We toured around the swamp in the Atchafalaya Basin on a small boat made for about 2 dozen people. We saw hundreds of alligators our tour guide threw food to, getting them to come closer for our photos.

Atchafalaya Basin.

We saw people on a small 2-person boat fishing. God knows what they would have done if they had fallen in. We also saw two tourists who, for some reason, had abandoned their boat & were wading back to the shore. I guess it must have been on their way out of the swamp that they broke down. If they had seen the number of alligators I had seen, they would never have left the boat.

The boat tour was very good, and I wouldn't hesitate to go on it again if I was in the area again.

About the Atchafalaya Basin.

The Atchafalaya Basin is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. It is located in south-central Louisiana. It combines wetlands and delta areas where the Atchafalaya River and the Gulf of Mexico converge. The river stretches from near Simmesport in the north through parts of eight parishes to the Morgan City southern area.

The Atchafalaya differs from Louisiana basins because it has a growing delta system with almost stable wetlands. The basin contains about 70% forest habitat and 30% marsh and open water. It contains the largest contiguous block of forested wetlands (about 35%) in the lower Mississippi River valley and the largest floodplain forest in the United States. Best known for its iconic cypress–tupelo swamps, at 260,000 acres- this forest block represents the largest remaining contiguous tract of coastal cypress in the United States.