We reserved advanced online tickets for the premium 6-passenger small boat for a weekday, cold December afternoon. Luckily, our tour guide knew the swamp like the back of his hand and found our lone alligator, "toothless," backed into a hole, keeping herself warm. It was really hidden, and I would have missed it 10 times if I had driven by. We also saw other wildlife, including birds, an eagle, and a raccoon. Plus, he operates on the edge and clipped the wood on some old water blinds. We drove ourselves there, so we didn't have to incur the pickup or drop-off fee. Competitive pricing and friendly staff. Souvenirs, snacks, beverages, and a restroom are available. Remember to try to go on a warm day so you can see more gators. If not wear gloves and a hat cause it gets cold. read more

See all

I went online and Googled airboat tours and then compared it to reviews on here. This is where we landed. Price was decent since transportation to and from our Airbnb was included. Our driver was Brie (like the cheese, she said) and on the ride to the tour she kindly let us know that if there was someplace else we wanted to be dropped off afterwards just to let her know and she could see what she could do. Upon being dropped off you walk up to what looked like a converted mobile home turned office. You walk in and there's a stuffed crocodile sitting on a table to give you some perspective as to how big these things are. You walk up to a counter where you check in with your reservation, sign your life away on some wavers and receive you pass. Then you wait outside for your tour guide to call you up. Our tour guide was "Jacob." Very knowledgeable. Very entertaining. At a certain point there seemed to be a rain cloud that showed up out of know where and almost felt as if it was chasing us. So Jacob tried his best to get us out from under it. It kind of worked. We weren't drenched. A little rain didn't hurt no one! We were told that crocs aren't very active during the wintertime but we were still able to see a couple big ones, a few babies, an adolescent and some bald eagles. For your first visit to Nawlins this is a must. I mean you can opt for the pontoon boats but why opt for that when you can whiz around the bayou on a boat that feels like it's flying...lol! read more

See all

Everything was amazing! Went out on one of the small boats that carries 6 people. Saw gators as soon as we left the dock and saw them for the entire time we were on the water. Captain Dalton was a wonderful guide. We got to see two 14ft monsters on either side of our boat and Dalton was feeding them marshmallows and chicken. 100 out of 10 would do it again!! read more

See all

This was not my choice, but so glad I went. This was amazing. Would recommend to anyone. Our guide was knowledgeable and fun. The time went so fast and saw so many gators close up. Some a closer than I may have wanted. read more

See all

The airboat tour was an absolute blast. On top of being able to see some interesting fauna and flora (gators included!) you get to cruise around a bit like the swamps are a race course. No real need to hold on for dear life, but it will definitely get your blood pumping a little too. The captains are what really make the ride and ours was funny and informative and kept the whole ride exciting. Would definitely be a top tier tour recommendation for anyone interested. read more

See all

Wow!! If y'all have not been on a Ragin Cajun Airboat tour, you're missing out. The landscape of beautiful, wildlife is abundant. Our guide, Dylan, was kind, knowledgeable, entertaining, and funny. He stopped for special sightings and photo ops. We highly recommend this place. Feeling grateful read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

Garrett made our excursion exciting. We had a blast. This adventure was the highlight of our trip. It was so much fun. We saw several alligators including baby alligators. We too saw bald eagles. We got to know a few local gators named Lefty and Ray. Garrett fed the gators marshmallows. This tour offered beautiful scenery through the bayou and swamps. They also have a really nice gift shop. I highly recommend Ragin Cajun Airboat tours. read more

See all

Unexpected surprises and delight on our airboat excursion. The tour operator did a fantastic job communicating with us. We received text messages prior to our shuttle driver picked us up and made sure to follow up after our trip to ensure we had the best item. Shuttle picked us up 2 hours prior to our trip. The gift shop/check-in office is well managed & restrooms were also very clean. Our airboat captain was friendly and made sure to give us lots of history and environmental information. The airboat ride was smooth and exciting. I normally get sea sick, but I didn't feel any motion sickness. Very happy we were able to see so many alligators, birds, and the beautiful swamp landscape. read more

See all

This was THE COOLEST experience! We went on a small airboat tour and driving around the swamp was so fun. We saw a ton of gators on the tour and our guide was so knowledgeable. We would do this again in a heartbeat. read more

See all

It was AMAZING!! 10/10 experience. The great experience started when our driver, Cam, picked us up - he was fantastic, informative and fun. The boat was incredible and our boat driver, Mike was awesome!! He made the experience even more fun - so glad he was our guide. We had the best time with Mike. I would highly recommend you book this tour! read more

See all

We had an amazing experience with Ragin Cajun Tours. It was such a fun and engaging experience for our whole family. Noah did an incredible job of keeping it fun and educational in spite of the cold weather. We found total of 3 adult alligators along with 5 baby alligators, a great blue heron, several egrets, a snake bird, and many swamp chickens. He knew that swamp like the back of his hand. read more

See all

Date of visit: December 20, 2024 This being my second time to New Orleans, I'm not stranger to visiting the swamp, but this was my first time on an airboat and I greatly enjoyed the experience! Captain Mike was a great guide, giving us the lay of the land (or water, I guess!) and mixing in facts about the flora, fauna, and history of the area. Before embarking, the office staff was wonderful as well, guiding us through the waiver process quickly and painlessly before it was time to see some gators! Given the cooler weather today, we didn't get to see as many as I would have hoped, but that was not for a lack of trying and we didn't totally strike out, luckily. To save cost, I went with the large airboat, but given that it was just eight of us total, we still scored a small airboat for the price of the large; made me feel as though I had gotten a free upgrade at the rental car desk! Definitely a worthwhile experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the area. read more

See all

A well organized your with staff who are passionate about the education of alligators. Airboat ride was fun. If you have the chance, sit up front. You'll have the best view of the scenery and the gators being fed. Captain Mike was fantastic! Thanks so much for an awesome experience. read more

See all

This was a GREAT outing while we were in New Orleans. Weather was wonderful, which def helped. Our tour guide, Dylan, was the best - funny and informative! We got up close and personal with the alligators. read more

It's not my first rodeo when it comes to airboats. I like to try different companies, so it was a first with them. They fell a lil short to my expectations, the past companies I've used bring the gators out of the water so you can see all their beauty. We just got to see them swimming around. We did see an alligator nest that was pretty cool, but was hoping to hold a baby. Again just a past experience with another company - so I had thought we'd get to hold a baby and see the others or at least one out of the water. But we had a great time, guide was great and you can never go wrong on an airboat tour. They're so magical. read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

Truly an amazing experience. I was surprised when they called me back after 2 missed call. The woman on the phone was very polite and professional. She introduced herself, who she works for, and asked if I have been helped! When I said no, she took care of it. I told her that I wanted to go on a small airboat tour next day and was hoping to get in early morning. She was able to squeeze me into the 10:00am tour. She also assisted me with hotel pickup (additional $25/person). She took my payment over the phone and emailed the receipt, confirmation, plus a text message with hotel pickup details. Our driver, Derek was professional and attentive to detail. He called me directly when there was obstruction in front of my hotel in the French Quarter. He simply had me walk a few feet to Canal for pickup. I mentioned attentive to detail because he would call out our names when we entered the bus to go to and again when it was time to go back to our hotel. When one passenger was not present, he literally went looking for the person. He was very communicative with his team to let them know that he had picked up all the folks and is headin' back. When we arrived at the swamp tour, he gave us the run down where we need to go, what will happen, and that he will be our guy to go back to our hotel. For the swamp tour, Eric was our captain. He was very knowledgeable about the alligators. We felt safe at all times. He also have a sense of humor, but still remain professional. Overall, my husband and I had a great time. Overall experience was easy and stress-free. Also, if you forget things like poncho or waterbottle, they do sell them on site along with snacks, plushies, gifts, and ice cream. They do accept cash or card. There are QR codes to tip your bus driver and swamp tour guide. read more

See all

Reasons to consider a swamp tour: You get to ride an airboat. You get to see alligators. Reasons to consider Ragin Cajun: They offer a problem-free Groupon experience. They have two friendly cats. Very short wait times for both the boat ride and the ride back. They claim to be the #1 operator. Comfortable a/c shuttle pick-up from hotel (or free parking). They are family-owned and operated. Luling is allegedly the closest Swamp to the city. The captains all have love for the customers, each other, their job, and the gators. Though they have a sign welcoming tips, they didn't beg for them or rattle a big jar in your face. Much more informative than I thought. Lil' Eric was awesome and looked like a mix of Anthony Jeselnik and Bowser from Sha Na Na. Notes: It's not as life-changing or exciting as I hoped, but it was fun, educational, and different. Nobody leaves thinking "that sucked". Front row is best, to be closest to any alligators popping their head up, for leg room, and for general visibility (especially point of view video), so talk up the captain and follow him to the boat. I think it might be more fun if they let people throw a marshmallow to an alligator. They could sell 6 for $5 and I bet people would pay. Cornhole might be a fun option. Especially if they painted alligators on the boards with open mouths and colored the bean bags white like marshmallows. read more

See all

We had a fabulous tour with Captain Zach! He was so knowledgable and answered all of our questions about the bayou. We saw a lot of alligators of all sizes, from tiny babies to huge 10-footers. Captain Zach was incredibly chill and made sure had a great time. No complaints! It would be great if they had a place to put hats and things to make sure they didn't fly away but I guess that was our fault for bringing them on the boat. read more

See all

This place exceeded all my expectations. Sooooo much fun and the guides here were great. Tip them if you have a good time cause I did. Saw plenty of wildlife up close, especially the gators which was super cool. The area they take you around has plenty of variety in terrain. And they do open up the full power of the airboats which is super fun. The location was easy to find and apparently they do pick ups for a additional fee. Bring sun screen, sunglasses, a hat cause youll be out in the sun. Check in was super easy and for the price this place was totally worth it. Its a Louisiana bucket list experience im so happy i got to do. I would absolutely recommend. read more

See all

We didn't think much of a swamp airboat tour but decided to book it last minute. Ragin Cajun had some good reviews and overall we genuinely had a fun time! I believe our boat guide was Eric and he was knowledgeable and experienced. We saw a pretty good amount of alligators up close. Best part was seeing the swamp at high speed on the airboat to cool down. Definitely hot during August so wear sunscreen, bug spray, hat, and sunglasses. Bring water with you, but they do sell souvenirs and cold beverages at the office too. read more

See all

This experience was extremely disappointing and felt like a complete waste of time and money. The tour consisted of about an hour and a half of riding in an airboat with virtually nothing to see--just mud. At one point, the boat even got stuck in the mud for around 20 minutes, which honestly felt like it was done simply to fill time. The tour guide provided very little commentary, speaking for maybe five minutes total during the entire ride. To make matters worse, at the end of the tour the guide openly admitted that there is "nothing to see" during this time of year. That information would have been extremely helpful to know before booking. If conditions are this poor seasonally, this tour should not be offered, or at the very least guests should be warned in advance. Overall, it was boring, misleading, and not worth the cost. read more

Wonderful swamp tour with many alligators! Our airboat guide, Garrett, was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. Great way to spend a morning. read more

See all

WORTH EVERY PENNY. I'd have to say this was one of my absolute highlights of my trip to New Orleans last weekend. Seems like there are several options for swamp tours but THIS is the one I highly recommend, and so happy I ended up with. As a solo traveler, I booked via Viator and a company called "Tours by Isabelle" - mainly because I was seeking hotel pick-up and a help with securing a small group airboat booking. Upon arrival, everything went smoothly with check-in (getting waivers signed, assigning you to specific airboats via kitschy-sounding "boarding pass" names). These guys are pros for sure, and "family-owned" you can tell throughout the establishment and workings (including their house cat who roams the premises, ha!) We were able to survey the shop/merch, decor, and had fangirl moment when we encountered the founder, Randy, who was so kind and happily took photos with us. The tour itself was so fun/exciting. You get it all- history of the swamp (including flora/fauna), Q&A re: alligators, alligator sightings, high-speed airboat treks, list goes on. Our operator was Dalton who was AMAZING. SO engaging, sweet, funny, and just so great with our eclectic group from all over the country. We could tell great camaraderie with his co-workers (truly a team) but the fact he gave us such personalized experience knowing he does several a day/week, makes it more special he wasn't jaded, at all. THANK YOU, will definitely be back, this time with friends/family hopefully! read more

See all

First things first, Eric is the best tour guide! My group of 4 had a great experience in the middle of FEBRUARY. Eric showed us Big Mama (or - I guess more like Big Mama was in the mood to see us) and told us stories about Tripod lol. The staff inside the gift shop was nice too, with their 2 cute cats that roamed around. Expect this experience to take about 2 hours, from pick up to drop off. The earliest tour begins at 10a and our girls were back, using their provided transportation, by 12:30p. read more

See all

Great tour of Louisiana swamps. Wonderful customer service, very informative. Highly recommend for couples and families alike. They picked us in front of our hotel. We really enjoyed ourselves. read more

See all

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours was awesome! We opted to rent a car and drive ourselves, check in process was super easy then waited till our start time and we were off. Boat was great, guide was not hard on the eyes and really knowledgeable. We saw a lot of wildlife, including a few gators, bald eagles and a number of other animals. Upon our return our boat guide took our photo and we hit the gift shop for some stickers and gator jerky. My only recommendation would be blankets, we all had pants and jackets but with the weather and the wind from the boat it was quite chilly. read more

Had a great time on our first airboat tour. Great guides that were knowledgeable and funny. Got to hold a baby gator and wild boar. Just a great hour or so on the swamp viewing lots of wildlife. Definitely recommend this company. read more

See all

Love it best tour around! Book yours if you haven't we had the best time. My parents can now check off the bucket list! read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Hubby & I getting ready for our swamp tour! - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

It had been years since I'd done a swamp tour and to be honest I can't recall which one I did previously but upon arrival it very well could have been Ragin. Anywho do make a reservation in advance as they do fill up especially if you want to do the 6 person boats which is what I've done. I don't know much about airboats but they seem well maintained and comfortable. The guide did a fairly nice job. On the negative side the email confirmation I received provided an address to go to but their website has another address. I called to ask which was correct they said well you should have an email confirmation with the address. I read back the address on the email only for them to tell me that's not the correct address that's only for peak season (the two locations are 20 min apart so it's a big mistake on their end). They didn't seem too concerned about the oversight but they need to correct this. The other issue I had is there is a lot of trash floating in the water. And as I witness from the bachelorette party in the boat in front of us who dropped their high noon cans into the water the company is likely the cause of some or most of this. All-in-all it's a solid tour. If the weather is cooler don't expect much gator activity or sightings though. read more

See all

Little pricey but truly had a great time hunting for alligators and seeing the wild life! Our guide provided lots of interesting information and an exciting ride through the swamps! read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours is amazing. You can drive there or they can pick you up on a bus. You can even opt to have that bus pickup be private just for your group. The airboat ride is fun as you spend over one hour riding around looking at alligators and learning about the surrounding areas. You can bring drinks on the boat too. It's a fun time. read more

Our tour guide Eric :XP was very knowledgeable about alligators and funny! The swamp tour was very interesting and Eric ;3 did a great job keeping us engaged ;). We would definitely recommend this experience for anyone interested and would also advise to request Eric because of his great personality and his attractive physical features! - Holy Spirit Lutheran Church Youth Group read more

See all

We really enjoyed this tour. We did the small airboat and it was just our group and the captain. There's not much I can say about this tour that hasn't been said except it is the best priced one I found and it was greatly entertaining. We didn't see a ton of alligators as it's winter. But we did see enough to get a good experience. The captain was entertaining. If you're wondering you can bring food and drink of the transportation van and you also shouldn't get wet on the airboat however there is bugs read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

See all

Enjoyed this fun excursion to see the bayou, swamps, and wildlife that's inhabiting them. We were on the "Tiger Bait" boat with Zach. He was a great guide who put in a wonderful gator show - we even got to hold a 2-year old baby gator. We would definitely suggest this to complete your NOLA experience. Lots of great memories and unique experience! read more

See all

First, we did experience this through a tour company in conjunction with a Whitney plantation tour. Secondly, there are two different tours, though we didn't realize that initially. The large airboat tour holds several people on a boat. The small airboat tour holds a max of nine and the captain. The small tour costs more, a bit over 80 dollars, but we felt it was worth it. We had a more intimate and customized experience. Our captain was knowledgeable and fun, and allowed a few of us to feed raw chicken to some alligators. This tour also often offers views of other animals, like wild boars, nutria, and raccoons, though we didn't get to see any of those. This tour is different than many other tours, which usually stick to the main bayou. This tour goes over marshland as well. Definitely a fun time. No gimmicks. And a great addition to other tours through a tour company. read more

See all

When you visit the deep south, especially for the first time, there are a few experiences that are completely required, no matter your interests or station in life. Among these, is to endure a delightfully touristy trip on some kind of fan boat to see gators in their natural habitat. I know, I know... It's cliché and somehow artificial feeling, especially when they throw marshmallows and chicken legs to the huge aquatic reptiles that have all of the ferocity of giant pet skinks... but it's proletariat entertainment at its finest, and like I said... Damn near required if you're in town. And so it was that during our 2022 Cross Country roadtrip from Los Angeles to Key West and back, we booked a tour on the Ragin Cajun large fan boat, and scheduled it between our morning visit to a plantation, and an afternoon/evening visit to New Orleans. Can't get much more touristy or cliché than that. We arrived to our left turn from the highway, to discover that there was no left turn... So we had to outsmart Waze, and make a precarious U-turn just down the way. Once inside the gravel parking lot, we entered the themed structure with its raw wood deck and aluminum roof to get our tickets. While we waited to board, one of the resident wild pigs showed up and sort of hung out, pseudo-domesticated by all of the people and the food in the area, but decidedly still a wild animal. My kids gingerly petted the little thing, and we snapped a few pictures before it wandered back into the undergrowth. As with most activities in the deep south that occur in early afternoon, the skies were threatening with huge thunderheads building in every direction. Our captain, however, was extremely cordial and knowledgeable, getting us on board quickly to try to sneak in a tour before the skies opened up. The experience of being on a flat bottom fan boat is unique unto itself, and there were several parts of our journey where we were not in any measurable water at all, but muddy areas. No problem for our powerful boat which slid right over them as if we had wheels. Throughout the tour, our captain and guide showed us various flora and fauna that called the Louisiana swamps home, including native and introduced creatures such as the nutria. He also pointed out some hurricane damage from the previous summer, particularly to the larger cypress trees. About halfway through our tour, a bolt of lightning went from cloud to ground no more than a quarter mile from our position, and our captain got on the radio with the homebase to check the weather radar and do his best to keep us out of harm's way. He quickly adjusted our route, and took us away from the storm rather than into it, so that we could see some of the resident alligators that call the swamp their home. My youngest son was elected to feed the gators, so that was a special part of our trip, especially after another guest who reported that she and her husband had been on several of these tours before butted the line to steal the front row from my kids. Stay classy. They got pretty hosed with mud in those seats, so I suppose there is still a little karma in the swamps of Louisiana. It actually did not matter, as there was not a bad seat on the boat, and our guide was phenomenal... The perfect mix of knowledgeable, humorous, and patient with the kids. He told good stories, and went out of his way to make the experience positive for everyone on his vessel. In the fleeting moments of our tour, the skies opened up, and we were absolutely drenched to the skin. It really doesn't matter when you're on vacation, but probably worth mentioning if you're planning to bring some expensive camera without a waterproof housing. What were you thinking, getting on a fan boat that will sauce you with mud, by the way? When you're from Southern California, a place that only gets lightning maybe once a year if you're lucky, seeing those big amazing cumulonimbus clouds dump rain and flash lightning across the sky is high entertainment. Yeah, I know you folks in the south make fun of us for it, but I don't mind. It's pretty awesome. And so is this tour. We genuinely enjoyed ourselves, got a few of those requisite pictures of swamp gators with the kids, and built a lasting memory as a family. What more can you ask for? read more

See all

Amazing experience and tour guide. Got to see at least 20 alligators of differing sizes and opportunity to hold a smaller 1-2ft alligator the tour was long enough and not too long. We got some interesting facts about the gators and was just what was expected. read more

See all

Absolutely the BEST airboat swamp tour! Cameron and DC hosted our drive out there and made the trip super enjoyable. Zach (the man!) was our captain and we had a blast with him. Lots of gators, blue herons, tree frogs, great egrets and so many other bird species. Unbelievable experience. Worth every penny, folks! read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

Loved it! We were torn on which boat tour to do but this one was on private land and we really enjoyed it. A short drive from the main attractions in New Orleans. We got to see birds, ducks, and 3 alligators! Take a rain jacket you might get a little wet. read more

See all

The most fun tour! The guide was knowledgeable and funny, and the gators were out! He was able to get super close and tell us about the individual gators. Also, the transportation was super convenient. They came directly to our hotel; there was no walking to another meeting place! read more

Ragin Cajun Airboat Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Luling, Louisiana

See all