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Louisiana and Mississippi Day 6: Gator Tour!

13 October 2022 • 133 km / 83 mi (map)

Added to Eric Scouten :: Travel on 25 November 2022
Louisiana 9

Louisiana is famous for its swamps and bayous. And the gators that live within them. We took a sightseeing tour today with Cajun Encounters to the Honey Island Swamp near Slidell. And we saw gators!

The swamp itself is an etheral landscape, unlike anything we’re used to in the Pacific Northwest.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

A cypress swamp with tall trees draped in Spanish moss rising from still, murky green water that mirrors the trunks and canopy under a clear blue sky. Clumps of grass and undergrowth grow at the water’s edge and around the buttressed tree bases.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

An American alligator glides through murky brown swamp water with just its head and part of its back breaking the surface, leaving a trailing wake. The still water reflects surrounding trees and dappled sunlight.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

An alligator’s dark head and snout break the surface of murky swamp water, leaving ripples spreading across the rippled, reflective surface.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

An American alligator glides through murky greenish-brown swamp water, its head and back partially breaking the surface and leaving ripples in its wake, with reflections of overhanging trees visible on the water.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

We later would learn that these were just the kids — a mere four or five feet long. The big guys would come later …

A cypress swamp with tall trees draped in Spanish moss rising from dark, still water, with clumps of bright green grass at their bases and a clear blue sky visible through the canopy.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

A dense stand of tall bald cypress trees rising from the still, greenish waters of a swamp, their slender trunks and green foliage draped with wisps of Spanish moss and reflected in the calm surface below.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

Looking straight up into a forest canopy where the sun bursts through branches draped with Spanish moss, set against a bright blue sky with wispy clouds.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

A still, greenish swamp with tall cypress trees, some standing straight and others leaning at sharp angles, their trunks and the surrounding forest mirrored on the calm water surface. Bright daylight filters through the canopy in the Honey Island Swamp near Slidell, Louisiana.

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

We were thankful to be in a self-contained boat; every tree, every bit of land contains a potential hazard:

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana · by Lisa Rozmyn

Honey Island Swamp, east of Slidell, Louisiana

After the swamp, our captain took us around the bend in the Old Pearl River (at an exhilarating 30mph on the water!) to a lagoon where the big gators live. These were thought to be 10-15 feet long and there were many of them. Here are a few close-ups!

An American alligator swims at the surface of gray, rippling river water, its head, armored back, and part of its tail visible above the waterline as sunlight glints off the ripples.

Old Pearl River, east of Slidell, Louisiana

An alligator’s snout and eyes break the surface of calm gray water, its dark, bumpy head cutting through concentric ripples as it swims toward the camera.

Old Pearl River, east of Slidell, Louisiana

Old Pearl River, east of Slidell, Louisiana · by Lisa Rozmyn

New Orleans to Slidell, Louisiana, and back · 133 km / 83 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there. Use the

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Louisiana and Mississippi Day 7: Two Mississippis →

← Louisiana and Mississippi Day 4: Haunted History Ghost Tour