swamp Tours

Head northeast from Lafayette on LA-94 to start your trip with Champagne’s Swamp Tours, which launches its excursions from the town of Breaux Bridge. You’ll head out onto the nearby Lake Martin Cypress Island Preserve Swamp, where you can join a guided tour at a reasonable cost. You can also rent your own kayak or canoe to explore the swamp at your own pace.

If you’re interested in an even more exciting adventure, book an airboat swamp tour with the company. Champagne’s airboats can reach areas of the Atchafalaya basin that kayaks and canoes can’t access, affording you an even more exclusive experience.

Cajun Country Swamp Tours

Book a trip with Cajun Country Swamp Tours to explore an incredible cypress/tupelo swamp environment near Breaux Bridge. The company’s tour guides are qualified commercial fishermen with a wealth of outdoor experience, and every tour is undertaken with special care to have as little environmental impact as possible. With a bit of luck, you’ll spot iconic wildlife such as alligators, herons, and egrets.

Your guides will also point out some of the largest moss-covered cypress trees scattered throughout the bayou. Cajun Country’s eco-friendly tours are conducted year-round, so it’s always a good time for an adventure.

Couret’s Swamp Tours

Navigate three heavily forested river channels on this popular bayou tour of the Lafayette area. With the personalized service of a knowledgeable local guide, you’ll have an excellent chance to spot alligators as well as impressive birds such as cormorants, herons, storks, egrets, and even the striking roseate spoonbill. As this is a small, local operator, you’ll probably have your own private tour. You may not even see any other boats when you’re out on the water.

Tours last for about two hours and are packed full of personal anecdotes and historical background thanks to Ernest Couret’s familiarity with the region.

Swamp Tours of Acadiana

Bird lovers will have a fantastic time on a photographic trip with Swamp Tours of Acadiana. You can book a private tour and spend as much time as you need to get the perfect shot, or you can join a group departure with six to eight other passengers. Boats are propelled by a push-pole, which is an excellent way to unobtrusively observe wildlife.

Swamp Tours of Acadiana is one of the few operators to offer a nighttime tour of the swamp. These specialized trips are slightly more expensive, but they offer an unforgettable new perspective of a familiar environment.

Thanks to its location near major swamps and waterways, Lafayette offers plenty of opportunities for visitors to explore the bayou. Start with one of these operators for a guaranteed good time.

Image via Flickr by jc.winkler used under CC BY 2.0 / cropped from original

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