A truly magical interactive swamp tour experience! If asked to describe this tour in just one sentence that would be my reply.
Captain Billy Gaston was born and raised on the bayous and swamps of South Louisiana and has spent most of his life surrounded by the wildlife. This has provided him with the love of his career, knowledge of our culture and experiences to share the beauty of Louisiana swamps as well as make the bayou come alive for us as our tour guide.
Before the tour even begins you will be greeted warmly as though you are part of Captain Billy’s family with his engaging personality. Once the boat is ready for loading, you are let aboard where you will notice that the boat has comfortable seats, is handicap accessible with a bathroom facility, and has a covered roof which will provide much needed shade on a hot day or keep you dry if it starts to rain.
On a tour you can expect a narrated adventure through the swamps and bayous, plenty of chances to see the amazing cypress trees with spanish moss and authentic cajun music playing along the way.
There are several different animals you can expect to see along your journey.
Alligators:
Captain Billy has named the gators many popular names you will hear around Southern Louisiana like Boudreaux, Thibodeaux, Clotile, T- Mike, T- Claude, and if you’re lucky T-boy who is a 13 foot alligator. The gators will often come closer just by spotting his familiar boat and by recognizing the sound of his voice to receive a reward of fresh food. Gators may be present during winter tours where you can see them out enjoying the sun while resting on a log, but they won’t be very active.
Bald Eagles:
Captain Billy knows where the eagles nests are located and Terrebonne Parish happens to be the most active place in Louisiana to find eagles. The eagles are common from the middle of October (when they first start building their nests) through the beginning of May (when they will leave to travel up north.)
Other common animals:
Great blue heron, little blue heron, snowy egret, great white egret, owls, hawks, anhingas, osprey, cormorants, turtles, white tail deer, wild pigs, coyotes, rabbits, nutria and squirrels.
There are several tours you can choose from:
Regular Swamp Tour – 2.5 hour tour- limited to 45 people
This tour is recommended for all ages. Captain Billy will invite anyone who would like to feed the alligators a chance to safely feed them fresh chicken as well as invite children to steer the boat back to Bob’s Bayou Black Marina.
Photography Tour:
3.5 hour tour – catered to photographers only. Captain Billy will get you as close to the subject as possible and even tries to eliminate branches and other obstacles as well as positioning the boat so everyone can have an opportunity to photograph the subject easily. Limited to 22 people so your tripods and photography equipment all have room. (more information on suggested lenses below)
Praise and Worship Tour:
There is nothing more fulfilling than a beautiful day out on the water singing and praising the lord in the midst of God’s beautiful creation, the swamps and bayous of Louisiana. Book this tour for a one of a kind experience tailored to your specific church group.
Private Group Tour
Documentary Tour: Captain Billy’s Swamp tours have been feature on National Geographics, Hollywood Tv Shows, and EWTN
Other possibilities include:
School field trips (Very educational) Birthday parties, wedding parties and anniversary parties
Did you know that each year over 5,000 tourists will visit Terrebonne Parish?
Did you also know that Captain Billy’s Swamp Tour was voted the best swamp tour in 2018?
As you can tell, you are in for a treat! So pack your bag, grab your family & friends and enjoy Captain Billy’s knowledge of the swamp, explanation of its importance and sense of humour for hours at a time.
Additional Photography information:
If you are interested in the photography tour- here are some of my takeaways:
The first time I went on the tour I brought my 70-200 mm lens on a full frame body. This worked well for the alligators nearby, but would have preferred to have more of a wide angle lens to capture the alligators better. The eagles were too far off into the distance for me to capture any significant details of the birds while they were perched in the trees.
The second photography tour I went on I was better prepared and knew that the alligators wouldn’t be my subject because it was a chilly winter morning. I brought my 200 mm – 500 mm lens on a full frame body and was able to capture the eagles grabbing food out of the water as well as capturing them in the trees.
A Cajun Man Swamp Tours can be found at
251 Marina Dr, Gibson, LA 70356 (985) 868-4625
Open 7 days a week- all year long
Tour times:
10:30 am & 1:30 pm (depending on weather)
Website: www.cajunmanadventures.com
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1926016470955573/?ref=br_rs