🐊🚣‍♂️ First time kayaking with gators! @kayaknola “They’re more scared of us than we are of them”, our tour guide told us as we glided past a couple of adolescent gators lounging on a log. “We are more a predator to them if you compare the number of alligators humans harvest each year” I still wasn’t so sure. Sometimes we would see two little eyes camouflaged in the water, and when they saw us paddling toward them, they would disappear under. They always kept a safe distance from us, but I also made a conscious effort to stay a safe distance from them. After being in the water for 20 minutes, my anxiety eased, and I could take in the idyllic surroundings of the bayou, which have been nicknamed “sleeping waters.” It was such a unique kayaking environment with still waters (no current to fight!), Spanish moss draping from trees, the sounds of birds calling, and the occasional gator swimming away. — If you’re an adventure traveler or even a soft adventurer, I highly recommend checking out @kayaknola’s half-day Manchac Swamp kayak tour. (Disclosure: I visited New Orleans in partnership with @visitneworleans). WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO ✔️Pack sunscreen (though they had some), sunglasses, a change of clothes, and wear something you don’t mind getting dirty. ✔️Towel, it’s really rare to flip the kayak, but you sometimes get wet from splashing water while paddling. ✔️We brought bug spray, but surprisingly there were more mosquitoes in the city than in the swamps. BUT beware of giant grasshoppers if you visit in August. #localadventurer #swamptour #bayou #neworleans #visitneworleans #kayakadventures #kayaklife #latergator #manchacswamp #bayoulife #louisianatravel #visitnola #visitlouisiana #neworleanstravel #nolatravel #nolalife #nolalove #nolaliving #followyournola #neworleanslouisiana #neworleanslife #neworleansblogger #swamplife #kayakgram