Booking choice: The large airboat tour with hotel pickup, from $90 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Airboat tickets near New Orleans run from about $50 to $180, and the spread has little to do with how good the ride is. It comes from three choices: who drives you there, how many guests share the boat, and whether a plantation is bolted on.
The prices below are Viator from-prices checked in November 2026. A tour that sounds like four hours is mostly road, so read the ride length next to the price before you compare.
The quick answer
A dock-only ride such as the Lafitte airboat ride starts at $50. With a coach from your hotel, the large airboat tour is $90 and the small-group version is $115. Tips and food are extra on all of them.
How much does an airboat tour in New Orleans cost?
From $50 if you meet at the dock, around $90 to $115 with hotel pickup on the big operators, and $160 for a plantation combo.
The cheapest tickets are dock-only: you drive to Lafitte or Marrero and the price covers the boat and a guide. The large Marrero ride costs $65 and carries a 4.9 rating from 209 guests. Add the coach and the number climbs, because a 30 to 45 minute drive each way is now yours to pay for.
What does each price include?
The boat, a guide and (on some listings) ear protection. Whether hotel transport is in the price changes tour by tour.
The table lists every airboat on this site with its from-price, the ride length where the listing states one and how transport works. Ride times come from each operator's own description.
| Tour | From | Trip length | Time on the boat | Transport | Group limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The large Marrero airboat tour | $65 | 1 h 40 | 1 h 40 | None, meet at the dock | 15 per booking |
| The Lafitte airboat ride | $50 | Up to 4 hours | Not listed | Optional add-on | 30 guests |
| The Gray Line airboat ride | $59 | Up to 4 hours | 1 h 45 | Optional add-on | 25 guests |
| The private swamp airboat tour | $67 | 1 h 30 | 45 min to 1.5 h | Optional add-on | 15 per booking |
| The small-group Marrero airboat tour | $89 | 1 h 40 | 1 h 40 | None, meet at the dock | 9 guests |
| The large airboat tour with hotel pickup | $90 | 4 hours 15 min | About 2 h at the swamp | Coach included | 16 per booking |
| The small-group airboat tour with hotel pickup | $115 | 4 hours 15 min | 1 h 40 | Coach included | 9 guests |
| The six-passenger airboat adventure | $119 | Up to 4 hours | Not listed | Optional add-on | 6 guests |
| The small-group bayou airboat ride | $130 | About 4 hours | 1.5 h | Van included | 13 guests |
| The Oak Alley and airboat combo | $160 | 8 hours | Not listed | Coach included | Not listed |
The lowest price on the list, and the dock is the only thing you pay to reach.
Check dates for the Lafitte airboat rideIs hotel pickup worth the extra money?
If you have no car, yes. The coach is the difference between a booked day and an impossible one.
The swamp docks sit in Marrero, Lafitte and Luling. The Lafitte listing says taxis and ride shares are not available in the area. The large tour and the small-group tour both include coach pickup and drop-off from downtown hotels, so the price is the whole price.
The transport guide walks through each dock and pickup window.
Why is a four-hour tour mostly driving?
The small-group tour has an airboat part of 1 hour 40 minutes, and the rest of the 4 hours 15 minutes is the road and the dock.
The Gray Line ride is 1 hour 45, the small-group bayou ride is 1.5 hours and the private-swamp ride runs from about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Nobody is hiding this. It is just easy to read "4 hours" and picture four hours on the water.
Nine guests at most and a stated 1 hour 40 minute ride, with the coach already paid.
Check dates for the small-group airboat tour with hotel pickupWhat costs extra on an airboat tour?
Tips, food and drinks on every listing, and hotel transport on the dock-based ones.
The listings exclude gratuities and food. The Lafitte ride has a gift shop and a bar on site. Transport on the Lafitte ride, the six-passenger adventure, the Gray Line ride and the private swamp tour is chosen at booking and added to the from-price, so check the total on the date you pick before you compare it with a tour that already includes the coach.
Which airboat tour is the best value?
For a car, the large Marrero ride. Without a car, the large airboat tour.
The large tour is rated 4.9 from 2,140 guests, with the coach built in. The small-group Marrero boat costs $89 for nine guests and the same 1 hour 40 minutes as the hotel version, minus the drive. The most reviewed ride is the Lafitte one, at 4.7 from 5,275 guests.
Are airboat tours worth it?
For most guests, yes. Guests report the gators, the speed and the scenery as a highlight of the trip, but nothing is guaranteed.
Louisiana Tour Company says on its listing that you are not guaranteed to see a gator and that they are dormant in the cold months. A guest on a cold day wrote that there "weren’t as many alligators out as expected" but still saw plenty of small ones. Pick spring or fall if the gators matter most, and read the best time guide before you choose a date.
How do refunds work?
Every tour on this site refunds in full up to 24 hours before.
The Lafitte listing also refunds if lightning, a thunderstorm or high wind stops the tour. Book everyone in one booking on the Louisiana Tour Company tours, or you may not share a boat. The plantation combo is the dearest ticket, so check the cutoff before you pay.
A 4.9-rated large boat with coach pickup and a full refund up to 24 hours before.
Explore the large airboat tour with hotel pickupFrequently asked questions
How much is an airboat tour in New Orleans?
From about $50 for a dock-only ride, $90 to $115 with hotel pickup, and $160 for the plantation combo.
Is transport included in the price?
On the large, small-group and van tours and the Oak Alley combo, yes. On the Lafitte, six-passenger, Gray Line and private-swamp rides it is an option, and on the Marrero dock tours it is not available.
Do you tip an airboat guide?
Gratuities are not in any listing price. Bring cash or plan to tip the guide and the driver separately.
Is the cheapest tour a good choice?
Yes, if you can drive to the dock. The large Marrero ride has a 4.9 rating, but it adds a 30 to 45 minute drive each way.
Ready to book
Choose your airboat tour
Every option here can be cancelled for a full refund; the deadline is on each listing. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Large Airboat Swamp Tour with Hotel Pickup
- About 4 hours 15 minutes door to door, with pickup windows from 8:00 am (a 3:00 pm slot in season)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off by air-conditioned coach
- About 2 hours at the swamp on an airboat with a professional guide
Large Airboat Swamp Tour, Marrero Dock
The cheapest 4.9-rated boat if you can drive to the dock
Small-Group Airboat Tour with Hotel Pickup
- Round-trip coach from downtown hotels, with the same pickup windows as the large tour
- A 1 hour 40 minute airboat tour with a professional guide, nine guests at most
- Guests must be at least 48 inches tall
