Beyond the Bayou Tours

Five stars for this wonderful two hour tour of the swamp and bayou out by Maurepas, Louisiana. Halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. It is seriously out in the middle of nowhere and much of the river is almost completely untouched. As it should be.Our tour guide was talkative and knowledgeable and despite the fact that he's been doing this three times a day for a couple of years, it sounded fresh and unrehearsed. We sat in comfortable seats on the flatbottom boat as we slowly went one way along the river, pointing out the wildlife, cypress knees and trees, reed brushes and more.This tour is "natural" meaning that they leave nothing and take nothing. They absolutely do not feed the alligators, which is why we did not see any of them in two full hours. The 4:30 to 6:30 tour was perfect as we got to see the water during daylight and as the Sun set.I took nearly 200 pictures and at least 5 minutes of video. It was amazing.Tip: Check the weather. With the humidity, it can get cold. I wish I'd brought a hoodie.Tip: Hit a restroom before you arrive. You're about to spend two hours on a boat. There's a port-a-potty at the meetup spot and that was appreciated but not awesome.Tip: There was no cell phone service out here, so make sure you have a saved map on your phone to get you back to an area with coverage.[Review 14086 overall, 1408 of 2020, number 7 in Louisiana.]

This eco swamp tour far exceeded my expectations! Everything from the customer service to the pandemic-related safety protocols to the knowledge of the guides was top-notch.To answer the big question right off the bat - YES we saw several gators! We also spotted turtles and a ton of unique birds. One of the biggest things that sets Beyond the Bayou apart from "the other guys" is that it's meant to be as natural as possible - in turn, it's the most respectful of/safest for the animals and delicate environment. This company does NOT feed the gators to get them to come over - and you know what? You don't NEED to do that! This is where the gators live, you'll see them naturally! If you're looking for the trained gators experience, this isn't the tour for you...but this one is far superior!On top of seeing the wildlife, you'll be treated to an interesting educational experience. These guys know every tree, bend in the swamp, bird species, facts about the animals...you name it! The experience is approachable and you really gain so much from just listening and (literally) enjoying the ride.Also, I live in Arizona, a vastly different type of landscape, and I was completely surprised by how beautiful the swamp was - wow!Quit searching and book this tour! You won't regret it!

There were no promises on alligator sightings. Our tour was mid-Dec 9:30am, we saw: a blue heron, a few turtles, a few turkey vultures. It was probably a little too cold for alligators. We were on the river for nearly 3 hours and learned a great amount about the local ecosystem! The river was quite high - 8 feet above normal. Beautiful views of the trees with moss along with unique floating "houses". Great weather - blue skies with fluffy and slightly gray clouds! Boat has cushioned seats for 6 passengers. Good views from any seat. Two soft Sherpa blankets in case anyone gets too cold from the winds. Very enjoyable. No marshmallows or any animal feedings. Would recommend if you like learning about the river ecosystem and trees. Note: If you are driving, at the exit (straight-ahead) is a truck stop (gas station with hot food & drinks - Sunny Time) with a bar (Honey Island Fish House). Park in front of the bar and walk in on the left side for a boat ramp to the river. Beyond the Bayou swamp tour boards there, there is no building for checking in! Hopefully someone will be there to greet you about 10-15 min before the tour! Cute and very friendly gray cat lives at the bar. There are also some less friendly and loud chickens at the back of the bar.

Wonderful! Our tour guide Brian was helpful, thorough, and made it a great experience.

We did the combination swamp tour/ Whitney Plantation. The Whitney plantation is very far away from the swamp tour. The tour guides were very organized and sent us every detail in an email and checked in with us several times before the actual day of our tour. Albert he gave us the swamp tour was very knowledgeable and taught us an enormous amount about the swap. There is a lot to learn about the swamp. Albert, the guide of the swamp tour, also taught us a lot about alligators. There is a bar/restaurant at the location where you meet for the swamp tour that you can use for a bathroom. There's also a gas station there. I would bring your own water or snacks as that is not provided. We are accustomed to traveling with children so we did bring water and snacks. Do you bring a jacket because it does get chilly in the spring and winter. The Whitney plantation is an hour and a half away from the swamp tour and they send you to a restaurant near the Whitney plantation. When we got to the Whitney plantation they were waiting for us and they had our tickets. Everything was seamless. The Whitney plantation is focused on the life of the enslaved people working on plantations in the south. We definitely felt sick about what we learned. Well worth a visit and the education.

One of my girlfriends and I went on a 2-hour swamp tour and had an awesome time. Beyond the Bayou is one of the companies in the area that doesn't disturb, taunt, or feed the gators for the "enjoyment" of guests, which we loved. And please don't think that means you won't see gators or get close to them -- we certainly got our share of interaction! Our tour guide was really friendly, and he had a lot of interesting info to share about the area (including some really cool facts about the swamps and trees that I won't spoil here, but it was a highlight for this to be a learning experience about the local ecology, too). We decided to go on this tour on the way from Florida into New Orleans for Jazz Fest last year, and it was a wonderful highlight of the trip and great way to kick it off. Hoping to go back soon!PS: You can bring snacks and drinks (including alcohol!) on the boat with you, which was the only thing that could have made the tour better if we had been prepared. The tour center is located behind a bar, however, so we had a fun pregame beforehand :)

Wow, I can't say enough about how good this tour was! They are the MOST responsible tour group I could find, and as an ecologist, that was extremely important to me!! Not only are they respectful of the local wildlife, including gators, so all future generations get to see them, Beyond the Bayou is SO KNOWLEDGEABLE about everything! From wildlife, to local history, to current issues, my tour guide was so engaging in telling us all about the swamps. He had some incredible stories about old secret routes through the very swamp we were in! All the guides are from that area, and my guide literally grew up on the river we navigated down, so this stuff is in their blood, and the enthusiasm and knowledge really show. My guide was also very kind, patient, and helpful! I HIGHLY recommend this tour - excellent value for your money, and information you really can't get anywhere else!!

We had a great time on a swamp tour with Beyond the Bayou Tours! The scenery was gorgeous, the boat was comfortable, and the crew was great. The captain was really knowledgeable and being on a smaller boat made for a very personal tour. This was the highlight of our trip to New Orleans!

We didn't want to take a swamp boat tour on an airboat where they have to feed the gators to get them to come out. The airboats are noisy and scare the wildlife off and feeding the wildlife is really bad for them. This is a good size boat that doesn't scare the crap out of everything for 20 miles. The boat operator is fantastic and will give you a much more interesting narration than most. Excellent tour, take & wear bug repellant and sunscreen a hat and a camera. We saw a couple of gators & hundreds of birds. Love it reccomend it

Really enjoyed the intimate 6 person swamp tour. With the rainy weather, we had a tarp over our boat but our guide was excellent at guiding us through the bayou and over fallen logs. We support the ecotourism mantra of Beyond the Bayou and that they do not bait the gators like almost all the other groups. We also appreciated that as a local, our guide had much to tell about the general area. Our one complaint was that he did not seem to know (or readily volunteer) much detail about the wildlife ("oh look it's a yellow bird" or "it's a turtle") Having done a larger boat tour a few years back, we've come to realize the timing of the tour probably makes a bit difference (it would be really difficult to get the same quality large boat tour in September as we had in May due to differences in water level).