If weather and conditions in the bay permit, this is an amazing experience. Just beware that it will not look like the photos you see online. In this bay is more like glowing twinkles in the water. You can get here on your own, renting your own kayak and I've also heard they offer a walking tour of the bay. We reserved a tour with a local kayak company in order to access the bay. If you are an experience kayaker, I would recommend you rent a kayak and go on your own. However, be aware that tours happen at 6 and 8 and the mangrove canal is packed. All in all, it's a beautiful bay both during night and during daylight. read more

Bittersweet review. I visited Laguna Grande in July 2014 and it was magical -- the water lit up electric blue with every paddle stroke, completely mesmerizing. I brought my kids back in July 2026 hoping to share that same experience, but the bioluminescence has faded dramatically. What was once a stunning light show is now barely a flicker. Tour operators still run the same trips at the same price without setting proper expectations -- understandable since it's their business, but disappointing for visitors. Practical tip: don't bother waiting for a later evening tour hoping for better glow. At this point it's just a regular kayak trip -- the only difference later at night is that you're paddling in the dark instead of at dusk. If you want a nice kayak outing, it's fine. If you're chasing the bioluminescent magic this place is famous for, temper your expectations. read more

I want to thank our tour guide Angel for giving us the V.I.P. service. If it wasn't for him my 13 yr daughter would have never been able to experience this. We were so out of sync we started losing our group and our Guardian Angel literally was there to help us out and towed us there and back. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this an amazing VIP experience. ANGEL Buscar me en FB. Michelle de Massachusetts read more

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Don't know if I read the instructions wrong or something but if you are a pound over 240lbs do not go to this place .I drove 2hrs to this place with my wife and friends and I thought that it said a combination weight of like 400 or 425 per kayak. I'm like 247 and was told I cant go and I was like I can go with a very small person who came with us . They were like no you still can and it's non refundable. I guess it would have been like shallow hall or something but I was fine. Sat in the car for 2hrs while the group went. Don't go to this one. Go to the one where the weight is 250 just incase they try and get you to. read more

We paid for 7 to go and only 6 of us were allowed to go on the tour per Carolina. She was rude and condescending. I showed her the reservation and payment and she brushed us off. She said too bad we are full call the agency for a refund. We did not take a 1.5 hour uber just to be brushed she could have at least see if the other tours can help us out as it was already chaotic. They waited for people to all come in and then rushed us out. Once on the water the tour guides were really cool and helpful but sadly we didn't really see the bio illumination much. One they admitted to drop the anchor in the wrong spot and 2 it was a full moon so we needed to put a tarp over us to get as dark as possible and even then you don't see much. You're literally kayaking blind until you get to open waters get covered to not see much and go back in the dark again. We tried to make the best out of it but the lady in the front just ruined the vibe given our group was split. read more

Did this tonight on the boat ..the guide tours and they were very friendly and told us alot about the bay. It was a clear night and we stopped and put sticks in water..very disappointed because it really didn't light up!! We passed alot of kaykas and they didn't even make the water glow. You can only do kayaks if together you are not 400 pounds because of chance of tipping. It wasn't worth the 130.00 for 2 people tonight. Very disappointed...One more thing. The SMELL will kill you smells like raw sewer 10 times over read more

So amazing. Must do while in Fajardo If your at el conquistador, don't pay the $50 for the taxi, just walk, it's 5minutes. We did the "turtles" kayak excursion, they were great. read more

Great guides and a super fun experience. The transport was also very helpful. Bring bug spray but totally worth it.

A MUST DO! Even if you don't do anything else in Puerto Rico, do a midnight kayak through Bio Bay! Basically there are a ton of bioluminescent micro-organisms in the water so the bay literally glows in the dark. So when you stick your paddle into the water and push you can see light! The darker the night the better. But don't worry, even if you go on a full moon night they give you a tarp to cover your kayak with so that you get a better view! The experience of getting to "Bio Bay" is just as fun as seeing the glow in the dark water itself! You kayak out into the ocean for a bit in your group (go Tortugas!!) and then through a canopy in a single file line until it opens up into Bio Bay! Everyone wears glow sticks and there are lights attached to the kayaks which makes it a very fun, safe experience. My favorite part of the trip was when our guide stopped on the side of the river to shine his flashlight on a giant Iguana resting in the trees! This is a great trip to bring your wife or girlfriend on because it can be extremely romantic and a great bonding experience as you fight over whose fault it was that you crashed into the low hanging branches on the sides of the river! TLDR: Just do it. You won't regret it! Even though it looks scary it's not! read more

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Don't be fooled by pictures. Everything is always enhanced. It is what it is, you see something glow. Then You had the full experience. Great people read more

Kayaking through the Bio Bay has been on my bucket list since my last visit to San Juan. I'd heard really great things but did not have time to fit it into the trip. So, during my most recent trip it was a no brainer to venture out to Fajardo. And was it worth it? YES and YES. This is an incredibly unique experience and I'm pretty sure that this is one of the only places in the world that has a bio bay. Bioluminescent Bay aside, one of the coolest parts about this trip is kayaking through the bay at night. Looking up at the stars and the moonlight while you kayak through the still bay is incredibly serene. The nighttime breeze was refreshing and the temperature was absolutely perfect - not too hot and not too cold. Kayaking in the darkness was initially a bit scary, but if you are in a tour group they'll make sure that you are fine. There is nothing to worry about. Now onto the Bio Bay. A unique species of organisms lives in this bay and because of that, the water actually 'lights up' when disturbed. So, when you paddle through the pay and dip your oar or hand into the water you can see bursts of light around you. Because of moonlight, pollution and other factors our tour guide put a tarp over our kayaks so that we could experience it in pure darkness. Otherwise, it's a bit tougher to see. But either way, this is definitely not your average bay or kayaking trip. There are tons of different tour companies to book your adventure with. While it's a bit pricey, and a bit of a trek from the San Juan area (around an hour and a half) - it's totally worth the trip. Make sure to schedule this into your itinerary if you find yourself in the area! read more

People are very nice no rush My girl friend lose her iPhone which was in a water proof cover and they was able to find it and call us too pick it up the same day read more

Me and girlfriend went we had a great experience we ended up falling off the kayak in the beginning of the trip completely soaked was really dark but we're guided throughout the tour and learned a couple cool facts about the mongrove forest read more

Really underwhelming :(. We were super excited about this kayaking trip to bio bay but it was just...boring. The bioluminescent was not what I expected. It was really nothing to see. Waste of money. read more

AMAZING! If you are ever in PR, this is a must-see. book a kayak tour with any of the tour operaters and cruise into the bay, and you will see something that's memorable and can't be seen anywhere else. Truly impressive and alot of fun! read more

Thank goodness for bookmarks. In cleaning out a few, I was reminded of this memorable experience worth sharing. Bioluminescence is said to be created in a few rare environments. It is often described as a glow or natural light similar to that of a firefly. The glow is reportedly a natural phenomenon produced by algal blooms. Some are said to be brighter than others and it seems there are far more than five in the world but perhaps only five can be visited by the public. In PR, a tour is offered here in Fajardo which is a short ride from San Juan and in Vieques. We decided on Fajardo because it was easier to schedule on short notice. We were driven to the location by a transportation service. Once there, we bought local food from street vendors and made our way into pier whee we were given life vest, paired off for the 2 person kayaks. Our group then kayaked into pitch darkness to what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. In this area, we used our paddles to make waves in the water. When the paddles are still, it is dark, the magic is in the movements. We were also told it was okay to put our hands in the water. The same thing happens with use of your hand. It is pretty awesome and definitely worth seeing at least once in your lifetime. In the event you are planning a trip to Jamaica, I would say hold off and take the tour there. The biobay in Jamaica (Trelawny) was better in that the glow was much brighter and you were taken out by boat and allowed to swim in the waters. read more

Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight? No? I haven't either. The devils in my life tend to shy away from light of any kind. You know, the better to sneak up on you. And, admittedly, I wouldn't want to see a devil nor dance with one at anytime, especially not at night. But, you know what is amazing in the pale moonlight (well, really, without moonlight at all)? The bio bay at Fajardo. If you're at all thinking of skipping the experience, slap yourself. Hard. I was thinking of skipping out as well. "So, the water glows. Big deal. Isn't that a sign of radiation poisoning?" No. It's... magical. Seriously. Kayaking into a vast body of water at nighttime with little light to agitate micro-organisms that emit light when bothered (think of them as aquatic, less-evolved lightning bugs that act in concert) is magic. Putting your oar into the pitch water to get a response of a glow-stick-like halo is magical. You'll grin. That will become a smile. The smile will become honest, open, childlike laughter. There's something inexplicably awesome about light at night. From nite lites to lightning bugs to glow sticks to bio bays... you'll be enchanted. Does it get better? I don't know. That's the only reason I am withholding that last star. I hope to, one day, discover the answer. You can bet I'll update my review then. read more

I gotta say the whole Bay itself is pretty freaking cool. Seeing the bio-luminescent is unreal. When you pick up the water and drop it just glows like crazy! As you paddle each stroke it glows! If you're lucky and there are fish feeding below the water goes nuts! But the smell due to the sulfur is awful! The moment you exit your vehicle you'll want to vomit! Also, once you're in the canal leading to the big bay, it's super packed! Meaning lots and lots of kayak jams! Be careful to avoid other kayakers and the mangroves. Beyond that it is a must do in my opinion. read more

Mother Nature is beautiful! Made reservations for 4. $68 per person - $48 for excursion and $20 for transport. Transport - we were the last pickup. Two of us has to sit in the last set of seats with two other people and it was uncomfortable. Too cramped. It was an hour and a half from San Juan to Fajardo. And the ride was bumpy. Recommend: bring a towel, change of clothes, wear water shoes (you have to walk into the water to get on the kayaks) We did the night trip (8:15 p) and it's dark! And gorgeous. It's a trek via kayak through some dark wooded canals to the bay. It helps if you know how to kayak but not required. The guides are amazing and funny. The marine biologist is so informative and gives a lot of info. The bay is so dark and quiet and the water glows! We saw a shooting star which was way cool! They do take a picture and you can download it from their site. This was my favorite experience while in PR. We used pure adventure. (Excursion company) read more

If you ever go to Puerto Rico, DO NOT LEAVE WITHOUT COMING HERE. To be honest, I had never heard of a Bioluminescent bay before my trip to PR. We were on a 5 day vacation, staying in san Juan and trying to absorb as much as we could in a short amount of time. Our hotel had some fliers on things to do and this came up. Basiclly it sounded like a bay full of fireflies. And it was a guided Kayak tour at night. That sounded interesting so we thought "what the hey, let's do it". We made an appointment and soon were off to Fajardo (East side of the island). Fajardo is a beautiful place. It's somewhat quiet and charming. The view of the bay reminds me of something out of a John Steinbeck novel. After feasting on some Arepas at a nearby restaurant, we were ready to go. We met with our tour group, got our equipment issue which consisted of life vest, paddles and light sticks and mounted up on our Kayaks. The journey to the Bio bay was pretty fun. You and your group have to navigate through the harbor and past all the boats and yachts. The light from civilazation on the shore fades to nothing as you follow your lead into the darkness. The next step of your adventure, you crack your light stick and travel through a somewhat narrow and zig zagging river. You follow single file, getting vines in your face along the way. Once your reach the bay, the guides pull you into a circle and educate you on bioluminescence. Then you get to spread out and explore. The water sparkles like nothing you've ever seen. It's truly amazing. These places are far and few in the world, so consider yourself lucky if you ever get to visit one. The pictures listed here can't even do it justice. Check out the video I made of my trip: http://www.tripadvisor.com/ProfileGallery-i22980952.html read more

I came and saw this bay with Kayak Puerto Rico. You kayak through the Mangrove trees in single file to this bay and get to see the amazing sunset, before it gets dark. Whenever you move your hand or kayak paddle in the water, you see a blue-green glow due to the micro-organisms. It's pretty cool, but not nearly as cool as the pictures posted by the tour groups-- these are photoshopped. I tried and tried to get a picture of the blue-green glow and believe me it's impossible--there's not enough light and you have to move quickly to see the glow for only an instant. Bring a waterproof camera if you want pictures. read more

Fajardo Bioluminescent Bay - Mangrove trees - Rafting/Kayaking Near Me - Laguna Grande, Puerto Rico

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You can probably jump on a kayaking tour at the last minute, but you'll need to pay cash. Highly recommend the glass bottom boats.They're only $10 more and you can see so much more, plus the boat itself makes the creatures light up. The staff were hilarious and, even though you know they tell the same jokes twice a day, they acted like they just thought of it. It is best when the day has been really sunny and the night isn't going to be, but since most people book in advance it's hard to know what you'll be getting. When you're in the forested part it will be super dark anyway, so you don't' need to worry much about the night. If you're not good at kayaking, don't worry! My friend and I both had done it once or twice before and we were some of the fastest people there. read more

All of my friends who have gone to Puerto Rico recommended the Bio Bay tour, so our group of 32 booked a tour through Paradise Seekers. (I highly recommend them -- check out their ratings on TripAdvisor!) It was about 2 hours of kayaking (approximately 3 miles) through the Mangrove Forest to the bay. I can see how kayaking can make or break relationships, because you definitely need to be in sync with each other during the whole experience, ESPECIALLY when you're going against the current. Choose your rowing buddy wisely! We chose the "sunset" tour, so there wasn't anybody else on the water except for our group. When we got to the bay, we weren't able to swim in it (due to a law passed in 2008) but we were only allowed to use our hands, feet, and paddles to "see" the bioluminescent organisms. I suppose I had high expectations because I thought the whole bay would be glowing and we wouldn't have to play with the water to see everything. Although it was a cool concept, I was expecting more to it. We had an amazing view of the stars though. On the way back, we kayaked in the pitch black dark. (There are lights attached to your kayak, but it's not enough!) We hit other kayaks on the way back and since it was against the current, it took a lot of time to get back. I would suggest going on the earliest tour as possible in order to avoid collisions with other kayakers. The pictures are quite deceiving because the Bio Bay wasn't anything like that during my experience there. Like I said, I had high expectations but was definitely disappointed... but it's a good experience to try out since it's one of the few bio bays in the world. read more

Add this to your bucket list. If you don't have a bucket list, make one & add this to it. This is just surreal. You won't regret it ... I promise. This is an absolutely magical experience :) :) :) Las Croabas Lagoon in Fajardo has 500K-700K of bioluminescent dinoflagellates (a plankton) per gallon, so when you wave your hand through the water you trigger so many of them that your hand lights up with a thousand tiny stars. Look at the South West map corner of Puerto Rico & you will find Las Croabas Lagoon, a small fishing village. There are many companies that offer kayak tours. Better yet, ask one of the local fisherman to take you out to sea that way your experience has a local flavor. You don't have to go swim with these creatures but dip your hands and feet. It is absolutely magical. The night we went, there was a festival or maybe that was just a normal Saturday occurence...music (salsa!!!), dancing, street vendors & the water was glowing :) :) :) So worth it after we got lost driving in the night, pitch dark because of course there is no ambient lighting. :) There is also a biobay in Vieques, a small island to the east of mainland Puerto Rico. It is accessiblle by a ferry. *who cares how much it costs:) just do it. you won't want to get out of the water.... read more

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I loved this experience!! It was the number one reason I liked PR! Right next to the rio camuy cave. I've never seen anything quite like this ever! Where can you go and place your hand in the water and make it glow? Or even see glowing dots in the palms of your hands The answer is here! One of the very few and rare places in the world where you can do so! I would highly recommend anybody and anyone who is visiting puerto Rico to make sure they add this to their itinerary and list of excursion! Even your bucketlist!! You won't be disappointed! It's hard to take pictures of them. This is one of the five places in the world where you can experience such a thing. Make sure you pick a good kayak company. Dressed prepared to get wet. Spray tons of bug repellant. There will be tons of Mosquitos. And be prepared to be amazed! read more

Fajardo Bio Bay is a truly unique and spectacular nature experience! The bio bay itself is beautiful and magical - it feels and looks as though hundreds of tiny fairies are floating around your hands / paddles. However, please PLEASE take note that the bioluminescence shown in pictures and movies IS NOT REAL! You will not see the huge glowing blue streaks shown in pictures. Those are taken with long exposures and just aren't what you will ever be able to see with the naked eye - not in PR nor anywhere else. Instead, you'll see bunches of tiny glowing spots whenever you disturb the water. In great, dark conditions (check the moon calendars) you may be able to see nice, full glow steak if you disturb the water quickly and deep enough. You can also see the individual glows if you take a scoop of the water in your hands. It was truly magical and I am so happy that we took the time to see this. To reach this specific bio bay, you must first travel through about a mile of shallow water surrounded by a tunnel of mangrove trees. There are tons of different tours options for this, and all end up in the same bay at approximately the same time. The majority of tours are kayaking tours; however, there are several small boat tours also available. Personally I choose to do a boat tour (Bio Island PR) and I was so happy with this decision. It is DARK in the mangroves and all you have are glow-sticks on the kayaks to see (a few companies seemed to offer headlamps but this was not the norm). The kayak trip honestly looked ridiculous. It was so slow moving and must take twice the time just to reach the bay as the boat, but all tours get the same amount of time on the bay (which is the whole point of going remember). Each kayak is literally end to end with the next in a constant line of hundreds of tourists and everyone was constantly getting wacked. If you haven't kayaked before or if you're not in the best of shape, I'd highly recommend you consider the few boat tours. Parking in the departure area can be difficult. There are relatively few designated parking spots so most people just park on the surrounding streets. There was no signage so I'm still not sure if this was legal - but we didn't get a ticket so whatever! There's basically a line of vans and tents for each of the different tour companies right by the docks, so you'll have to walk around to find your group. There are no actual storefronts or restrooms in this area so please be advised. Across from the docks is kids park and 1-2 restaurants. The departure area is pretty out of the way (1 hour or so from San Juan). We used google maps to navigate and it worked fine! ADA Accessibility - I do not believe there are any touring offerings of this Bio Bay which are accessible for someone with mobility limitations. It is impossible to see the bay without a tour as you must travel quite some distance. Our boat tour required you to step directly up onto the hull of this ship / down into the seating area which was difficult even for someone without restrictions. There did not appear to be a way to modify this experience to make it handicap accessible. The other tour options, the kayaks, seem like they would also be quite challenging as you have to manually paddle and navigate your kayak without assistance, but I cannot speak directly on this since I did not take those tours. read more

This was the worst most terrifying experience ever. Was so excited to have fun and see beautiful blue glowing organisms in the water. Instead we didn't see anything! It was pitch black, nothing was glowing. If u moved the water u sort of seen a little bit of bubbles. Going Back through the mangroves was terrifying. Pitch black, bats whipping past your face, shrimp and fish jumping into your kayake, but you don't know that they are until the end because you can't see!! People kept crashing into the mangroves and getting hit in the face with big branches from the mangroves. I couldn't wait for it to end. My husband and our friends were miserable and highly disappointed! Never again. read more

What more needs to be said? The Mother-lovin' water SPARKLES!!! Like, effing diamonds in the water...in pitch black darkness! And you get to kayak in the calm, cool darkness for 2 hours, so you even get a nice workout in before you watch everything below shimmer to life. Ahhhh! Mother Nature is baller, yo! read more

THE CIVILIZED WAY TO SEE THE BIOLUMINESCENT BAY. Take the Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico land tour - no paddling. Yes the bioluminescent bay sounds very cool and you want to see it. But most of us don't feel like acting like a backpacker from a Lonely Planet episode. The kayak tours leave much to be desired. Do you really want to paddle a canoe through a mob scene in the dark mangroves where you get wet and tired and bitten by mosquitos? No you don't. Think about getting lost from your group as hundreds of paddlers crash into each other and the mangroves. The unlucky ones who are too tired to make it back are eventually rescued. And if you have kids, or are old and tired, or disabled or pregnant or whatever - forget it. That's why you should instead make a tour reservation with The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, which conducts a land tour where you take the scenic boardwalk above the mangroves, and also tour the historic Fajardo Lighthouse and do a nature walk. They even cart you around in their shuttle bus, so there's a minimum of effort on your part. The tours have about 15 people. There were two tours at the same time the night we went. They take you in their bus first to the Fajardo Lighthouse (see separate review). Built by the Spanish in 1882 and in continuous operation since, this lighthouse is a historical gem. You go inside to watch a movie about the lighthouse and the bio bay. Then you go up to the deck and admire the view from the highest point of Cape San Juan. After that you do the nature walk through the forest and down to the beach. This plant is this, and that bug is that. You know the routine. Then they take you down to Laguna Grande along the boardwalk over the mangroves. You use long sticks to trail in the water to see the plankton light up. Very cool and you don't get wet at all. A long boardwalk - very peaceful. The tours are in Spanish or English, so pick the right one for you. Book ahead amigos. About $22.00 for adults and about $15 for a student. Less than half the price of the canoe debacle, and you don't get soggy clothes. read more

I'm so glad we did some research to find the tour offered by the Para la Naturaleza group. Not only was it affordable (~$25 for adults), but it was convenient, easy, and did not require a random night kayaking excursion. Instead of kayaking in the dark (which in my opinion defeats the purpose of kayaking because you can't see a darn thing, literally), this tour starts at the Cabezas de San Juan, which is a protected mangrove area, and is part tram ride and part walking tour. You are greeted by a tour guide and board the tram which takes you to the lighthouse to watch an educational presentation, then to the mangroves to see the bio-luminescent organisms in action, and then to the beach to talk about other luminescent organisms and sea turtles. The entire tour/experience is about an hour and a half. There is a designated walking path through the mangroves that the guide brings you to and they give you long sticks to play in the water and check out the blue glow when the microorganisms are disturbed. It's quite a sight to see. Looking at it for 15 minutes is really all you need. Try not to spend too much time taking pictures or video because it is difficult to see through camera and you will be frustrated you wasted time trying to do that instead of playing in the water. Just enjoy the experience while you're there. Obviously, the darker the night the better; but if here on vacation, your options may be limited. Finding the place can be difficult, but my GPS did a pretty good job finding "Cabezas de San Juan." The entrance is through some tall trees and there's a gate you have to sign in at. It gets pretty dark here, but if you have a cell phone flashlight you're fine for when you need it. Wear bug spray too if you're sensitive to getting bitten like I am and bring water. read more

Don't go to Puerto Rico without checking out a bioluminescent bay. Choose your paddle buddy wisely so you don't end up in the drink. And don't be as shy as I was and not get that cute tour guide's name and number. You know he was looking at you as much as you were looking at him... I booked the excursion through the Gran Meliá resort but you can get it through other resorts, and Coqui's Hideaway... which is where I want to stay next time I come to PR.... Anyway, the Gran Meliá contracts through Dragonfly Adventures. They pick you up at your hotel, drive you in a van to the boat launch site near "Yokahu Kayak Trips" on Google Maps... Then they explain how not to kill yourself getting into and out of the 2-person kayaks. Canoeing skills are helpful here. Having grown up around canoes and sailboats, I took to it like a fish in water, but sadly my partner was a hindrance to progress. I instructed her to put her paddle down and man the flashlight and we did alright from there. Paddle against the mild oncoming waves a bit then into the mangroves... Admire the iguanas jumping from tree to tree... Stop looking at the hot tour guide... Deftly avoid doing what that couple ahead did when they ran into a tree, tipped over, and dumped themselves into the river... keep paddling.... keep paddling... get to Laguna Grande... Listen to the not so hot tour guide talk about the place while you notice your paddles glowing... stick your hand in the water and watch it glow.... Awesome... Paddle back to the beach, get on the bus, arrive back at the hotel... Listen to your sister talk about her great night at the hotel's karaoke bar... Fall asleep. read more

Bio Bay was the biggest letdown during my trip to Puerto Rico. We did a combined tour of El Yunque, Luquillo Beach and Bio Bay in Fajardo. The first two were great, but the last was a major disappointment. Yes, we went during December, which makes it more difficult to see the bioluminescence, but I felt like we were blatantly lied to. Our tour guide kept telling us if you looked close enough, you'd be able to see it. Out of our group of 20, he was the only one who could. I completely understand it's not peak season, but please set the expectation beforehand. In theory, the tour would have been really cool - you kayak through a pitch black tunnel of gnarly mangroves and see the brightest stars over Laguna Grande. I highly recommend this tour but only March through November (peak season). Otherwise, skip it. read more

What a disappointment. Either our hopes were way out of whack, or this is just borderline scam. Travelling with 2 year olds - 3 in our party of 2 families - in a medium length trip (5 days) - we were leaning on the safe bets. Booked a kid friendly resort (El Conquistador, Fajardo), rented a minivan, went to the rainforest, walked around Old San Juan, stayed out of the scorching sun except when in the water, relaxed abundantly by the pool, and took trips to the Palomino Island. All safe bets. All beyond description, paradise on earth. We had planned the last evening on our trip as a formal night - dress up, take the kids once more around the resort, take pictures, normal family stuff. Then people around were pointing out that we were missing out on the Bio Bay experience. We thought - man - no point in missing out on this thing - it hits bucket lists of people and what not, an incredible experience. BIG mistake. To make matters worse, we had to arrange for a babysitter for the toddlers - who was of abysmal performance, could not contain the kids, and had to have the moms stay back. The Bio Bay trip (we booked with Yokahu) has a 48 hour cancellation or something like that. Money lost right there. Anyway, the dads go along for this incredible experience with our waterproof cameras and insect repellent. We drove. Parking was an issue, the park is super crowded at 8pm. Reached our group, sat in a kayak. All good so far. Anticipation building and all that. The kayaking through the narrow channels through the mangrove jungle was great. Would have been nice in the day as well, the night and pitch black (really pitch black) made it interesting. All we could follow was the blinking LED at the back of the kayak in front, and given the inexperience of the group in general, this meant a lot of bumping kayaks and hitting trees. We reached the lagoon. The guide had us huddled, gave us a lecture on history and geography and the incredible nature of everything, and we put our hands into the water. All that happened was little sparkles in the water - the size of the little green bugs that bother us in fall. That's it. No pictures. The glowing paddles. No psychedelic glowing kayaks. Nothing. I did a number of searches for photos from other travelers - given that waterproof cameras are $100 or so now, surely someone must have been table to take pictures that are similar to the ones on the brochure? Not one. The only cool pictures are all from web pages of tour companies. Maybe at some lucky time of the year the effect is impressive. Definitely not when we went. Do I recommend this place? Sure - once you are done with everything else in Puerto Rico, have time to kill, don't want to see the pool in your hotel or eat another Mofongo, had enough rum to put an elephant to sleep, and have done all 2 forts, the rainforest, pretty much every last bit of the island. Then, if you still have time on your vacation, sure go do this. Note to self - long exposure shots on cheap cameras that show blurred shots of kayaks in motion are not the same as luminescence from the water. Warning - don't bring kids unless they are old enough to sit in a kayak in pitch dark read more

If you can, I totally recommend coming here. Luckily for us this was literally in the back yard of the resort we were staying at. We took the kayaking tour with Tortuga and it was one of the most memorable things I've done here. I think it was all the adrenaline being pumped from 1. Never kayaking before (so we learned as we went) 2. Doing it in the pitch darkness (a lot of bumping into other people and scary mangrove tree roots) 3. The pretty glow in the water as we reached our destination. Even though it wasn't as bright as advertised, it's still such a wonderful natural phenomenon to observe and cross of your bucket list. Things to note: Douse yourself in mosquito repellant and don't bring anything you don't want to get wet. Everything from the waist down gets soaked. read more

Oh-My-Gosh. This is definitely bucket list material! But if you only have time to read one sentence out of this whole review, read this: THE PICTURES ON THIS PAGE ARE MISLEADING AND FAKE!! THERE IS NO BLUE STAR WARS-LIKE GLOW WHATSOEVER!!! AND NO SWIMMING WHATSOEVER, EITHER!!! Okay, that's two sentences but whatever it takes to make sure you don't get your hopes up for nothing! As part of an all-day tour offered by Natural Wonders PR, the last part of our tour was kayaking through the bioluminescent Bay in Fajardo. A couple of other tour groups were also there, and the guides responsible for the kayaking debriefed us on Kayaking basics before we hopped in our kayaks... and off we went. First off, if you're scared of the dark, and by dark I mean absolute pitch blackness, this is NOT for you as each kayaker will be guided only by round glow sticks attached to the front and back of each kayak (with the guides at the front and the back of the group of course). Unless you're already familiar with kayaking, you WILL crash into other kayakers and trees by the side of the bay (one kid even started crying because of an unseen branch that struck her as she and her mom were kayaking). What makes the journey worse was that we had to watch out for small boats and other kayakers coming in the OPPOSITE direction, making this a slightly stressful experience (and thus the one star knocked off). Even more stressful if you're kayaking with someone you don't like, because you have to work together to get moving (but me and my friend were an awesome team, so no complaints from me!) Was spinning in circles, playing kayak bumper cars, and narrowly dodging being sliced open by branches worth it? Yes, yes, and YES! Swishing our arms in the water and watching sparkling diamonds of light dancing on our flesh was truly an experience that can't be missed, as was when we all finally got to the main part of the lagoon, which resembled a large lake. It was so dark, so quiet, nothing lit except the moon and the stars above us. I actually laid on my back and simply stared at the stars as our guide pointed out the constellations with a laser. Sadly, swimming is not allowed anymore...I can only imagine how mind-blowing that would have been, but my experience was a close second. Another experience to cross off my bucket list! read more

We rented one kayak (seats two people) for two hours for $85 from Zumbate Rentals (no tour guide included, pretty overpriced and would not recommend company unless you know everything about the bay already and do not need a guide). Some of the kayaks they offered were better than others. Unfortunately, I had one that had two large holes in my seat so the water just seeps to your butt and no back support so my pants were wet the entire time and my back hurt sitting in the kayak for two hours. The girl next to me had no holes in their seat and nice cushion for back support. The rental shack down the street sat the small group down for 5-minute safety and lagoon orientation and we were told to meet at the entrance to the lagoon (literally behind the Suenos del Mar boutique air bnb/motel) where a third-party helped set us up on the kayaks. The rental shack gave the "leader" of our group a walkie-talkie and told us to walkie-talkie him if anything went wrong. We were basically without a tour guide as a group of 8 brave kayakers independently kayaked into the lagoon. We left at 630pm and the sun was still out. We saw pretty big lizards hanging out by the mangroves as we kayaked towards our destination - the lagoon. Supposedly lagoon grande is one of the five luminescent bay in the world (two in Puerto Rico, some in Jamaica, etc). We sat in the silent lagoon in the evening waiting for the sun to set. When the sun set, we waited and waited. Nothing happened. Where was the light? The entire group was confused. Looking back, it was pretty hilarious we were just expecting the entire lagoon to light up or something magical to happen. This would not have happen if we had had a tour guide to tell us what we were doing. [[Caveat: We kayaked right next to where the Nature Reserve dock where you could also reserve a walking tour to the lagoon if you reserve A LOT IN advance. We had originally called to see if we could get a nature reserve, but the site was terrible and nobody picked up their phone, and when they finally did, we were told we were unable to get a tour til next month.]] Anyways, back to the story. We were in the lagoon when the sun set, and one smart kayaker realized that it was actually motion-activated! You need to move your paddle in order to a small glisten of light. However, the light was so unnoticeable that we had thought it was just a reflection from the moon. If you kayak closer to the mosquito-ridden trees in the shadows, the light becomes a tiny bit more apparent. The glow was so minimal I still feel like I saw nothing. Perhaps had we gone on a day with no moon, we could have seen the glowing water better. But instead, I think our group was mostly disappointed because all the internet pictures and Fodors guide books made it seem like it was super bright. If you want a good experience, I suggest: -RESERVE/PLAN IN ADVANCE WITH A BETTER TOUR GROUP (fail to plan, plan to fail) -GO WHEN THERE IS NO MOON. -Wear swim bottoms under your pants/shorts. You bottom half will get wet. read more

This place is sick! I was lucky to get on a kayak tour last minute. It's pretty crazy taking a kayak out in the ocean and through a channel of water surrounded by trees, in the middle of the dark, bumping into other kayaks, and getting stuck into tree roots; but, it was part of the experience. Once you get out to the bay, it's an eerie but calming feeling at the same time. Running your hand through the water and seeing it glow was like being in the cartoon, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest. You're out there for about two to three hours in a kayak so if you have to pee, guess where you have to go!? read more

Bio Bay Tour with Captain Suarez (electric boat): After a tiring day of hiking El Yunque, the last thing my boyfriend & I wanted to do was kayak around the bay. We wanted a leisurely boat ride where we wouldn't have to get tangled up in mangroves and bump into people. I'm so glad we found Captain Suarez! It seems like it's best to call and make a reservation ahead of time. Our hotel called Captain Suarez who originally said that he didn't have an opening, but we could try back later in case of cancellation. We arrived at the bio bay area early (around 5pm) which is when the tour companies are arriving and setting up shop. As soon as we saw Captain Suarez arrive, we went right over to his table. Luckily he had an opening for us for the 7pm boat ride. Captain Suarez and his wife have snacks and water on hand for you, and our guide was very knowledgeable throughout the ride. He told us all about the bio bay and the surrounding areas. The boat is a small electric boat and our group had 9 people total (including the captain & guide). We were given sticks to put into the water to agitate it and see the glow. We could also reach our hands in and see the glittery sparkles on our hands. Now, for the bay itself. It doesn't glow like crazy like you might see in the brochures. What you will see is a blue-white glow where you agitate the water that kind of looks like flames. The bio bay is definitely something worth seeing. read more

The greatest experience of my life! I have been to the bioluminescent bay in Fajardo twice now and I can't wait to go back. A few suggestions: 1. DO go near the new moon - The luminescence of the dinoflagellates (the pretty little creatures that make the water glow) can best be seen near the new moon. The full moon is too bright and the full effect of the luminescence is more difficult to see. 2. DON'T pollute the water :-( - Please don't take a speed boat out there! Not sure if they even allow this anymore, but your polluting the water and therefore ruining the habitat of the dinoflagellates. 3. DO kayak - the kayaking tours are awesome! You get to enjoy the views of the bayou at night. Though you should consider that it is hard to see where you are going at night and that it requires some physical dexterity. That's it. Go. Enjoy. A geeks paradise :-) read more

I would say the experience was a bit hectic with a bunch of different tour groups in the pitch black little canal with two little small lights on each kayak. Once we got out to the bay, it was beautiful with the stars and the sky was clear. The bay lights barely lit up. You couldn't really see anything lit in the water. Not to mention that you cannot capture anything on your camera phone, so no need to even bring out your phone. If you swish your hand in the water, little bit of light shows up. Then we headed back for another pitch black canal kayak. Make sure to bring a change of clothes, because I was soaked waist down. Basically you pay for a 2 mile kayak. read more