Book a tour on the Honey Island Swamp

An authentic Louisiana adventure for the whole family

The Honey Island Swamp, on the northeast edge of St. Tammany Parish, is pristine and lovely, especially in the spring when cypress trees go from dormant to brilliant green. Everything surges to life, the flora and especially the fauna; there are deer and boar, raccoons and nutria, and an abundance of bird life circling, soaring and building nests.

You’ll see turtles, too, sometimes several of them, soaking in sunshine from the tops of old logs. And yes, there are gators. Watching warily from muddy banks, cruising by your tour boat with curiosity. There are several tour companies, like Dr. Wagner’s and Cajun Encounters, which take visitors into the Honey Island Swamp. Reservations are a good idea. Most tours run about two hours and are given on easy-to-board boats launching from Slidell.

The Honey Island Swamp encompasses almost 70,000 acres, more than half of which is preserved for posterity as part of the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. Keep an eye out for pileated woodpeckers and great blue herons stalking a bullfrog dinner. And for the Honey Island Swamp Monster, a Bigfoot-like creature some say has called the marsh home for centuries.

Go to LouisianaNorthshore.com/swamp for tours and operators.