Home > San Juan > Bioluminescent Kayak Adventure from San Juan
USD $106.00
Bioluminescent Kayak Adventure from San Juan
San Juan, Puerto Rico
In Puerto Rico, your evening doesn't end when the sun goes down! Take part in an exciting kayak adventure on a bioluminescent bay not far from San Juan and be amazed as the water glistens and sparkles underneath you! When you brush your paddles or hands through the water, the plankton lights up a fluorescent color, making your kayak adventure a truly magical experience.
Puerto Rico is by far the best country to experience a bioluminescent adventure. There are only 5 lagoons in the world which have glistening waters and Puerto Rico is home to 3 of them!
Begin kayaking at sunset and enjoy picturesque views of the Fajardo area. As the sun goes down, begin paddling towards the fascinating lagoon at Las Cabezas de San Juan Reserve for your nighttime adventure. Under the blanket of the night sky and the historical lighthouse of Fajardo, you can touch run your fingers through the water and swim in the waters lagoon that glows right before your eyes!
Come experience a real adventure which that will leave you breathless!
Important note: Unfortunately due to natural causes the bioluminescence is glowing very inconsistent at this time. Natural debris carried by the current may affect visibility. When there is a Full Moon the glow effect is also affected. In order to improve the visibility, guides may use black tarps to cover the kayaks and riders; this promotes darkness and provides a greater appreciation of the microorganisms. Guests will still be able to enjoy the rest of the experience including the paddling lesson, kayaking through the mangrove channel and the observation at Laguna Grande, which is a wonderful experience, but expectations need to be clear as the glow may be very low and we want to avoid any claims. This is a natural reserve and some conditions caused by nature can’t be controlled
This was the safest way to see the Bioluminescent Bay. The staff looked out for you and made sure that you were safe.
Review by: Teresa M, November 2017
What a beautiful site and a fun adventure.
Review by: bhunt003, August 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Margie Y, August 2017
The plankton are on low glow right now, but it was still a fantastic experience. Nestor was an excellent guide, and kayaking to the lagoon through a mangrove forest was a unique, wonderful experience. Highly recommended.
Review by: Paulette B, August 2017
You should take this off your list of adventures. It's very dangerous. From the bus trip there and back to the experience in general. The only thing safety device you get is a lift vest. Don't take children. It's pitch dark. They should have a whistle and small waterproof light attached to the vests we are kayakers and took these items with us, thank God. There are people who have had no kayaking experience I believe that is most of the most the participants. They are plowing into you, the mangrove trees, banks, and each other. The water does not glow blue. It is pretty remarkable when you do get to the lagoon. But it is like gold glitter in the water. I have booked many excursions via Viator and am providing an honest observation. The guides are kind but it's just a terrible accident waiting to happen.
Review by: nhminter, August 2017
It was fun kayaking but since it was the earlier time we were in the middle of the bay with a tarp over our head not able to see much plankton!
Review by: Reese, August 2017
We were picked up at our hotel. It is about an hour ride from Condado. The driver did scare me a few times. I am sure he knows the roads but I did have to close my eyes a few times. The driver drops you off once you are there. You walk to a tent and sign a few papers and get your life jacket. We had 3 guides that walked us through the tour and what we would be doing. You get in the kayaks in couples if you are alone you will be paired with someone. You paddle single file through the mangroves which are stunning for about 40 minutes. Once you make it to the lagoon its a wide open space. The bio-luminescent is not like the pictures at all. You cannot see blue glowing organisms until its very dark.. We had to use a tarp to see them and to see them you have to move your hand deep in the water or the paddle deep in the water. Do not expect a lot of glowing. It is a very cool thing to experience.
Review by: Brendelee M, August 2017
This was a fantastic experience. I've never kayaked before and neither have my kids and it was easy to catch on. It can be a little tiring took about 20 minutes to get to the bay. I basically paddled for me and my 80 year old mom. The bay wasn't lighting up extremely bright half moon, but the tarp over the canoes helped to see them better. Even on the kayak ride back, our paddles were making the water light up. So neat to see and the bay was just beautiful at night. Transportation was easy with pickup from the Condado Plaza Hilton. It was about a 40 minute drive each way. Definitely would recommend this to anyone. I wish we could have picked our pick up times because I would have loved to spend more time in the bay area looking at all the local food and craft vendors set up in the area. It's a busy place. One last thing: don't worry about the mosquitoes. We didn't get bit 1 time and my daughter is a mosquito magnet. They will provide bug spray at their tent. Book this excursion!
Review by: Hernán S, July 2017
Not recommended for single. There is no garanty when people traveling is not enough.
Review by: Solveig V, May 2017
We really enjoyed kayaking through the mangrove swamp and the novelty of being on the water at night. The time of year meant that the bioluminescence was much less than the pictures.
Review by: Michael R, May 2017
This is such a neat experience. So GLAD we did it. There were mixed reviews about it but we took a chance on it and thought it was so worth it!! Definitely pay attention to the moon phases, we went a week and a half passed the full moon and it was great. Also we went on the earlier tour not sure how to book the later one that left after 8pm but if you can do the later tour I think it would be even better and you will see the plankton in the mangroves on your way to and from the the lake as well. It was awesome and would recommend it to anyone. Also if you have a gopro or something and can record it that would be great, but keep in mind that your hands are busy with the kayaking, so maybe do a helmet mount or chest mount. You will just want to capture the water not the people so much as the phenomenon of the glow is amazing so you don't need to worry about it too dark to see people.
Review by: laurie.rembaugh, May 2017
This is a must do excursion!!! It was so unique and fun - highly recommend this tour!
Review by: Chad P, May 2017
The kayak adventure was awesome! My wife, 13 year old daughter and 15 year old son all joined me for this trip. We all loved it. There were people of all kayak skill levels from 'never been on a kayak' to those of us who have a lot of experience. If you want an adventure, are not scared of the dark or the water then I would say do not miss this one! Our guides were awesome and made everyone feel comfortable and safe!
Review by: Chad P, May 2017
The kayak adventure was awesome! My wife, 13 year old daughter and 15 year old son all joined me for this trip. We all loved it. There were people of all kayak skill levels from 'never been on a kayak' to those of us who have a lot of experience. If you want an adventure, are not scared of the dark or the water then I would say do not miss this one! Our guides were awesome and made everyone feel comfortable and safe!
Review by: Andrew P, April 2017
The tour was ok but we ended up with a pack of 20 some local teenagers who would not listen to directions. Had we been just with the 4 other boats of adults it would have been a great tour. With the unsupervised teens it was constantly ramming of the kayaks total anarchy in total darkness
Review by: AAJ, April 2017
mesmerizing and a must do. I would recommend you practice kayaking at least once prior to this. the tour guides were great!
Review by: michelle c, January 2017
This tour was great! The guides were funny and helpful. We were brand new kayakers and they were very patient with us.
Review by: Jacquieline A H, January 2017
This was the worst tour I have ever taken. I love to travel and do many excursions across countries when on cruises every year or two. I am not hard to please and have an optimistic attitude. However, this tour was poorly planned and very dangerous. When we got there it looked like it was going to storm and while we were waiting to get on the kayaks, it started to rain and you could see lightning in the sky. When I asked if we had a safety plan on what to do if it was storming and lightning, the workers looked at me strangely, said yes, but refused to answer when I asked what we would do if the weather got worse when out on the water. I got stuck going with the flow of people leaving on kayaks we were party of about 30-40 in this group and the majority of people look confused and anxious on what to do. I was terrified but after paying over 400 for me and my husband and his parents, I didn't want to not participate if the activity was going to be cool. I thought maybe they knew what they were doing and would keep us safe and I was just being too nervous. This particular tour dropped you off at an unsafe area of water and did not give clear instructions on what to do or where to go clearly to get to the mangroves that lead to the bay. Then the staff wanted my 60 year old mother-in-law to be the first one to head in the direction of the mangroves, and we spoke up loudly to say that we needed a guide to lead the way because we didn't know what we were doing. Once we got in the mangroves, it was very peaceful and beautiful. I loved the sounds of the mangroves on our way to the bay. The bay was cool, but directions on the tour were very confusing. Luckily it did not downpour rain and lightning directly on us, but when we were done at the bay and headed back via the mangroves to where we came from, it was extremely dangerous. The water where they put us on before you get to the mangroves were extremely rough and dangerous. The workers did not have a good plan or way to keep us together. The water was really rough and knocking us all over the place. The workers started grabbing our kayaks and were keeping us together in the water, but the water was so rough and they told us they were just going to let us go and start paddling real hard back to shore I'm not sure the distance we had to paddle, but it was far, it took 30 minutes of rough paddling to make it. They did not have a good way for getting us back and I did not feel they were concerned about our safety. Then there were larger boats in the water that were tendered, but still moving all around from the rope and you had to try to not hit the boats moving and the water was very rough, knocking us all around, and water was constantly pouring into the kayaks. It was extremely hard to paddle and steer in the water they had us start and finish at, with no clear plan on what to do. The staff seemed to belittle the significance of the danger we were in. When we got to shore, I very loudly said to them that the tour was terrible and unsafe. I feel people could have been greatly hurt or even killed with such conditions. I also feared for my own safety and I am fairly athletic, and in great shape. Although the bay and the mangroves were cool, I would never ever do this tour again with this company. This company was very dangerous and did not seem to care about the dangerous water conditions. I am assuming the water is not always as rough as it was for me and my family. Nevertheless, they should have had a safety plan for keeping us together better and for handling the rough waters to get back to shore.
Review by: PAULA S, January 2017
Did not meet our expectations in any way. Thought it was way overhyped. We toured on a moonless night and the bioluminescence was still meh compared to the photoshop pics on line.
Review by: Matthew R, January 2017
There wasn't any bioluminescence! It was just kayaking in the dark. The moon was less than half full so no effect there. The guides had us pull a tarp over 5 kayaks and then you could see the tiniest bit of bioluminescence but only if you were in one of the middle kayaks. The outer kayaks under the tarp got to much ambient light through the water and saw nothing at all. My wife and son were in one of those, I was in the middle. The tarp was also very dirty and smelled bad, not enjoyable to have dragged over you. Save your money and do something else.
Review by: Barb K, January 2017
Long bus ride to the bay where the adventure departed. We then had to kayak across a very windy bay to the mangroves. Kayaking through the dense mangroves was ok when there was still some daylight left but the paddle back was in total darkness. We spent only about 15 minutes in the actual area where the bio-luminescent activity took place. It was very underwhelming. A few sparkles in the water when you moved you hand. I would not recommend this tour. It was not worth the time or the money.
Review by: David P, December 2016
Nice guides, kayaks were fine, but the trip isn and #39;t worth it. We were in a van for about 4 hours, kayaked in the dark for about an hour to see the water very lightly biolumuniecse. My wife and I were unimpressed and bored. Too many cool things to do in PR to waste a day on this
Review by: BARBARA D, October 2016
This was an amazing kayak experience that is beyond words to describe. We did very well overall even though we lacked the experience of kayaking. The guide gave very good kayak instructions for us. The bioluminescent bay is phenomenal. The best way I can describe it is when you paddled or put your hand in the water and moved it about it made the organism spark. It looked like the sparkles a fireworks sparkler makes to me. It was a bucket list trip and a must see.
Review by: hilldfamily02, October 2016
Traumatic. Everyone on our bus vowed worst day of our life and never again. Poorly managed tour...fellow tourists were screaming at each other. Needed training on how to row their kayaks....the lights for the guides were exceptionally dim and in come cases, not lit at all. Leaders did not actively work with the novice kayakers....at times they were no where to be seen...our group continually crashed and blocked the waterway....maybe 5 min. spent looking at the biolum...otherwise, stuck in the mess of kayaks turned sideways in a very narrow canal. Other companies seemed to be well organized, their team was synchronized, sang songs, lots of camraderie. At the end, our leaders did not thank us for our business. We all walked away, excited to be on land, angry and dejected...
Review by: melissa_rube, October 2016
can you please send me the website where to look up the pictures taken on this tour?
Review by: Rebecca M, September 2016
Tour guide was really friendly and interesting. However, there was a full moon and we could only see some sparkles under the tarp so we were disappointed about that. The info about the trip did warn us about that so we knew it was a possiblity. We did have fun kayaking through the mangrove at night. Our guide did point out a couple of iguanas in the trees. Water temperature was perfect.
Review by: KIMBERLY S, August 2016
Excellent! Everything was very organized and ran on schedule. The staff was knowledgeable, friendly and very patient. The bioluminescent was not as vivid as portrayed in the pictures but it was nice to see and definitely something you should at least see once in your life time. I brought my 67 year old mother with me and she had a wonderful time.
Review by: Nicole L, June 2016
the tour was really great but we went during a full moon so the luminescent wasn't great but the experience was awesome
Review by: Susan P, May 2016
great tour and guides!! The biolumensence was not as bright but there had been lots of rain which diluted the salinity in the water... cannot control mother nature. But, we loved it, and would definitely recommend this tour!!
Review by: catchlady, May 2016
The ads made this trip look more mystical than it was. We were disappointed in this trip for the price we paid and what we saw.
Review by: Michael H, April 2016
Drove for 2 hours to get there. Once there kayak trip was fun but did not see any bioluminescence in water. Would not recommend to anyone. Too long of ride to not see anything.
Review by: Christine S, March 2016
We would have enjoyed this tour more if additional time was spent in the lagoon. Kayaking through the mangroves was fun. The tour guys were great. This is something that should be done when in Puerto Rico just don't get too excited about the bioluminescence.
Review by: Taunya R, March 2016
The trip itself was great. The tour guides were fantastic. I was given wrong information from the person at Viator who booked my trip. I asked what the differences were between this tour and another that Viaotor had. I was told this bay was just outside of San Juan and the other in Farajdo. This bay was also in Farajdo. I was also given a pick-up time of 5:30-6:15. At 6:20 we called the emergency number we were given for the tour and we were told that our pick-up time was 6:45. That hour cost us the ability to fit in another tour before this one. The tour was great, I would do it again, but I would definitely call the tour company directly to get accurate information.
Review by: Clayton P, February 2016
We had a great tour guide. The tour was beautiful. Definitely would recommend this excursion. The bioluminescents were fun to see.
Review by: Charlene R, February 2016
For someone not used to kayaking it was a little challenging. We were told that there would be small breaks while heading through the path to the lagoon but that didn't happen. Would have been nice to have a little break. The bioluminescence was also disappointment but that wasn't really the fault of the tour just the time of year we went.
Review by: BETH B, January 2016
We were lucky enough to be in Fajardo on January 11th when the moon phase was considered almost perfect for viewing the bioluminescent bays. The guides were great, informative on using the gear, and present to assist those having difficulty. The Mangrove kayaking was worth the money in itself.....we had not kayaked at night and it was a great adventure. We used lots of skin so soft bug spray and it worked well. I don't know if there is a way to sort the guests but some of the kayakers in our group had no business on the tour. We just passed them and did not let their lack of skill keep us from enjoying the adventure. We are hoping the bioluminescent conditions improve to their former state as it is a wonderful tour.
Review by: buddy k, January 2016
Crew, 5 stars. Kayaking 4 stars. Bioluminescence, 2 stars. Guides told us it is not the best time of year to see it, January, but if your expecting the life of Pi you will be very disappointed.
Review by: haagc69, December 2015
Great staff, great excursion, unfortunately the bioluminescence was not as vivid as I had hoped.
Review by: Maureen B, November 2015
It was just as crazy as I read about, but that was part of the fun. Bumping into other boats and mangrove roots when it's so dark was exciting and scary all at once. Great guides, everyone very friendly and wiling to help. Thanks again!
Review by: Mark K, November 2015
We had a blast!
Review by: Malika D, November 2015
This was my 1st time kayaking, so I didn't know what to expect. It was a fun workout. The guides were very helpful to a newbie. Because of light pollution from the city the water didn't glow as bright as I had hoped. But the experience was fun none the less.
Review by: mauricio g, November 2015
Could you please send me the Facebook page name to check my pictures
Review by: Henry S, October 2015
Fascinating tour. Not as difficult as described in the description, somworth seeing. Tour guides were great. Dealing with a large group with different skill levels was not easy for them. But they did a great job.
Review by: Meltem S, August 2015
It was very good and fun. Must mention bug spray!
Review by: Jeffery J, August 2015
Wonderful experience with the best guides
Review by: ellingston, August 2015
Tour guides were very friendly and helpful. Loved the experience, but the group we were with made it hard to fully enjoy the Bio-luminescent experience...totally out of the control of the tour company. Would do this again!
Review by: chad y, July 2015
The people who work here, i think love their jobs and it showed. They really made sure people could navigate back in the dark and were very helpful
Review by: jdimmer, May 2015
I can't fault Mother Nature - we really didn't see much on our tour. The kayaking can be strenuous, so if you are not up for a challenge, I suggest looking for a tour that brings you to the bay on a boat. The guides we very helpful, but kayaking in pitch black was a little nerveracking.
Review by: Gary C, March 2015
Wonderful experience and do recommend it. GREAT STAFF!!!!!! Very helpful and enjoyable!!
Review by: Vanessa S, March 2015
Great team building excerise! For anyone like siblings couples co workers even friends it's not only beautiful , amazing and a hard workout but great to work together. After check out the f
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