Gliding by ‘Gators in New Orleans

It’s getting easier to spot giant reptiles in the Big Easy--and we’re not talking about lounge lizards.

Visitors can now board a 60-passenger boat for a spin through New Orleans’ alligator-infested Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, a 23,000-acre marsh that officials say is the world’s largest wildlife refuge in an urban area.

Previously, you could visit the refuge only during weekends, on canoe trips that you paddled yourself, guided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Those tours are still offered, and they’re free.

But the new tours, which concessionaire Hospitality Enterprises began this month, run several times every day, using boats outfitted with bench seats, and “you don’t have to get so up close and personal” with the alligators, a spokeswoman noted. The price is $20 adults, $10 children 3 to 12, free under 3. Each tour is one hour, 45 minutes.

Besides alligators, the marsh has abundant water birds and other wildlife. To reserve the new boat tours, call (504) 236-3143. For canoe trips, call (504) 646-7544.