zam's bayou swamp tours

Even though my kids and I came down to Louisiana in the winter, they wanted to see some gators in the wild. We had a fabulous time listening and talking with ZZ. The stories and facts that he shared are something that we will talk about for years to come. I highly recommend this to anyone who comes this way!

My wife and I are actually "locals", living only a few miles from the tour site. We wanted to do something a little different, so we inquired about the swamp tour. As we were touring during the cooler season here in South Louisiana, the larger alligators were not out sunning. We did see a few smaller live gators along the banks though. Even without seeing a bunch of alligators, we thoroughly enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the ride on the pontoon boat. We plan to go back again in April or May when the "big boys" come out of hibernation! There are also some really large gators they keep penned! Awesome creatures!Welcoming staff, very informative guide, reasonably priced... can't wait to go back next year!

This was our 14th trip in 3 years: imo, for the best swamp tour for out of towners and for a very relaxing, serene boat ride for Louisianans--Zam's Bayou Swamp Tours are my favorite place to go.Staff are welcoming and friendly and eager to share their Cajun outlook. They are happy to share information or spin a tale -- very accommodating to their guests. For our group, Capt. Diego spoke about the history and ecology of the bayou and how the early Cajun settlers learned to provide for their families from the bounty of the land. Entertaining and informative; Capt. Diego is a knowledgeable host who takes the time to personalize each experience for his guests.If you only have the opportunity for one swamp tour while in the great state of Louisiana, this one is well worth the time spent. We are looking forward to more trips down da bayou and up da lake with Capt. Diego.

The tour started out with the guides allowing anyone to hold some snakes and/or pet the rabbit they had. Then we went to the small zoo (for lack of a better word) across the street. There the guide let people hold some small alligators and turtles. Then he took us over the large alligator pen which he got into show us the gators. Then on to the large Alligator Snapping Turtle. The guide did a great job of interacting with the animals and educating people about them. The tour was nice an relaxing. You start out going under a bridge that raises and lowers for boats. The only thing I think that could have been better would be a little more history of the area and/or more information about the different type of plants growing in the bayou. The guide did cover some of the stuff in the bayou, and some local history. The guide did a great job of interacting with the kids that were on the tour!

This is an awesome tour. If you're looking to get a look at the bayou: not just the swamp flora and fauna but also the people and lifestyle this is it. Swamp tours are advertised everywhere in this area but, as with any major city tourist area, there are alot of overpriced tourist traps. This is the real deal though!! Its a small, family run operation with all the candor and laid-backness you'd expect from rural denizens. If you have your heart set on seeing gators in the wild however, plan to go early in the morning. They have baby gators and a very large gator in their backyard, but late afternoon (at least in the summer) the wild gators head underwater to beat the heat. Even if you don't see any gators on the swamp, the tour guide is hilarious and provides more than enough entertainment. Highly recommend!

Some of the swamp tours in this area of Louisiana wanted upwards of $50 per person. Zam's charged us $30 each, but only because we were the only two passengers (the owner's wife said it had been a slow day). If there had been more people, we would have paid less. The skipper was a true Cajun. We tried to converse in French but my dialect was Parisian and his was Bayou--never the twain shall meet, I guess. He was a really good guy! He showed us his menagerie, including two huge alligators, behind his house across the street from the dock, then took us on about a 90 minute ride down the river. We saw many alligators, some of which swam out to the boat, apparently thinking that we were going to feed them. (We didn't.) The skipper kept us well-entertained with stories about life in this part of Louisiana. The amount of time he gave us for the ride was also very generous. We definitely thought that we got our money's worth, and we liked our guide a lot. I would highly recommend this swamp tour.

I'm a local, and have only done swamp tours when friends have visited from out of state. I've done tours with 2 other (more popular) companies. These other companies have charter buses that pick all guests up from their hotels and transport them to the tour. If you haven't rented a car, then I guess you'll have to settle for one of those tours. If you DO have access to transportation, it is absolutely worth the trip out to Kraemer. We had a group of 10 people .. 8 of the 10 were running late, but everything was so laid back (not unorganized as other reviews have stated) the tour guides were perfectly fine with waiting til the whole group arrived. We got to hold and pet snakes over 100lbs, and walk through the family's farm which had alligators, goats, chickens, racoons, rabbits, and HUGE snapping turtles. Our tour guide got into the cage with the alligator and played with him ... legitimately touched his mouth and face ... it was crazy. He did the same thing w the snapping turtle. We then hopped on the boat. We saw only about 5 gators, but it's not like the tour guides can control when the WILD animals come out to play. They are in the wild afterall. If you want guaranteed alligator sightings, the Audubon Zoo is right up the road! :) Our tour guides have all been on Louisiana reality shows. They were fun, lively, and AUTHENTIC cajun people. Very very very interesting for those of you from out of town looking for a very unique experience. Food was delicious as well (again, this is coming from a local) WARNING: If driving, be careful. There is one very dangerous, winding, road leading to the tour, drive carefully!

We arrived about 20 minutes early for our appointment. I am so glad we did! Derek greeted our group of 11 near the front door and invited us in and showed us around a bit. We wondered around the store and the immediate grounds waiting on the rest of the people for our time slot to arrive. Derek was very informative of the area and kept us quite entertained. Our group was lead around the surrounding property by Ralph. We saw some animals in cages and a few of us got to hold some baby alligators. We petted some goats and watched Ralph play with the bigger alligator.It was now time for our boat ride in the swamp. We boarded a nice sized pontoon boat where there was plenty of room for all to spread out. We brought our own marshmallows so that would not be a disappointment for us. We took a nice leisurely ride out watching for gators. They were few and far between as the weather had already heated up for the day. Ralph talked some about the plant life and other animal life in the swamp. He also spoke in French to a couple that spoke French and not English. He even interpreted some of our English comments to them so they could enjoy it as much as we did. Overall we had a great time. When we got back Zam's we had a bite to eat in the restaurant. Our new friend Derek was there to greet is again and provide lively conversation and recommendations from the menu. It was reasonably priced and we all got our fill. DO NOT MISS THIS GEM OF A TOURIST ATTRACTION. Ask for Ralph and say HEY to Derek.

Our group had an awesome time!! Unorganized as some have said but that adds to the charm. ZZ was quite a character and we all enjoyed his antics! We missed out on eating at the restaurant, they were closed but I heard it is great! They give you a "backyard tour" before the boat ride that was interesting and fun. Best part is you can bring a cooler of beer on the boat!! If your looking for a laid back authentic experience this is the place for ya!

If you want a genuine Cajun experience or you are hooked on the history of the Bayou and love the show Swamp People, then look no further than Zams Swamp Tour. It was fun and educational. And who doesn't want to go home and tell people they held a baby alligator? My family loved this tour and will remember it for a lifetime. Also don't forget to go and have a po'boy at Trudys Diner in Kraemer as well.

The Trip was not bad, but the stuff was very unorganised. I felt bad for the animals on the farm in the little cages..Tourgide was very quiet..We got stuck in the Swamp cause he went to far to one side.. It was scary and he didn't want to call for help (very stuborn and proud) so we just called the house and they sent some strong boys to get us out of the misery.. I would not go again on this trip, but I can highly recommend the swamp.. We saw many turtles, birds andbig alligators!

being fromVermont I was totally fascinated with going on a swamp boat tour- Zam's tour was amazing. We saw titles, birds and lots of alligators. I highly recommend going on one of these tours.

I have traveled to 76 countries and have been on a couple different Swamp Tours. I knew that the alligators would be in the mud this time of year, but there is more to a swamp than that. It was an awesome experience, the guide was not only very knowledgeable about the area, but he was a super nice guy as well. This is a fun day, we spent some time before the boat ride looking at things around the building. The boat ride itself was very enjoyable, we spotted a bald eagle soaring overhead, and some turtles. I give this guy and this tour 5 stars, it is refreshing to meet people who are genuinely nice and good people. Thank you!

What a lovely time! The owners Diane and her family, and the workers all were so wonderfully polite and friendly. A perfectly lovely family and good simple food. Although this was a lovely change of pace...I found the tour of the bayou a bit lack luster. ZZ is a good kid - alas, a lousy tour guide. He often rambles and isn't overly informative. So if possible - ask for another guide. No gators on our tour as it was a bit too cool for them to show but the ones on the property were interesting enough. If you're going to do this tour, make sure you do it in warm weather.

ZZ is so sweet and a great tourguide! The whole experience is perfect. I definitely recommend going on Zam's Swamp Tour! Fun for the whole family and most definitely worth your time! You will NOT be disappointed!!!!