Pear River Eco Tours in Slidell, LA takes you buzzing through the bayou as you search the waters of the Honey Island Swamp for wildlife. It’s a must-do adventure for any animal lover, or for any first timer in the swampy South.
We took our Pearl River Eco Tour while we were road tripping the Louisiana Craft Brewery Trial. It’s easily accessible from New Orleans or the Covington / North Shore area as it’s only a 45 minute car ride. This is definitely a change from the big city party life of New Orleans and a great option for something to do during the day. We arrived for our afternoon tour and were quite excited, you see even though Lauren and I had both grown up right outside of the Everglades neither of us had ever gone on a swamp tour. If you’re not from the South, I recommend the morning tour, as the afternoon can get very hot and humid. tip: wear bug spray. Seriously. Once you’ve applied bug spray, apply more. Then you might be safe :-)
We arrived for our tour and were super excited, although the whole operation is pretty small, they were quite professional and got us on our little boat pretty quickly. Once on the boat, we set off on our mission: to spot as much wildlife as possible. The good news is the swamp is chock full o’gators and other little critters so it wasn’t too challenging to find them.
The one thing that happened while we are on the tour that left us a bit concerned was this.
While on the water, the operator puts a marshmallow on a stick to bait and feed the gator. While it creates quite the spectacle, the idea of humans interfering with wild animals on such a scale leaves me a bit troubled. While on the water all the operators from all the tour companies were doing it. They claim the marshmallows are harmless, but to me it teaches the wildlife that we are a source of food. If you plan on taking a swamp tour, just be aware that this will happen and make your decisions appropriately.
As the tour continued through the swamp we moved away from the gator habitats and got to see what rural life is like on the bayou.
After some time on the open water, we made our way into the smaller canals and tributaries of the bayou. We were in search of some of the little woodland creatures in the area.
After a bit of effort, we found this guy. His name was Roger. He was super cute, and apparently also likes marshmallows.
After finding the raccoons we turned around and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the swamp as we made our way back to the docks.
Overall, the Pearl River eco tour lasted about 2 hours. If you’ve never been in that kind of swamp environment, it’s definitely worth getting out there to see and hear the exotic sights and sounds of the bayou.
Details for Pearl River Eco Tours Slidell, LA
55050 Hwy 90
Slidell, LA 70461
985.649.4200 -or- 866.59.SWAMP
pearlriverecotours.com
Coupons and Hours of Operation:
- Click to get a $3 – $6 off coupon for a Pearl River Eco Tour
- Scheduled tours at 10 am and 2:30 pm seven days a week
What an experience! I love the photos, and how you are right in the thick of things. :)
How beautiful, and what an amazing experience to get right in the thick of things!
Beautiful photos. Unfortunately, due to the marshmallow feeding practice we decided not to go on this tour. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks Mary. We weren’t aware of the practice at all until we were on the boat. That’s why we felt it was important to share that point, so readers could make an educated decision beforehand.
It’s a shame that they bait the animals. I’m sure the gators know when the boats come that they’ll get a snack. I’d rather just have the chance at seeing gators than for them to bait them.
Agreed Jennifer. The bayous are so full of gators the baiting is truly unneeded and unsafe.
Great details in the animal photos!
I’d love to have the opportunity to explore the swampy south! Crocodiles and alligators intrigue me, although as Mary points out the practice of baiting the alligators is something that would deter me from joining this tour. The landscape looks fantastic and those racoons so cheeky with their bandit Esq appearance!
I love the swamp! The jumping croc picture is incredible!
Beautiful photos – I love swamp tours mainly for the wildlife sightings. It’s something different and always fun!
I sure would hate to see a little boy get his arm bitten off due to an alligator mistaking it for a marshmallow. Very unfortunate and down right negligent. Good for you for pointing the good and bad about the tour.
Looks like a lovely experience. I’ve been fascinated by the bayou for a long time, perhaps from some horror film set there. I think the landscape looks amazing and the chance to spot all those critters is definitely a plus even though I agree with you, they shouldn’t be fed. I’d love to visit.