Travel through one of Louisiana’s last untouched wetlands

SLIDELL, La. (InvestigateTV) — Just a few miles east of Slidell along the Pearl River, you can disappear into one of the Louisiana’s last untouched wetlands. This is the Honey Island Swamp. 77,000 acres of wilderness.

Jessep Holley, a tour guide for Cajun Encounters, grew up just a few miles from here. Hunting, fishing, and boat riding on these rivers and bayous.

“There’s no pipelines going through, there’s no gas lines, there’s no oil platforms out here. This is the exact way the Honey Island Swamp needs to be,” Holley said.

What may be most surprising about the swamp is that it’s actually right by the state’s largest metropolitan area. A few turns and you’re in what feels like a remote wetland.

The winding waterways and moss-draped trees make it a popular place for boat rides.

“You can feel almost detached from the city life,” Holley said. “And you come out here, and it’s, you know, you have everything you could need five minutes away.”

You can spot bees swarming around the trunks of some of the older trees.

Holley points out knot holes on the trees about 12 to 14 feet above. That’s where the bees live.

And it’s the rich wildlife that many of the visitors find fascinating. Visitors can you spot alligators all over when the weather is warm.

In colder weather, you’re less likely to spot many alligators. But wild pigs, raccoons, egrets, and great blue herons are common sights.

One striking landmark along the Pearl River is the so-called Whiskey Tree.

Tour guides say it may have been a meeting point during the prohibition era and that it inspired Disney to create scenes for “The Princess and the Frog”.

Most visitors arrive by tour bus from New Orleans. More than a thousand people on busy days. And many are seeing a Louisiana swamp for the first time.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I mean, I’ve seen the moss and stuff, you know, on TV and pictures, but to see it in real life, it’s actually really serene and peaceful,” said Parisa Saki.

In a place that feels worlds away. The Honey Island Swamp is a natural gem where the water, the trees, and the animals still run wild.