Atchafalaya Swamp guide

James:

I'm from there. I don't know any guides personally, but I do know that there are some folks who'd be happy to send you information regarding the Atchafalaya Basin and resources for exploring it. If you're looking for photography tours, you may not find them, but guide services can be had for a price.

Try 1800 LAROUGE (Baton Rouge Convention and Visitor's Bureau) or 800-346-1958 (Lafayette CVB)

These are the closest major cities. You will have a fair bit of luck finding guides in Henderson or Breaux Bridge.

A bit of advice: Explore the northern (State Highway 1) and southern (State Highway 90) parts of the basin as well. You'll be glad you did. If you'd like other tidbits on the best places to stay and eat, let me know.

Doug

James,

You will need to decide what type of tour guide you want by the type of pictures you want. The average swamp tour is a general overview of the Atchafalaya Swamp with a lot of interesting information . . . Great for snapshots! However you'll typically be with a group of people that just wants to see and hear about the swamp, then whip out a point & shoot and move on. They are not interested in spending any amount of time to get a really good photograph. As Doug said you'll need a personal guide, if you want to take photographs youll be satisfied with. Thats what I do. A typical day with me will be about 8 hours of swamp time (plus travel time) which can include either a sunrise or sunset. Cost is $300 per day for up to two photographers (you can split the cost with a friend if you want). Contact me if you want more details.

Harvey Wilson Baton Rouge, LA

James,

Being from the area as well, I wold like to add to the other recommendations. The guides are not an option but a requirement! If you have a boat or maybe receive some simple looking maps etc. don't think of exploring alone! Hire a guide!

There is a very good overall tour out of Patterson, LA. Cajun Jack's I think. His favorite story is when he was conducting a tour and noticed a nice bass boat tied off in a remote area. When he approached, a man jumps up offering him the boat and trailer for getting him back to his truck. He was from out of state and had been out there three days after the Bass Tournament had ended! Lots of American Alligators, poisonous snakes, and spiders, and unimaginable quoatities of Mosquitoes to keep him company for his stay.

The Atchafalaya is no place to wander around on your own. I have seen much of the basin from near I-10 all the way South to the Atchafalaya bay @ Morgan City. It is definetly worth seeing, and could provide you with thousands of great images, or a lifetime of nightmares. But the first 30 times you visit, it all looks the same after an hour or two of cruising around.

Get a guide, even if it is a hunting and/or fishing guide, just tell them what you want to see, or where you want to go. A good tip, other than the monetary type, is to offer a nice framed photograph of the guide in the place that is so dear to their hearts. Many guides in the area do not even have a point and shoot, but have tens of thousands of beautiful images, in their hearts and minds. We (Cajuns) love to brag about our homeland's beauty and acknowledge our responsibilty to preserve it through increasing awareness, among other means.

Deinitely have a guide.