Airboat Adventures
44 reviews for Airboat Adventures
44 reviews in English
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Review from Becca A.
Airboats scare the crap out of me. I don't trust that they'll turn in time, I'm afraid they're going to flip over or that some how I'm going to get sucked into the fan or that it will suck some moss up and burst in to flames or something. Don't ask me why.
That being said, I had some out of town visitors who wanted to see some gators, so thanks to some connections I have we ended up at Airboat Adventures. We had the pleasure of having Captain Chip as our pilot, and he was fantastic. He's in his late 20's and actually lives in the area so he knows his swamp trivia. He's got the best kind of accent, too- enough to be authentic, but not so heavy you can't understand him. He cracked jokes, stopped anywhere some one asked him, and this guy knows more about the history of the area than you'd ever guess. We saw a ton of gators and other wildlife, and the awesome weather was just a bonus. -
Review from C B.
Madison, WI
3/11/2012
We had a very wonderful, personalized tour that was definitely worth the extra expense! Our tour guide Steve took us all around the swap, explaining the history, different habitats and interesting facts about the gators. The pace of the trip kept us engaged, as well as the chance to see large gators, feed gators, marshlands, other wetland animals and hold a little gator at the end. The small boat allowed us to have a very personal and up close tour. The guide was very knowledgeable about the area. Two words of advice to maximize your experience:
1) Go on a sunny, preferably less windy day.
2) Sit in the row closest to the guide because it gets hard to hear what they're saying if you're further up front -
Review from John G.
2/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
Had a good time, there was a little of a delay getting the show rolling, due to a couple boats getting stuck before our group. Fun trip other than that!
We got to see a few aligators, and "Chip" was a great tour guide who showed us a lot of things we had never seen. Very interesting trip for more than just the gators!! -
Review from Karen K.
Guntersville, AL
5/22/2012 3 photos
Best part of our vacation! Our guide "captain Chip" was a hoot! Fun fun fun!!! Did not get to hold a baby gator, but it was fine, I guess that only happens when you run across one... I was happy to see the big gators instead =)
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Review from Mari V.
Durango, CO
5/23/2012
First off the boat tour was fantastic! Our guide was very professional and enthusiastic. He also had a very good sense of humor and was educated about the area. The guide gave us history of the area, he new the nature and the habitat of everything we asked. He kept us engaged, he fed the gators, we saw turtles and felt very safe the entire time on the water! The reason I am giving this only 3 stars is because of the bus driver. Our driver texted and was on the phone going to and from the tour. We sat in the front and he texted and drove multiple times! He scared the heck out of us while driving on the HWY. He went over curbs and didn't even hear a firetruck that was right behind us. Then at the end, he expected us to tip him which I did not! We couldn't wait to get off the bus back to our hotel!
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Review from Gerry G.
Oakley, CA
2/2/2012 1 photo
Let me start off by saying BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!! My girlfriend and I drove to Airboat Adventures on 1/30/12, located about 30/45 minutes outside of New Orleans. Before our tour even began we were thrilled looking around their waiting area, checking out their albino alligator and other neat things.
We then met our guide "Captain Chip" aka. Timothy Landry - don't ask me why he goes by "Chip". Our captain was a 28 year old young, funny and charismatic southern guy that lives just down the bayou. Before we knew it we loaded up on the airboat, threw on ear protectors and headed out on the water.
Being end of January we were not expecting to see a lot of gators but within minutes we started seeing some smaller ones. The beauty of the swamp itself is just mesmerizing. If you are a guy you will also enjoy how the airboat can hit some intense speeds and get completely sideways sliding over just inches of water, mud and even land.
During the tour we came across what we learned were two Nutria - relatively rare for the area, they looked like a giant beaver until we saw it's tail which was thin and rat like. Chip showed us a picture of one he hunted and it resembled what would most closely resemble a "swamp rat" lol. Overall, he gave us tons of interesting information about the habitat, the environment and of course the critters.
Holding "Budweiser" - the baby alligator was freakin' awesome. He was so mellow and seemed to love being around people. We got some awesome pictures taken with little 'ol Budweiser. He made it hard for me to eat grilled alligator for lunch a couple hours later because he was just so damn cute.
The best part by far, however happened on our way back. We went out on Lake Salvador for a minute, and then on our way back in through a narrow channel with barely any water, we almost ran over a 10 foot gator which turned out to be Marshmallow Bob (he loves marshmallows?). We immediately stopped and turned around and admired him laying there in the mud so close to us. Chip was super excited, he said this NEVER happens this time of year and must have been some freak accident for us to see this size gator. Well maybe we just got lucky because it was my birthday ;). Even more amazing - I happened to be recording on my girlfriend's camera and got the whole thing on film!! Unbelievable.
To sum it all up - we took a chance and went here after reading about it on Tripadvisor and not seeing many reviews for it on Yelp. It came down to this and Cajun Encounter's Swamp Tour. I was thrilled that we decided to go with the much closer, and more fast paced choice. Let me tell you fellow Yelpers - this is the one to do when in NOLA. I guarantee, especially if you ask for Captain Chip, you will have a good time. -
Review from Sandy H.
Oakton, VA
5/15/2012
Even with rain this was worth every penny! Our guide was Paul, and he was the best! Once in the swamps, he cut the engine and jumped in the water to feed the gators! Other boats came to watch - but he was the only one to get in! He put food on his shoulder and had gators eating from it! The bus that picked us up from the hotel was nice and clean, and the driver was full of local and historical stories. We will definitely go back and do this again!
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Review from Michel N.
San Diego, CA
4/15/2012
Today's airboat adventure was AWESOME. Our capt, Paul, was the BEST. they pick you up at your hotel ON TIME in a Comfortable van and drop you off READY TO GO! We even saw a celebrity taking the tour. We have done this tour BEFORE AND we didn't think it could get better but Paul and the smaller boat was GREAT.
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Review from El B.
San Dimas, CA
4/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
With every penny. Our tour guide was funny, knowledgeable, and informative. The gators were out in force, and man does that airboat move! Definitely a must do, especially if you've never been on the bayou before.
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Review from Dan Y.
Cheviot Hills, CA
1/29/2012
A very nice experience considering the circumstances for our weekend there.
1) It was really cold.
2) It was really cold.
3) It was really cold.
We got a private boat for the six of us and our tour guide was awesome and gave us a local perspective of all things New Orleans, not just in the swamp but throughout the city. He gave us nice restaurant tips, where to head out, and just general info about life in Louisiana. Considering the fact that we were staying right on Bourbon Street with all the tourists, I found his information fascinating and refreshing.
Despite the cold weather, we did get to see a handful of alligators, unique birds, and vegetation.
Tip: I didn't think of this beforehand but my friends brought a case of beer onboard for the tour and made it just a tad more fun. Sailing along on a speed boat, taking in the air, having a brew. Good times. -
Review from Leah S.
Aliso Viejo, CA
5/8/2012
This tour was awesome. Captain Louis was amazing. His knowledge and experience made the tour so much more than we were expecting. We saw TONS of gators WAY UP CLOSE and also some absolutely beautiful scenary. If you are visiting New Orleans you have to do this. The other couple we were traveling with decided not to go and they seriously regret it.
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Review from Karla B.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2012
So much fun! Everyone from our shuttle driver (tell Big Joe the Four Asian Popsicles say hi!) to our guide (I think his name was Louie) were awesome. Big Joe was a great tour guide on the way the swamp. He was funny, informative and super friendly. And once we were on the water, Louie was great. Fun FAST boat ride with lots of information from a legit local who came from generations of swamp folks. This tour is highly recommended!
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Review from Luba P.
2/22/2012 6 photos
Great tour that came highly recommended by locals. I must say it wasn't the most exciting tour ever but our tour guide, Richy Rich, was friendly and informative. Best part was getting to hold the baby alligator and the baby muskrat looking things. I wish we saw some snakes and bigger gators though.
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Review from The Cook T.
New Orleans, LA
3/7/2012
The whole tour was disappointing given the price you pay. We had a better experience with another swamp tour, for a lot cheaper. No customer service (mistake done while booking our tour and hardly a 'sorry' when we had to reschedule after driving all the way there) and the tour itself was average. When you pay that kind of money (three time more than another tour), you expect something different. It was just the same, under the appearance of a fast boat. For us (4 of us), it wasn't worth the price difference with this other tour we did.
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Review from Corinna K.
Seattle, WA
5/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
My mother: "We're going on an airboat swamp tour!"
Me: eye roll, sneer. Typical tourist activity. Yuck.
But honestly? This was a trip highlight. I'm not talking about seeing the alligators - I mean really, they're just gators, that's not THE ULTIMATE in entertainment - but to get out of the city and see some of the waterways and marshes around the area was incredibly interesting. Lake Salvador and the Barataria Preserve bayous are beautiful, and the amount of wildlife (eagles, herons, a vast array of other birds, turtles, fish, gators duh) is staggering. Even the drive out to Lafitte is worthwhile; it's eye-opening to see how close the houses are built to the Intercoastal Waterway and how problematic flooding could be. Definitely recommended even if you're skeptical.Listed in: So you want to be entertained?, Big & Easy
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Review from Kristina K.
Silver Spring, MD
10/27/2011
Although quite pricey (~$80 a person then tips that the guides and bus drivers expect), the Airboat Adventures swamp tour was pretty cool-- after all, when else does one get to travel the back waters in the vicinity of NOLA on a speed boat of sorts with the breeze going through your hair? The wildlife watching was charming: we saw a variety of birds, a turtle, and even a few alligators.
Spoiler alert! The highlight was petting a baby 'gator the size of a liftable log or a bit larger than an average house cat. The poor girl on the front row nearly had a heart attack when the critter was presented upon her. Surprise! Though I am not sure how animal rights folks would feel about so many randoms holding and petting a single specimen day in and day out, the little guy was certainly neat to see and touch.
My mediocre rating, though, is more because of the guide: it's not so much what he did (other than poking me with Spanish moss from behind for a good 15 minutes and then stopping as soon as I'd look back) as what he didn't do. It would be so interesting to hear more about the waterway and this part of Louisiana but instead of offering helpful bits of information like on most tours, our guide asked us all where we were from--there was a whole lengthy discussion--and at great lengths used stalling techniques, like asking how the group was feeling and what we were thinking and how we were all involved with each other. Not to be weird about this but who cares?! Yes, ask where people are from if you absolutely must but then educate us about the swamp already! I want to know about the tour's attractions, the history of the place, the types of species that live there, the 'gators, anything activity-relevant!!
Our boat also parked for ~15 minutes at one point, which was a bit boring and also meant that we missed going out into deeper waters to see an apparently great view of the city. How do I know? The guide actually told us what he would 'normally' do! While I am all for full disclosure, why admit that you messed up (maybe even by chatting with us for too long) and that we were supposed to see something cool but didn't because of screwy planning? I didn't feel that we missed anything before...until then! -
Review from Pamela s.
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
captain handsome!!! i mean caption chip, haha, gotta love friend's word vomit!!
anyways, this was a pretty cool tour but i must say that i would have enjoyed it much more if we ran into larger alligators. and yeah, it is the wild so you can't control it. but i wouldn't mind running into a large "trained" one, if at all possible. -
Review from Lili K.
Definitely call them up yourself, versus going through any middlemen.
We got a hotel pick up and drop off, and a two hour swamp ride. Breezing through the waters with just 10 other people was fun, and it really helped beat the heat and humidity outside. Our tour guide wasn't the greatest in enthusiasm or creativity, however.
Tourists: So, what got you interested in doing this?
Guide: Um...I just do it.
Tourists: How'd you find this place to work at?
Guide: Uh...they found me.
Guide: (pulls out a baby alligator from the cooler)
Tourists: Ooh, what's his name??
Guide: I don't know, I just pull one out from the tank pre-tour.
ETC. We didn't see much, as he was pretty lazy with going anywhere or interacting with us.
We also had to wait an extra half hour to be picked up from the tour site.
Yet, it was still an overall positive experience to go out to the swamps and enjoy a nice ride with the boo. -
Review from Richard D.
New York, NY
6/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I'm only giving it 2 stars because I have experienced better.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE airboats and flying through the swamp, but this experience wasn't that great. I saw way more gators in their little pen than through the "tour" of the swamp.
Our guide was a younger kid and there were times where we just rolled around pretty slow (I think he did that to kill time). He wasn't very personable or enthusiastic about anything.
We parked under a tree full of spanish moss to hold the baby gator that he had hidden in a cooler. Kind of a meh experience which seemed like another way for them to kill time.
They take you to spots where they seem to have conditioned the gators to come out and eat marshmallows.
Whole trip I think I saw maybe 3 small gators and this was with scorching hot summer weather.
You should wear sunblock - I normally don't burn easily, but my skin was a bit toasted after this excursion outdoors. -
Review from Gregg G.
Rochester, NY
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great experience! Matt was our Capt. and he is spectacular. I thought it would be a touristy thing to do but our family saw a lot of alligators up close (VERY) and road through backwaters on an incredibly beautiful afternoon. There was something for everyone, including children of all ages.
It is not cheap but I highly recommend it. -
Review from Jacquelyn W.
Laguna Beach, CA
Definitely an awesome experience. Learned so much and saw a lot of alligators!! We did the group of 6 at $90 each including hotel transportation definitely worth it!!!
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Review from Dawn F.
San Antonio, TX
12/4/2011
Our morning tour of the swamp was everything we hoped for, and more. We paid for the smaller boat, and I'm glad we did.
Our guide, George, was just about perfect. He's a modest, knowledgeable and competent man who's lived in the swamp his entire life. He easily accommodated my request to see an alligator in the wild. Actually, by the time the tour was over, we had seen a lot of alligators in the wild. And, George showed us the beauty of the swamp. The birds (incl giant heron, osprey and bald eagle) were extraordinary. Plus, you see and learn the history of the Pirate Jean Lafitte's village.
TIP - the more questions you ask, the better the tour.
Our airboat swamp tour was the highlight of our New Orleans trip. Recommend? DEFINITELY!! -
Review from Sheryl S.
New York, NY
1/18/2011
If it is winter time and you are thinking about an Airboat swamp tour -- remember, alligators hibernate and you probably won't see them out if it has been on the cooler side.
Even so, if you can deal with not seeing alligators, the landscape is worth the trip alone. I have actually been on air boats quite a bit and been out with alligators as I am from FL and have a slightly redneck (i say it endearingly sister) who hunts gators among other things (legally, with permits for the record). So I was really in it for the scenery and the chance to get outside of the city and see a little bit more of the country around New Orleans and I was happy with that.
A little disappointed that the tour operators never mentioned the fact that alligators are not going to be out this time of year, or that they don't offer a discount for the obvious "off season".
And bring a coat! -
Review from Charlie M.
New Orleans, LA
9/1/2011
This is a great time! I've taking visitors on this tour 3 separate times and we have always had a blast. Make sure that you go when it's hot out. That's when you will experience the most gator action!
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Review from Jerry C.
Redding, CA
9/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Monkey was great... A great 1/2 day trip.
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Review from Josh A.
Goose Creek, SC
6/14/2010
Well worth the drive from NOLA and the $30 to ride for close to 2hrs. Capt. Tommy did an awesome job of navigating the swamps and canals. He was very knowledgeable about the ecosystem and how it works out there, as well as the animals and their habits. We even got to see a gator that was easily 13ft. He fed the gators marsh mellows, which was funny, but it got them close and they seemed to enjoy the attention, if that's possible. We saw no less than 20 gators, from small to huge. Got to go up into the mudflats and see the habitat up there as well. At the end, the Capt. was very appreciative and thanked us profusely for using their company.
The sad thing about the tour, is that the Capt. was telling us about how the oil is just miles away and if it gets into this area, it will be another area destroyed by the catastrophe. He explained about how the swamps and rivers work together and how, for the most part, it's keeping the oil out, but anything could happen. He was also saying about how he wishes BP and the gov't would listen to the Cajuns more, because they know this water and how it works. It wasn't preachy or anything, but very informative. Hopefully, everything works out and areas like this are saved from the blob. -
Review from Jennifer W.
McKinney, TX
7/3/2010 1 photo
The COOLEST activity you can do in New Orleans. If you're a tourist and really want to see what makes the state of Louisiana so cool, you have to go on one of these tours. I know several people complained about their travel arrangements, and so I'm very glad I booked through 'Tours by Isabelle'. Feel free to check out my review of them as well.
TIP: Wear some sort of eye protection, I recommend sunglasses. You will not be able to keep your eyes open without it cause the boats go so fast!
Okay! Now on to the amazing trip. When we got there we had to hang around for about 15 minutes for the last group of boats to come back but that was fine because it gave us time to hit up the restrooms, check out the alligators they have indoors (so cool!) and buy a couple of bottles of water. If you're going out in summer I really recommend taking some water because the swamp is hot and humid when you're not moving.
We were in a boat with just four people and a tour guide. I loved that it was so personal and our tour guide was a blast! As soon as you get out of the little area they are in they open up the motor and you're flying over the water. My husband and I couldn't keep from laughing because you really feel out of control on the water, almost like an amusement park ride.
The tour guides know so much about the lakes and the water ways and they stop periodically for you to take off your soundproof headphones and they tell you various things about the area. It's so fascinating and BEAUTIFUL! I had heard once that swamps smell bad and they really don't, in a few areas it smelled like sulfur when we were stopped but mostly it was just fresh air and sunshine.
Something very interesting to learn, alligators love marshmallows!! The tour guides have them in bags and call them "swamp crack". (That had us laughing too). When they see one they'll pull near the bank and throw a marshmallow out and the gators just fly up onto the ground to eat it. That is when I got the great picture I've attached.
This is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience and it is well worth the money! My husband and I have told everyone we know about it and several of our friends are going on the tour when they go there in the winter! Make sure to put this on your to-do list! :)Listed in: New Orleans Adventure
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Review from i a.
San Francisco, CA
9/5/2011
Pure awesomeness! Booked a group tour, had our own boat and brought our own coolers filled with beer and just had a blast with our tour guide Pecker. He showed us the Bayou, saw a couple gators and had a couple swamp "blow jobs" to keep us cool.
A definite must do in the new Orleans area. -
Review from Sarah L.
11/26/2009 2 photos
I recently visited New Orleans and a couple of us took an afternoon to go on a Swamp Boat tour. A nice shuttle picked us up from the hotel which very convenient! When we arrived we were on a boat with captain Stevie, tracking down alligators within no time.
Our captain was VERY knowledgeable, funny and authentic. I always assumed a swamp was just a swamp - but in real life it was quite beautiful in it's own way! It was November, we got lucky on it being a warm sunny day so we saw plenty of alligators.
Contrary to the other review, I didn't think it was that fast although they would go faster through open channels but it was a very nice, slow paced tour once we were in some of the high vegetation areas.
By far the most memorable experience of my visit!
I would highly recommend it. -
Review from Amy O.
Chicago, IL
4/25/2010
A must do while in Nawlins! Our concierge recommended this tour and I'm glad he did...it was worth every penny! We went on the small airboat because it goes faster and you can go deeper into the swamp. They also pick you up and drop you off at your hotel and the bus driver gave you a lot of great info about NOLA on the way to the tour.
I thought we'd see a few alligators but boy was I wrong. We saw a TON of alligators and our tour guide (I believe his name was Steve) was a hoot! He fed one of the alligators marshmellows so it came right up to the boat. I also got to hold a baby alligator...he was so cute I wanted to take him home.
Great tour...I highly recommend it! -
Review from Nicole W.
8/11/2009 3 photos
If you're looking for a fast and furious adventure in Louisiana --look no further! This is NOT a nature tour, this is a high speed excursion through the swamps on a search for GATORS... and there were plenty! Airboat adventures is a nice establishment with friendly guides. If you need it they can pick you up from your hotel in a air conditioned mini bus. We had a super fun time.
Check out a video here: http://bayareafoodiebl...
Tip: the swamp is not dark and gloomy...it's blazing hot. Wear a hat, sunscreen and bug repellent. -
Review from Sara O.
San Diego, CA
3/18/2010
Going on this excursion was one of my favorite things we did on our trip to NOLA, in fact, quite possibly my favorite aside from all the eating ;) We had an afternoon to use up and I'm a sucker for nature so we decided to head out on a large boat for $50 per person. We picked up tickets right in the French Quarter and they scooped us in a bus from our hotel to take us to Lafitte. The whole trip took about 4 hours, 2 of the hours spent on the water.
We got lucky and ended up in a large boat with only 5 of us total, so the guide was able to get up close & personal with us and give us a semi-private tour. We saw gators, heard about the local plant life, and overall had a really nice ride through the swamps. We even got to hold a tiny little gator! I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who is interested in seeing the swamps of Louisiana, just be sure to put on those earphones when it gets really loud :) -
Review from Mona A.
Bakersfield, CA
8/12/2011
Went on this tour the first week of this month (August). We had no trouble finding the area. We got our colored wristbands, waited outside, got on the airboat (front seat). We were told that expensive cameras were probably not the best thing to carry on board. My husband ignored the captain. We got rained on. We saw many gators, including several which came close to the airboat for marshmallows. Our capt. was very knowledgable and cracked jokes along the way. He had to in order to make light of the rain. It was an experience I will not forget and definitely worth the money and drive from New Orleans.
-M.A. from Central California. -
Review from David V.
Roslyn, NY
5/27/2010
Once your in the swamp area, its a great time. They even let you hold a baby alligator.
Tour guide was fun and informative.
However the transportation to and from was awful, the bus they picked us up in did not have a working air conditioner on the way to the swamp in 110 degree heat
same bus on the way back broke down mid highway and could not go more than 11 mph.
wanted to jump out the window at some parts of the transportation.
My advice is not to skip the airboat portion , however find your own way there. -
Review from Jason A.
Chicago, IL
7/26/2010 3 photos
We had a wonderful I experience with Airboat Adventures. I recently planned a bachelor party for my brother and 19 of his closest friends. While we were excited to see the bars and debauchery of the city, French Quarter and Bourbon Street, we also wanted to get away from the city for a bit and see what else Louisiana had to offer.
Our experience with AA was very nice start to finish. We were picked up on time at our hotel in a very nice 32 passenger bus. The bus driver was actually quite informative on the drive out to the swamp (about an hour) and pointed out sites along the way (Battle of New Orleans, Katrina sites, etc).
Upon arrival, checkin was quite easy, they allowed each person in our group to pay inividually so we didn't have to collect large amounts of money ahead of time and we only waited about 15 minutes before boarding our boat and taking off.
Our boat guide, Captain Lou, was absolutely amazing. He was not only extremely knowledgeable about the land, water, swamp and animals, but he was hilarious and had that great Louisiana charm. If you can, I would definitely recommend asking for Captain Lou! On top of that, they were able to accommodate our fairly large group in one boat.
The reviews below are also very accurate in describing the adventure itself so I won't go into too much detail. We saw 7 or 8 alligators in total, watched them feed on marshmallows, held a baby alligator (about 12 inches long) and even stopped for a quick swim in the lake attached to the swamplands.
Finally, and I know this isn't for everyone, but the reason that we chose this outfitter over the others around NO is that they allowed us to bring our own beverages on both the bus and boat. It was accommodating for our bachelor party to have a few adult beverages along the way to keep us cool and enjoying our day.
All in all, a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to New Orleans looking for a swamp adventure! -
Review from Chris B.
Trabuco Canyon, CA
6/15/2011
Booked tour based on a review from a blog. It was a picturesque day and captain "Monkey" was excellent. We saw plenty of gators and learned about the surrounding habitat. We were even lucky enough to have captain "Monkey" to catch a wild gator. Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting NOLA.
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Review from Isabel D.
Huntington Beach, CA
4/23/2010
I want to start off by saying that I had a great time with the tour at Airboat Adventures. This is not a rant, but just what I experienced. I got a great deal so I am not complaining at all. I had read a previous review about how Airboat Adventures flaked on another customer by not showing up, so I was panicked when I didn't receive final confirmation on our tour until 5 minutes prior to our pick-up. To most people, this might not be a big deal, but I am someone who is organized and I need reassurance on everything, so I was stressing about it non-stop. And I don't like being stressed out while I'm on vacation. I want everything scheduled and smooth so that when I'm out there, I don't have to worry about a thing.
I booked a tour with Airboat Adventures a couple weeks before our trip. It was not difficult to book. However, the website does not have an option where you can book online, so you had to call or email them to schedule. I emailed them, but finally had to speak with someone to get anything concrete. One thing that bothered me was that they asked for my credit card number to hold the reservation, and since it was just over the phone, I was worried about their security. Another thing was that all they gave me was a verbal confirmation; I had to ask them to email me something in writing. This is just me being paranoid and needing everything in some sort of confirmation.
I booked the tour for Friday afternoon. We arrived in New Orleans that Thursday. I called to confirm my reservation and they said that their computer was down and that they couldn't check. I called again Thursday evening, and their computer was still down. I called Friday morning and they said they still couldn't check. I was extremely uneasy because I didn't want to miss this tour since we wouldn't have any other chance to do it during our visit, and I still hadn't received any concrete confirmation that we would get picked up at our hotel. Finally, I called one last time, 5 minutes before our scheduled pick-up, and they said that we were fine.
Everything else went smoothly. Upon paying at the counter, I noticed they had my name written in a book. I didn't see if they had written down my credit card number, but they did cross my name out when I paid in cash. I am still uneasy about having my cc number written down somewhere, but again, that is just me being overly careful.
Other than my panic over booking, I had a great time on the tour. Everyone there was courteous and friendly; the service was quick and efficient. The tour guide was nice and informative and funny. He took us through the swamp and slowed down in certain points so that he could describe and explain what we saw. He answered all our questions. We saw a lot of alligators, and the tour guide was even able to catch a small one and bring him on board. We got to touch it and take pictures with it. We had a great time.
Airboat Adventures was a very pleasant experience. I would definitely recommend them to other people interested in a swamp tour. My only complaint would be that they need another method of booking so that their anal customers (like me) would have more peace of mind when making reservations. -
Review from alex z.
San Diego, CA
9/14/2011
One word. GREAT! We were on the water "exploring" for almost 2 hours, in which time our guide took us to several locations to watch aligators and other swamp wildlife. We also got an opportunity to hold a baby aligator that he had on board. This is not a "boat tour", it's an adventure. Book directly through the company and you will pay almost half of what you pay for the same tour booked through a tour company.
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Review from Rex R.
New York, NY
12/16/2010
If you have never gone on an Airboat you should definitely do it at least once in your life. Airboat Adventures was great and I honestly have no complaints about them. The trip to get there was a bit long but other then that we all had a blast. I would recommend this company to everyone looking for a boat ride.
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Review from Rosalba C.
Long Beach, CA
12/2/2010
Thanks to Yelpers I booked a swamp tour with this company. The adventure started on the ride over with a talkative, informative and entertaining bus driver. The location was off the beaten track, or maybe because I'm from LA i think everything not within eyesight of a high rise is considered off the beaten track, but i digress. It was a quaint area and easy to get checked in and to our boat. I paid the higher price for the smaller boat and although it seated 8 our group was only five. Our guide, Mike, was a sweet guy. He was open to questions and easy to talk to. The best part of this ride was the speed and the few wild turns. Overall, I walked away with a greater appreciation of the swamps and their beauty.
