The Best Louisiana Swamp Tours in October

de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours

You can email me:> catahoula1@gmail.com

Boldly going where no boat has gone before!

It has finally cooled off and we are touring on a regular basis all day long,
not just the cool mornings ...

and fabulous sunsets as you can see below...

If you want to join me I can be reached by email:> catahoula1@gmail.com for more info, or to make a reservation...

I know you are on vacation, and 7am is early...

but you asked: "What is the best time of the day for a tour?

Cool Summer Time Louisiana Swamp Tours

It has been a hot summer, but for the last week the heat is in remission, and the high temps are about 20' cooler, and in the am it is about 60'!

The sunrise and sunset tours are still the premium tour times, but I can now do tours all day if you choose.

I will post more photos soon, but got to go do another tour.

                                             Louisiana's most beautiful bird, a Wood Duck


If you are interested in doing a swamp tour with me, you can email:> catahoula1@gmail.com

Lake Martin Landing where I launch my tours is located at 1209 Rookery Road, Breaux Bridge, LA and my tours are by reservation only...

I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and I will be the man driving your tour, if you come to de la Houssaye's

Cool August Louisiana Swamp Tours

OK, we got 75" temperatures, a north wind at 15 mph and it is nice out at the lake.

The kids are back in school and the madhouse that summertime has become at Lake Martin is just about done.

We here in Cajun Country are not happy about these so called reality TV shows that are so offensive to us who live here, and open our doors to the rest of the world to come and share in the things that make south Louisiana so special, like the food, music and swamp tours.

25 years ago, I was a crawfisher man in the Atchafalaya Basin, and started doing swamp tours in my commercial fishing boat. When I did swamp tours I went to the places I knew so well as a fisherman, and followed the "little roads" I knew so well as a fisherman as you can see above.

Today, I am still in the same boat, doing it the way I have always done it with a small group in a small boat going where the big tourist trap boats cannot go.

As you can see above, I usually travel everywhere with my dogs, which is the Louisiana Catahoula Cur, our state dog actually, and they are descendant of wolves and greyhounds from hundreds of years ago. The photo above is by Andre Comeaux and won a International Nikon photo contest, with me and Bobalou, how can you lose?

If you are interested in doing a Louisiana swamp tour or talking about my dogs, I can be reached by email:> catahoula1@gmail.com for more info.

Birdwatching Louisiana Swamp Tours

de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours email:> catahoula1@gmail.com

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye

                                       owner and operator of de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours

One of my favorite birds on tour is the Prothonitary Warbler as seen below.

What I like about this warbler is how it will be indifferent to being in close proximity to humans thus allowing easy photo and birding opportunity.

After nearly 3 months of non-stop rain, I can't believe we have blue bird skies!

One of the best parts of sunshine is we can now find the gators sunning themselves...

and the birds are coming out of the shadows to dry off too!

Most of the bird nesting is in decline at this point, but evidence of the abundance of nesters is everywhere, like this Osprey nest on top of an ancient cypress, as seen below.

Also this time of year we have some very interesting nesters who nest on the ground!

BTW: there is a mama alligator nesting on the waters edge on Rookery road, and even though the newbie at the Nature Conservancy came and trashed the nest, scattered the eggs all over road, mama is still there protecting her nest anyway.


As much as I love the early morning swamp tours I do more sunset tours because getting to the lake for sunrise is asking a lot of people who are on vacation, and this time of the year everybody wants to see gators and sunset is the most productive time this time of day during the year to view gators unless you do a night tour!

If you are travelling and want to see gators, and don't have time for a 1 or 2 hour tour, I advise you get off of I-10 at Breaux Bridge, go to the rookery and see the gators on the side of the road.

They are always there waiting on you, and there is no charge to travel rookery road in your private vehicle and tour yourself...

Louisiana Swamp Tours July 2015

Don't hate me for the weather report, but 4th of July swamp tours are getting rained out for the third time in a row here at Lake Martin today and it ain't even 3:30pm yet.

But we are here waiting for you should you want to brave the rain chance...


The photo below was how good the weather looked at sunrise and it has been down hill ever since.

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and I am the man who invented the small flat bottomed boat tours over 30 years ago, and that is how I am still doing it today, as you can see in the photo below.

The reason my boat does not have a top is because I couldn't go through the flooded forest with low hanging branches if it was protected from rain, but after 3 months and about 150 inches of rain so far this year, I am thinking about it.

I have always done my tours in a flat bottomed crawfish boat as you can see from the photo above taken 24 years ago.

As you can see in the photo above, I am not shy about getting wet and wild while on tour, but I try to protect my guests from getting wet and we dodge the thunderstorms to stay dry.

Also, I do on occasion swim with the big boys you see in the photo above, but no one believes me until they see it. And hey.... that's another way to cool off in the summer time!

I love the summer!


Louisiana swamp tours in the summertime are usually better at sunrise or sunset because you see more alligators in the cool of the day and it is much more pleasant for us temperature wise and.... we typically have afternoon thunderstorms which end before 6pm allowing for a window of time to do sunset tours without the risk of rain.

But this year the weather is unpredictable because it rains everyday and morning noon, or night we have been having rain and I mean for the last 3 months!

  Should you choose to do a tour and would like to make a reservation, I can be reached at 337 298 2630.

4th of July Louisiana Swamp Tours

de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours

 

 

I am the man who has been doing swamp tours in a crawfish boat for nearly 30 years.

I have always made a point to keep it small and personal. I also do custom photo and birding safaris as a private option where is only you and your family.

 

 

The photo below of a wood duck was shot at Lake Martin on a custom trip.

 

Looks like we may have a dry 4th considering that we have had rain nearly everyday for the last three months, but...I will believe it when I see it!

 

 

 

 

At any rate IF the sun shines the gators come out of the water and sun themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

The bird nesting season is winding down, but we still have spoonbills and Ibis active in the rookery.

If you are traveling for the 4th of July and want to do a swamp tour we have a about 10 boats at Lake Martin that available for your convience, but not guaranteeing you a seat without a reservation. You can call me at 337 298 2630 to make a reservation, or just show up and sort it out which is not a bad idea with the weather complicating things and making it virtually impossible to predict or plan anything outdoors when it is raining morning and afternoon..

So if you don't mind risking a little rain and getting wet and wild with the man who was swamp before Swamp People was cool, I am your man.

I am Marcus de la Houssaye, and I will be the man driving your tour if you come to de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours. I do not hire drivers to run my tours, as I am a one man operation and I can be reached by cell phone at 337 298 2630 if you would like a personal swamp experience with me.

 

BTW: July and August are alligator nesting season and the momma alligators are on the nest as you can see below...

 

 

Lake Martin is located just a few minutes off of I-10 near Breaux Bridge and Lafayette.

Typically this time of year I only do sunset and sunrise tours due to the heat, but with this crazy weather, the clouds and rain is actually keeping the temps down some. At any rate if I am not available I will refer you to one of my friends who are doing tours 24/7 in big flat bottomed boats.

No matter what or when we will try to accommodate your special interests and make it happen!

Louisiana Swamp Tours in the Heat of Summer

https://youtu.be/WgGsStILUoo

Louisiana Swamp Tours in Summer 2015

Hi, I am Marcus de la Houssaye and I have been doing tours at Lake Martin for nearly 30 years.

 

 

 

Presently, I am now returning to the lake after a nearly 6 month hiatus due to the winter off season followed by the wettest spring I have ever witnessed. but it looks like the rain is over ... I hope!

As of now I am officially at the lake every day early and late in the day, as I am producing a documentary, and DOING SWAMP TOURS.

But, YOU CANNOT PREDICT summer weather,  except that the storms are more likey in the afternoon, and...if the thunderstorms are working for us, we can do a tour in the middle of the day and be cool because the storm generates wind and shade making it possible for us to be comfortable in the middle of the day.

One of the best things about summertime is the lotus blossums, and it is now!

If you come early in the am, when the blossums are just opening up, the fragrance of thousands of flowers is nothing short of heavenly.

If you are planning a tour and uncertain about your schedule, please be advised: Lake Martin has numerous tour boats that are available by reservation, but it appears about half the people who come are driving in without reservations and just sorting it out when they get there.

But, if you want me you can call me at 337 298 2630 for reservations.

In the photo above you can see I am very engaging when it comes to gators on tour, but unfortunately most of the people coming in the summertime want to see gators, but come at the wrong time of the day.

With the exception of nesting momma gators like the one above, to see gators in the summertime it is important to come early or late in the day because alligators are temperature sensitive, and hide from the heat of the day in the cool shady shallows where we can't see em!

So hey y'all, we got gators and we are waiting for you to come visit us at Lake Martin so we can share My Wild Louisiana!

Uhhh, if you are worried about snakes as you can see in the photo above alligators love to eat snakes and we don't regularly see anything but the rat snakes!

My favorite time of day in summer time after sunrise is as you can see in the photo above: sunset.

You can call me anytime of day, and even if I am not available because I am all booked up, I will be glad to help you find one of my friends to serve you, as we all work together at Lake Martin to make your visit special, wet and wild!

BTW: I was swamp people, before it was a TV show! That's me and my daughter about 20 yrs ago at Lake Martin for a family photo shoot.

337 298 2630    de la Houssaye's Swamp Tours