Gondwana’s Louisiana Tours Featured in the Washington Post!

Less than a year after creating our Louisiana tour packages, travel writer Diane Daniel interviewed our CEO and founder Jared Sternberg for an article in the Washington Post. This feature gives readers a personal perspective as to why he created these unique ecotours and what makes them so much different than other tours on the market. Read the Washington Post feature here! This article was also featured in the Houston Chronicle and on NOLA.com.

Sustainability in Tourism

At Gondwana we always aim to put our ethics into practice with each tour, and these packages are no different. We only partner with independent local operators who are passionate about protecting nature and culture, and who share knowledge of the different environmental issues that contribute to wetland loss. We have reading materials on these issues available in our van, and our guides always cover these subjects when out on the water.

Many companies in the area will feed alligators in order to maximize their profits and use airboats that create noise pollution. We prefer touring the swamps with naturalist guides who do not use those practices. At the moment we offer paddling tours in kayaks and canoes, which allows for better wildlife viewing and does not disrupt habitats and feeding patterns. Starting this summer we will also be offering truly eco-friendly flatboat tours for those who aren’t interested in paddling. Our customized boat and quiet motor allow for optimal wildlife spotting while covering large areas of the Honey Island swamp and navigating deep into areas that you wouldn’t otherwise see.

We also provide our guests with reusable water bottles and local snacks, and will soon be carbon offsetting all our trips. Our staff participates in local waterway cleanup efforts and we help direct people to organizations where they can donate or get involved in the fight to protect and restore Louisiana’s precious wetlands.

Offering the Very Best of Louisiana

Diane Daniel describes our tours as “bridging a gap between the Big Easy and the less-visited destinations outside the city that are rich with culture and nature”. We agree that the gap needed to be bridged – we live here in New Orleans, and felt that the current offerings here didn’t quite do justice to the amazing ecosystems and cultural activities that make this state so special. Our day trips include activities like kayaking in the area’s most scenic swamps, historical tours in the neighborhoods where Jazz was born and guided tours of a historic sugar cane plantation. Our Cajun Country Tours include a private cooking lesson/crawfish boil, swamp tours of Lake Martin Wildlife Refuge, kayaking on the famous Bayou Teche, and visits to a Zydeco music studio and an organic pecan farm. Many of these activities have been developed exclusively for our company and they offer a unique chance to meet locals and learn from them personally about the culture that Louisiana is famous for. Check out our complete selection of tour offerings in Louisiana here!


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