Bioluminescent Bay Night Kayaking Adventure in Puerto Rico
Description
Kayak through the mangroves of Laguna Grande and experience the natural glow of bioluminescence. Bioluminescence varies nightly from faint sparkles to a stronger glow. As a natural phenomenon, brightness and visibility cannot be guaranteed. A tarp may be used to block out light and enhance visibility, making it easier to see even subtle sparkles. Advisories: 1. Sargassum, a harmless local seaweed, may occasionally be present and emit an odor. 2. Solo kayakers and odd-numbered groups will be paired up. 3. You will get wet—dress accordingly. 4. During peak season, high traffic may cause light contact between kayaks; our experienced guides ensure a safe and enjoyable tour. 5. Participants aged 6–14 must ride in a tandem kayak with an adult. Participants aged 15–17 must be accompanied by an adult on the tour. 6. Wear comfortable, quick-drying clothes and water shoes or sandals. You will get wet.
Tour Options
Itinerary
This is the one adventure not to be missed while in Puerto Rico. Paddle your way through the mystical mangrove channels leading to “Laguna Grande”. There you will feel on another planet as the water comes alive in a magnificent glowing spectacle that must be seen to be believed!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Not allowed for children under 6yrs old
- Not allowed for pregnant guests or those with casts, heart conditions, neck/back issues, epilepsy, or dizziness.
- Weight limit p/p of 225 lb (102kg)! Checks will be conducted prior to boarding; no participation nor refunds if exceeded.
- Participants aged 6-14 must be accompanied by an adult in a tandem kayak.
- Participants aged 15-17 must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.
- Wear comfortable, quick-drying clothes and water shoes or sandals. You will get wet.
- Bioluminescence varies nightly from faint sparkles to a stronger glow. As a natural phenomenon, brightness and visibility cannot be guaranteed. A tarp may be used to block out light and enhance visibility, making it easier to see even subtle sparkles.
Reviews(522)
The guides were amazing, especially Pedro! Would recommend. It was unfortunate you couldn’t see the bioluminescence super clearly but it was worth it to not have make a trip out to Vieques. Fun experience
Thank you so much for the 5 star review! We’re happy to hear you had a fun experience and that our guides, especially Pedro, made your adventure memorable. While bioluminescence can vary naturally from night to night, we’re glad you still enjoyed exploring Laguna Grande with us. Thank you for recommending Island Kayaking Adventure, and we hope to welcome you back again! Néstor
Pedro, Gabriel and Jesus were amazing guides! Super friendly and very helpful with all the questions!
Thank you so much, Andrew! We’re happy to hear that Pedro, Gabriel, and Jesus made your experience such a great one. Our guides truly enjoy sharing the adventure and helping our guests along the way. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with them! Thank you for choosing Island Kayaking Adventure. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure in Puerto Rico!
Our guide, Pedro, was phenomenal. We laughed the whole time. My niece and I were struggling with maneuvering the kayak. Pedro helped us and gave us the VIP treatment as he called it. Cannot recommend enough!
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! We love hearing that you and your niece had such a fun time with us. Pedro definitely knows how to make an adventure memorable. We’ll be sure to share your kind words with him. Thank you for recommending Island Kayaking Adventure, and we hope to paddle with you again on your next visit to Puerto Rico! Néstor
Our guide Pedro was great. The organisms were not illuminating, but we were told that most likely wouldn’t happen. They offered us a reduced price for the sunset kayak and it was cool.
Thank you for sharing your experience! We’re glad you enjoyed the sunset kayaking adventure and had a great time with Pedro. We also truly appreciate you mentioning the communication you received regarding the current conditions. Being transparent with our guests is very important to us, especially when it comes to a natural phenomenon that can vary significantly. Thank you for choosing Island Kayaking Adventure. We’re happy you were able to enjoy a different side of Laguna Grande, and we hope to welcome you back again in the future! Néstor
When conditions are not favorable they will reach out and give you two options. To continue your trip with 25% discount or to cancel with full refund. They take trips out every 30 minutes and customers could have been told that no bioluminescence would be seen. Not that conditions are unfavorable. You walk out into murky horrible smelling water then kayak out two miles total with a guide you can't even keep up with. Creepy, pitch black conditions. Return ride is upriver and can be difficult especially when you have a child with you. This was my special adventure for our trip and I am extremely disappointed. Take the refund or reschedule if you get an "unfavorable" message. It's a nice way of saying you can still pay hundreds of dollars but you're not going to see a thing.
Dear Lauren, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are truly sorry that your experience did not meet your expectations. Because bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon, there are occasions when environmental conditions significantly reduce or even eliminate its visibility. Rather than allowing guests to arrive with unrealistic expectations, we proactively contact every affected reservation before the tour to explain the current conditions and offer two options: participate with a discount or cancel for a full refund. These options are provided so each guest can make an informed decision before arriving. We understand your disappointment, especially since this was a special experience you had planned for your trip. Unfortunately, while we can accurately report current conditions based on our observations, we cannot predict or guarantee how nature will behave from one night to the next. The kayaking route, distance, and physical effort required, including paddling through the mangrove channel, are described in our tour information so guests know what to expect before booking. As for the odor you experienced, it was caused by naturally occurring sargassum along our coastline, an environmental condition beyond our control. We sincerely regret that nature did not cooperate during your visit and appreciate your feedback. We wish you the very best and hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Puerto Rico. Néstor
Giving this experience 5 stars even though the conditions weren’t ripe for bioluminescence. The company alerted us the day prior that conditions weren’t favorably to view bioluminescence and offered to either cancel the experience for a full refund or continue with a discount. That showed a lot of integrity, so we decided to keep our trip despite the news. Lots of traffic coming from San Juan for the 630 experience, but we were able to get dinner at the restaurant next door. The guides were funny and gave good instruction. We did wade out to the kayaks, so wear a swimsuit and bring a towel. Paddling through the mangroves was a very unique experience and we even saw a monkey! Be warned, the mosquitoes were swarming! My wife is a mosquito magnet so bring your own mosquito repellant! They did supply repellant beforehand, but we had to wade in the water to the kayaks, which washed it off… We arrived at Bio Bay and they tried as hard as they could to help us see bioluminescence by covering us with a tarp to darken the water-but no glow. Our main guide gave us a science lesson on the bay which was interesting. I would recommend that the guides install more lights on the kayaks because it was pretty dark on the way back. It did create a unique experience with the glowing fireflys around, or whatever bug that was, but some kayaks ended up crashing into each other. It was actually pretty funny (no one got hurt.) Paddling was a workout for sure. My wife didn’t like the experience because of the mosquitoes (I don’t blame her.) my 13 year old daughter also didn’t like the challenge of paddling, but I enjoyed the exercise and paddling through the mangroves. Definitely, a memorable experience for many reasons. The staff was absolutely great!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful 5 star review, Brian! We truly appreciate your understanding and your kind words about our team's transparency regarding the natural conditions. We're glad you chose to join us and enjoyed paddling through the mangroves, learning about the lagoon, and spending the evening with our guides. We also appreciate your feedback about the lighting and will certainly keep it in mind as we continue improving our guests' experience. Thank you for choosing Island Kayaking Adventure. We hope to welcome you and your family back on a night with brighter bioluminescence!
Absolutely horrible. They said “limited visibility” of the bioluminescence the day of the excursion and gave us the option to rebook to 6:30 tour. When we opted to keep our 8:30 tour, they said all 27 people that were originally on the 8:30 tour rebooked to the 6:30 tour and rebooked us to the 6:30 tour. Let me save you the trouble, the bioluminescence was nonexistent, not simply limited. There was also No warning about the sheer volume of mosquitos, despite me specifically asking. My daughter and I got eaten alive. Easily well over 100 bites. The “guides” were also pretty quiet the entire time. On the way back the mangroves are pitch black so I was concerned about my daughter getting hit with a sharp low hanging branch. And once again, the “guides” were nowhere to be found in these spaces. The sargassum has killed whatever bioluminescence was once in the area. I came to this same place 15 years ago. The magic that was once there no longer exists. Save your money and the potential case of Malaria.
Dear Mia, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We're sorry to hear that the experience did not meet your expectations. Because bioluminescence is a completely natural phenomenon, we contacted all guests before the tour to explain that visibility was expected to be very limited due to current environmental conditions. At that time, we offered every guest two options: continue with the tour with a discount or cancel for a full refund, allowing each guest to make the decision they felt was best. You initially chose to continue with your 8:30 PM reservation. However, after the majority of guests elected to move to the earlier departure, the 8:30 PM tour no longer met the minimum number of participants required to operate, as stated in our booking policies. We contacted you again and offered you the option to join the confirmed 6:30PM departure with the same discount or cancel your reservation for a full refund. You chose to join the 6:30 PM tour. We also understand your concerns regarding mosquitoes. Since our tour takes place in a protected natural mangrove ecosystem, mosquito activity is entirely dependent on environmental conditions and cannot be controlled. As a courtesy, we provide complimentary natural insect repellent to all guests before departure. We would also like to clarify that Puerto Rico has no local transmission of malaria and has been malaria-free since 1962. Finally, we understand your disappointment with the bioluminescence. This is a natural phenomenon that changes from day to day based on factors such as rainfall, tides, water movement, and other environmental conditions. While we always provide honest updates and options before the tour, we cannot control or guarantee the intensity of nature. We appreciate your feedback and wish you and your family the very best.
Great staff and all around experience. Special thanks to Gari, Gabriel, Jesus, and our other guides.
Thank you for your 5 star review! We're so happy you had a great experience with us. We'll be sure to share your kind words with our team. Thanks for choosing Island Kayaking Adventure!
This was our first time kayaking in Puerto Rico. It was so much fun my whole Family loved it and the guides were very knowledgeable about Puerto Rico‘s history.
Thank you, Angela, for your wonderful 5 star review! We're so happy to hear that your family's first kayaking experience in Puerto Rico was such a fun and memorable one. It’s great to know you enjoyed learning about Puerto Rico’s history from our guides while exploring the beauty of Laguna Grande. Thank you for choosing Island Kayaking Adventure!
I went for the 6:30 tour. It wasn't fully dark when we got to the lagoon as there was some light pollution and daylight left but on the way back it was pitch black. It's an adventure that will forever live with me and I'm thankful the experience was offered.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We're delighted to hear that your adventure left such a lasting impression. One of the unique aspects of our 6:30 PM tour is experiencing the transition from sunset into darkness, allowing guests to enjoy the beauty of the mangrove ecosystem before returning under the night sky. It means a great deal to know this is an experience you'll always remember. Thank you for choosing to kayak with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure whenever you're in Puerto Rico! Néstor
