Why in the world would anyone want a tour of the Louisiana Swamps??
Photograph by Steven Pierce
That’s a good question. The Louisiana Swamps have so many things to offer, it is unreal. Just look at that picture. You may think you have seen swamps before but unless you were in the South, I doubt, you have seen anything like this. No worries, though, I will inform you as to what you might expect once you arrive this deep into the southern swamps.
Besides the infamous
Alligators,
You can find creatures like the Armadillo, the Screech Owl, Raccoons, Mosquito fish, Alligator gar (fish), shrimp, crawfish, and much more.
The south offers many options that you can take to enjoy an informative tour of the swamps. Swamp tours consist of many options as well, depending on the circumstances that you will be going on.
You may want to take an airboat ride through the swamps. These airboats can travel at higher speeds and make way through parts of the south that most other boats cannot navigate; therefore, you may experience more excitement if you take this option. Airboat tours are usually limited to 6-8 people per tour. Airboats only downfall, however, is that they are extremely loud, and the guide will more than likely hand out earplugs or ear muffs.
The Alligator Gar has a mouth FULL of teeth!!
Another route you may want to take is the pontoon boat tour, which is much slower, but has the capacity to hold many more people. If you are touring with a large group of people then you probably ought to contact the company that you are touring with. Like I said, the pontoon boat is much slower and cannot get to the places that the airboat can, however, you should know that these tour guides are usually locals that have been in the swamps their entire life, therefore, they WILL get you to some action.
On most of the swamp tours, you will see many of the swamp creatures that I mentioned above. These are NOT the only creatures in the swamps. You may see more, you may see less. You have to remember, these creatures are wild animals, and you are coming into their habitat so it is very possible that they will be a bit scared and try to retreat. Then again, if you have a tour guide that has began feeding these creatures, and then again you may see much more action than you expected.
The Louisiana Swamp is a world in itself. When you enter, you will feel so secluded. You can hear the sounds of nature, birds, fish splashing, beavers and nutria rats working on dams. It is intriguing to see how their natural instincts kick in, and they know how to achieve certain things that are needed for their survival.
