My husband and I went on a boat tour with Cajun Customized Excursions to see the Atchafalaya Swamp. We are bird watchers and we wanted to see the largest swamp in the United States during spring migration. Captain Mark was an excellent guide. He knows this enormous swamp like he knows the back of his hand. Because he knows the swamp so well, he knows where to find the migrating warblers. He is also well acquainted with the hangouts of other denizens. He took us right to the Ospreys and right to the Barred Owls. He does a perfect Barred Owl call. He actually got them to respond! We saw 3 that morning. As we left the area, we heard a larger chorus of the owls' who cooks for you call behind us. Beyond the birds, the swamp in early spring is very beautiful. Captain Mark was very knowledgeable and could tell us all kinds of history and facts about the Atch. He is friendly and did everything to make us comfortable.I really enjoyed the private tour that we took. If you have a special interest, I really recommend it. It is well worth the price.

This was a wonderful tour of the Atchafalaya Basin. Captain Mark was very knowledgeable, and also respectful of the birds and animals. We also liked hearing the local history. I highly recommend it.

We had an incredible experience in the Atchafalaya Basin with Captain Mark. Not only was the tour insightful with Mark's expertise of the wildlife, local history, and seasonal changes but they offered terrific customer service. I really appreciated him calling me back to schedule the tour and texting me directions. He was able to simultaneously conduct the tour in English and French with ease. My husband and I were so happy with this 2 hour tour because we were able to see so much wildlife and submerse in nature. Its a great tour for anyone who loves and respects nature.

WE had a short notice change of plans and Mark was able to accommodate us for a private tour the very next day. He and his wife, Peggy, were excellent guides in the swamp, which was at high water. We saw many birds and learned about the swamp and history. An excellent experience...am so glad our plans changed and we connected with Cajun Customized Excursions. Sometimes we just sat silently in the boat to listen to the sounds of the swamp and watch the many birds..it was perfect for us!

We arrived at the Atchafalaya Visitor Center for our scheduled swamp tour with another operator, only to find that our tour had been mistakenly canceled. Lana, of the Visitor Center was able to facilitate us contacting Capt. Mark Allemond, the owner of Cajun Customized Excursions. Mark has been doing these tours for years, and his family has a long history in the swamp tour business. Mark was able to quickly put together a private tour for us, and met us later at the visitor Center. with his boat; the Wood Duck. He also does tours in the French language. The tour launches near the Visitor Center in the Atchafalaya swamp, below and between the lanes of the Atchafalaya River Highway. The Wood Duck has a canopy and seats 6 people on comfortable padded benches. We went on Mark's 2 hour tour for $50 pp. He does up to 4 tours a day. The water was high, and apparently when it is high, the alligators go inland to higher ground so they can rest. We saw a couple of small gators, and lots of water birds. We saw a rare pair of large Barred owls sitting in a tree, cuddling together. Mark is descended from a french fur trader who came from France to Louisiana in the 1600's. Until recent generations, his family lived in the swamps in camps and house boats-he possesses a lot of interesting information regarding life in the swamp. We passed several shuttered vacation houseboats (and some old wrecked ones). They lease land from a local school district. The popular History Channel TV show Swamp People has been known to film in this area. We saw miles of cypress trees, Spanish moss, floating vegetation, and beautiful reflections of trees in the water. My husband, who isn't easily impressed, thought our tour was top notch. We really enjoyed the tour, and were thankful that Mark could make it happen.