Bayou Coquille Trail and Marsh Overlook Trail

In Jean Lafitte National Park, a ranger takes us on a guided walk. First along Bayou Coquille and then along the Marsh Overlook Trail. This turns out to be a bullseye.

With a group of talkative Americans and a couple from Australia, we venture into the bayou. The marshy wetland is accessible via a wooden walkway. The walk takes us through a very special landscape. It's a piece of Earth that seems undecided about whether it wants to be land or water. Parts of the land are inundated by water from the Mississippi delta and are flooded. Other parts consist of land that just rises above the water surface. This area is dotted with floating islands. The landscape is therefore very diverse.

It is filled with tall, gnarled cypress trees whose high wide branches are draped with Spanish moss. This is a plant veil that hangs here and there like curtains from the branches, completing the swamp feeling. The presence of Spanish moss indicates good air quality. Here we can purify our lungs.

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina submerged most of this region (85% of New Orleans!) underwater. This natural area was certainly not spared from this disaster. Quite a few wide branches of the cypresses broke off, allowing more light to penetrate these woods. Thus, a whole new kind of flora emerged.

Fortunately, Katrina almost completely spared any cypress tree. The roots of the trees in the swamp emerge from the ground like waves at various places. This creates a whole lot of protrusions that keep the tree upright even in hurricanes and tropical storms.

The landscape and the plants seem almost alien. It is a pleasure to discover this unknown plant world. But the animal kingdom is also remarkable here. Early in the morning, you are immediately overwhelmed by the sound of crickets, exotic birds, and the croaking of enormous swamp frogs. These natural sounds ensure that you immediately lose yourself completely in this exotic world.

Furthermore, there are huge insects, snakes (we saw two), salamanders with bright blue tails, and… alligators. Really masses of alligators! We saw dozens today, often from very close up. What initially looks like a floating log suddenly turns out to have eyes and fearsome teeth …