leblanc swamp tours

Norbert Leblanc, owner of the Leblanc Swamp Tours give me and my family a tremendous tour of the swamps, providing excellent information of the life of the swamps and its history. C'EST UN EXCELLENT RACONTEUR ET IL EST TRÈS JOYEUX ET D'UNE GRANDE HOSPITALITÉ.If you go to ACADIANA country of Louisiana, visit of the swamps with NORBERT it is a must.DONAT SAVOIE, PROVINCE OF QUÉBEC, CANADA

The weather was not so good but the boat tour was really nice.we saw some crocodile and lot of cypres.M Leblanc has a real friendly attitude and like to share his experience.do not hesitate and book this 2 hours and half tour by phone.

It was the last tour of the season before Norbert Leblanc went on vacation. We were very lucky to have him as a guide to the swamp tour, he was very friendly and full of knowledge of the area. Alligators were lucky not to cross a Cajun's path. We had a taste of his special mix of eau de vie. It is highly recommended to call him and book for the tour which is worth every penny. Coming to Louisiana without a swamp tour is like coming to this part of the world and not having crawfish or not listening to live music. Don't miss the tour. We enjoyed it and took a lot of pictures.

This is my first review but had to comment on the great swamp tour. We were at first concerned as we hadn't seen any advertising or web site but it didn't take long to realize we definitely were with the best. Our tour was bi-lingual which actually made it more interesting. We saw many birds, turtles and alligators. We would recommend this to anyone visiting Louisiana!!!

My wife and I moved to Louisiana 6 years ago for work and like many transplants we didn't go exploring in great detail like a tourist would in one week. Enter my cousin from Paris, France. Apparently every French tourist guide book on the planet features LeBlanc Swamp Tours as one of the marquee things to do while in Louisiana. Sure, there are other outfitters to choose from which in appearance may seem more "sophisticated" and "modern," but rest assure a tour with Mr. LeBlanc is like stepping into a time machine and meeting a true Cajun who is giving you a sneak peek to a land he calls home. I was skeptical at first but my cousin kept insisting. Boy am I glad I went! Mr. LeBlanc has no website, no twitter account, no facebook account, and as he will tell you himself- he has no GPS. What he lacks in commercialization (a positive) and technology; he makes up in humor, charm, and personality. Although Mr. LeBlanc is somewhere near his early 80s, he still operates his tours alone with a pretty sharp mind and spirit. The only way you are going to get in touch with him is the old fashion phone call. Trust me, it's worth it! This is my first review ever on TripAdvisor and I feel compelled to share with the world an attraction that is a must see. I think Mr. LeBlanc is a rare gem to Louisiana's past and it will be a travesty once he can no longer take visitors around the lake he calls home. In case you were wondering about Mr. LeBlanc's credentials, he was a French translator during WWII. After his tour was finished, he never left Louisiana again. He was featured in several prominent magazines/journals including the Lonely Planet 2013 (French Version), Grand Reportage 2002 (Canadian version of our National Geographic), and of course the National Geographic. Before Mr. LeBlanc became a full time tour guide, he hunted alligators like the folks you see on the tv series Swamp People. When you go on one of his tours, be prepared to hear his tour in both English and French. It's a pleasure as I am bilingual to hear roars of laughter from those that speak English and then from those that speak French. Ask anyone in Breaux Bridge and they will all tell you he is the best. I am honored to have met him and I hope you will get the same opportunity as well.

Excellent visit. Magical, smart and friendly on the same time. I am French and my husband English so Mr. Norbert Leblanc did the visit in both languages !!!I really recommend this tour. Anyway the tour was full and people were waiting during hours for the next one (without appointment) and Mr. Leblanc's cell was ringing a lot for future tours (for August as well) so better to book the day and the hour before. This is the best tour ever !!!

Toured Lake Martin (near Breaux Bridge) in Mr. LeBlanc's boat. 8 French speaking people and 4 of us. He kept all of us laughing with his Cajun humor. He is very knowledgeable about the plants, animals and birds that are in his backyard. Next time I have out of town guest we will do this tour with them.

Got a hot tip from some fellow Canadian tourists we bumped into earlier in the day who recommended Monsieur Lebalanc if we wanted a swamp tour. So we drove to Beaux Bridge and with assistance from some locals my wife and I were on the tour with Monsieur Leblanc. From start to finish the tour lasted just over 2 hours. Mr. Leblanc who will soon turn 80 conducted the tour in french as 9 of the 11 guests spoke french but with english translation. Counted 18 alligators during the tour and numerous turtles and birds. This tour is the real thing so stop by the tourism centre in Beaux Bridge to receive the phone number to book a tour.

While staying in Baton Rouge, it was suggested by our B&B proprietress that LeBlanc's was the swamp tour in the Lafayette area. We left bright and earlier to get out to Breaux Bridge area to meet our guide for a 9:30AM tour. Only one tour that day. Our guide is a 74 year native who has lived, fished and hunted in this area. The tour is given in both english and cajun french. It lasts about 2 1/2 hours and you get to see the shoreline as well as along the banks and in among the cypress. It was a good day so there were some alligators sunning themselves even though it was October and a touch cool. We passed a tree with a flock of cormarants roosting in the tree. The water in the lake was being drawn down to do some rehabiltation work on the cypress but it was deep enough for our boat.During the entire trip, we are regaled with stories of alligator hunting in the area as well as information about the ecology of the lake. Mr. LeBlanc is not shy and will show you copies of magazines where he has been featured as a local legend. All in all, a fun trip to an area that may change but is a treat while you can experience it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. It was one of the highlights of our 3 week road trip from Savannah to San Diego. Norbert knows this lake like the back of his hand. Fabulous scenery. Recommended. Includes free moonshine! Totally authentic!

My wife and I took the LeBlanc Swamp Tour as it was recommended by Mary Linn at Au Bayou Teche Bed and Breakfast in Breaux Bridge where we were staying. The tour is $20 pp. It was a very exciting, fun, picturesque, relaxing and memorable adventure. The swamp tour lasted about two hours. There were ten of us on the boat plus Norbert LeBlanc the owner and guide. Norbert is one person you will never forget, as he is the “King of the Bayou”. Norbert has been written up in National Geographic about his knowledge of the Louisiana swamps. It is very obvious that Norbert loves the Lake Martin cypress swamp. Norbert told us that he has killed hundreds of alligators in his lifetime. There are 1400 alligators estimated to be in this swamp. We only saw a few alligators mostly because July is mating season and the alligators stay hidden during this time. Norbert has lots of experience of this swamp, the bayous, and the Cajun country. We would highly recommend the LeBlanc Swamp Tour.

Most everything has been said about LeBlanc Swamp Tours, except that Mr. Norbert, the owner and one and only guide, was featured in two National Geographic articles and various film pieces about Cajun life. Over the years I have taken several swamp tours and this is by far the most enjoyable and authentic. One note make sure you get exact directions to the tour meeting point. The address given is Mr Leblanc's home address ...

We read about Norbert's tour in various places and all were in unison: if you're passing by Lake Martin, you are simply a FOOL not to call him for the tour. So we did.We were in the area for only 2 days and called him for the second day as we were quite backed up and done with our first day. It seems he wasn't available for tours for the day we would have liked. Deception. Then we re-arranged our plans and called him back to know if we could have the tour at the end of the first day. He declined, but he told us that he was agreeing to our first choice, having the tour on the second day and inviting us to meet him at the Lake at 5pm the next day. WOW! That's what we call customer service.We showed up around 4:15 to have a first view at the Lake before the tour. A man arrived around with his boat around 4:30. Bright eyes, tanned skin, white beard. No doubt, this was Norbert. He waived at us, started talking and this was it. We began to understand the legend behind the man.The tour started 30 minutes later, with 7 other francophone folks. Quickly, Norbert showed the extent of his knowledge, expertise and familiarity with his environment and the lake, and with all species of the Cajun countries. A man who hunted gators for 30 years, who is fishing crawfish every year, who carved into cypress, respectful for each animal on his path, telling his stories and awakening us to all beauties of the swamp.He carries a lot of experience and of respect for the swamp, the bayous and the Cajun country and succeed in transmitting his passion to his visitors during the 2hrs + tour.And this is only talking about Norbert, our guide. About the nature now.... Simply astonishing. Landscapes even more incredible you can wish for, tons of surprise visits from different animals. Words simply cannot describe the experience.This said, you cannot miss it. You're in Lake Martin's area, just call Norbert and do the tour. A big MUST, seriously.

This is exactly what I was hoping for when I started looking for a rather touristy thing to do, a cajun swamp tour. Loved the guy, his boat, his expert knowledge and charm. Felt like I was immersed in the cajun culture. So much life and experience he bases his tour off of! Kinda stumbled upon this tour by accident after another "bigger" outfit was full when I wanted to go. So glad it happened that way. Must do!

We read about Norbert and his trips on TA and so glad we did. He runs his own show against the bigger, noisier and less caring operators...one who takes his dog to bark at the alligators...this scares them away from their home logs forever. Norbert is a true gentlemen to man, woman, beast, alligator, bird or fish. His respect for nature and his beloved bayou is obvious and his knowledge profound. His jokes are corny but great. We wound our way quietly through the waters seeing and hearing nature at its best. Numerous alligators and myriad birds....the noises were wonderful and I am so glad we chose him as the other boats were noisy, went too fast and drowned out the sounds of nature. Stopping to listen to this was wonderful..as was his lagniappe ! Unexpected and so fun and kind..you have go to find out what I mean.Long may he be King of the Bayou.