Adventures in the Cajun Coast great outdoors mean great times for outdoor lovers.
Whether your great outdoors is paddling on a meandering trail in the vastness of the Atchafalaya Basin, taking a swamp tour cruise with a local character or simply taking in the beauty of the Bayou Teche Scenic Byway, you can find your path to the great outdoors all across the Cajun Coast!
With Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, the largest wetland and swamp in the country with 800,000 acres of pristine beauty, as our backyard, and the entire Gulf Coast at our feet, there is no shortage of waterway activities here. We developed paddling trails for kayaks and canoes to help you navigate like a pro. The trails are noted in terms of difficulty, so even the novice paddler can explore. Several local outfitters have kayaks or canoes for rental as well.
Captain Cavier keeps the good times rolling on the bayou. Photo: Cajun Coast CVB.
With local characters, like Captain Caviar, providing as much entertainment as the alligators and beauty during their swamp tours, taking a swamp tour on the Cajun Coast is a must!
Wildlife Watching
The Attakapas Wildlife Management Area features nearly 30,000 acres of swamp and bottomland forest. Accessible only by boat, primitive camping is available.
Trees rise out of the bayou. Photo: Cajun Coast CVB
The Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge and Boardwalk allows you to stroll into the refuge, noted as a habitat for the Louisiana Black Bear and other Louisiana coastal wildlife. Fishing, hiking, boating, canoeing, and kayaking are other options on the refuge.
The Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area is an active delta and freshwater marsh habitat. Accessible only by boat, boating, fishing, hunting and birding are available.
The watery expanse of the The Atchafalaya National Heritage Area. Photo: Cajun Coast CVB.
The Atchafalaya National Heritage Area was designated by Congress as an area of significant, natural, scenic, cultural, historical and recreational resources, and this untainted treasure beckons to be traveled.
Scenic Beauty
Even driving takes you close to nature in the Cajun Coast. The Bayou Teche Scenic Byway winds its way through the area, around Bayou Teche, making its way to the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from the sheer beauty of the land, you’ll see moss-draped live oak trees along the banks of the Bayou Teche to more than 100 historic properties, many on the National Register of Historic Places.