Satellite view of the Atchafalaya Basin

Oct 19, 2005/Sawf News Service/ -- Atchafalaya Basin is America's largest river basin swamp, located deep in the heart of Cajun country in south-central Louisiana. The Cajun culture dates back around 1604, when French settlers colonized in present day Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. They called it l'Acadie. In the early 18th century when the British seized control of the region and the exiled Acadians made the parishes of southwestern Louisiana their home. The descendants of the Acadians are called "Cajun.” Cajun French is the French vocabulary mixed with American accent. It is quite different from the French spoken in France.

The Basin is so vast and looks so alike that it can be a navigation challenge even to an experienced traveler.
© Vijainder K Thakur

Atchafalaya refers to both a river and a large wetlands region. The name Atchafalaya is derived from 'hacha falaia' in Choctaw, meaning "Long River." The river itself serves as a major distributary of the Mississippi and Red rivers, and runs through swampy wetlands called the Atchafalaya Basin, which are about 20 miles in width and 150 miles in length. The swamp is huge, with many bayous, trails, pipeline canals and ponds.

© Vijainder K Thakur

Visiting Atchafalaya Basin is one-of-a-kind experience! As you approach the Basin area you can see the artificial Levees built around the Basin. Atchaflaya is best toured through a boat. There are various group or private boat tours available; houseboats are also available for overnight stay. Most swamp tours are given by local Cajun people who have grown up in the area and know the area very well. These local tour guides are walking encyclopedias of the Atchafalaya Swamp and their tales from history definitely enhance the enjoyment of the tour manifold. Tourists can also engage in activities such as canoeing, paddle boating and motor boating.

Boat tour
© Vijainder K Thakur

The Basin is so vast and looks so alike that it can be a navigation challenge even to an experienced traveler. A boat tour can cost from $15 to $50 per person and a tour lasts 1 hour to 2 hours. The water level of the Basin changes according to the season which makes the tours seasonal. Spring and fall are the peak seasons because of good weather. During the months of May it becomes very beautiful with flowers growing everywhere.

The Chitimacha Indians ("Men Altogether Red") were the original inhabitants of the area. Wars with the French and Spanish during the early 1700s left the Chitimacha near extinction. Today, a total of 350 tribal members live confined to their present reservation in the bayou region.

The 18 mile long bridge across Atchaflaya Basin is part of I-10. The hallway view of the bridge is spectacular!
© Vijainder K Thakur

The 18 miles-long bridge, which is part of highway I-10 that runs across the basin, is a marvel in construction. The bridge was completed in 1973. It was constructed through pre-cast segments which were cast at a plant on Lake Pontchartrain, and then floated through canals by barge to the Atchafalaya River Basin. Once they reached the building site, the segments were then lifted by large cranes and placed on top of the supporting columns.

Water marks on the supporting poles of the bridge were left behind by the great floods of 1973. In this picture you see one of the three emergency exits that were built recently on the bridge across Atchaflaya. A helicopter can land on this and the exit is opened for use only if there has been a traffic jam for over 6 hours.
© Vijainder K Thakur

Soon after the completion of the bridge there were great floods of 1973 which brought water levels as high as 15 ft. One can see the water marks on The supporting poles of the bridge.

The Atchafalaya Basin has a lot of cypress trees. At some point there used to be jungles of cypress trees but now the cypress population has reduced. A lot of trees had fallen due to huricane Rita. Many trees are cut down to be sold for wood. Cypress wood is high in demand because it is naturally termite resistant.
© Vijainder K Thakur

The spectacular moss-draped cypress grooves stand majestically in water. Sometimes you see just the bowl like stumps of cypress left behind. The beautiful black willow trees stand out among various other vegetations growing in the area.

News Copyright © South Asian Women's Forum. May not be reporduced without explicit written permission