Bio Bay Night Kayak Tour With Transport From San Juan

If you wanted to paddle around with a huge group of people constantly running into each other and with guides intermittently blinding you with a headlamp and then never seeing any of the bioluminescence even after forcing you to put a tarp over yourself to try and make it dark enough, this is the tour for you! I get you can’t control nature, but a heads up would have been nice and the whole thing was very poorly executed.

This was a super fun excursion! I was very nervous about the event but the couple that lead the group put us all at ease. Would do again! This was way beyond my comfort level. Thanks ever so much!

The guides were great and entertaining. Don't go in expecting to see a ton of bright lights and you won't be disappointed. Kayaking in the night under the mangroves was a pretty spectacular experience on its own.

I would not recommend this tour, especially for the price charged, as it felt like false advertising. We went on this excursion with our 2 kids and were instructed to paddle out in complete darkness in canoes to the middle of the ocean, where we were suppose to see vivid bioluminescent water. When we finally arrived, our group was tied together, and the guides placed a tarp over our heads and asked us to splash the water to see small flashes of light. We saw very little, and the experience was uncomfortable and unsettling- especially for our children, who were frightened. For the amount paid, this experience was misleading, poorly executed, and absolutely not worth the cost.

Something different and new! Kayaking at night through the mangroves was a very unique experience! I have to say that I enjoyed that more than the bio bay part. The water didn’t light up much when we went. Nothing like any pictures that I have seen. Not saying it doesn’t happen. Just didn’t happen the night we were there and there wasn’t a moon visible that night. The guides provided tarps to put over our heads to make it darker…but it didn’t make a huge difference. Felt a little weird to be under a giant canvas tarp in the middle of a lake. Fine for all ages. The transport ride was on time and easy to find. The van was very warm for the whole hour ride though :/ The life jackets smelled like wet towels that sat in a washing machine for days. Not sure how that can be remedied in the future. But definitely smelled bad. Over all would recommend for the experience! Lil pricey. But it was a vacation activity!

This is a great trip. The meeting area is very clean and organized with a food/drink pop up and restroom. There are multiple companies running the tour and lots of people but they all manage it very well and the whole trip is well organized. After a brief kayak do’s and don’ts they take you to the kayaks and then you go in a single file line kayaking through beautiful mangroves and “hammocks” until you get to the bay. You all stay together until it gets dark, then they put a tarp over your heads and you can see the glow when you swish your hands in the water. It may be visible during other times without that, but we appreciated the effort. The kayaking back is pitch dark and we thought very exciting. You can see the glow from the paddles hitting the water. We would very highly recommend!

Very well organized, good safety briefing and had all the equipment provided. Our captain Emily was super supportive and made us feel welcome and included. Definitely recommend as a must do for visiting Puerto Rico!

Great for all levels , Friendly guides and captains who offered help every step of the way.they make lots of efforts to really keep everyone safe. Will definitely recommend!!

Work on upper arm strength and just have fun and follow the incredible guides. Enjoy all you see along the way to the bay.

Guides were great! Very kind and patient. Great experience all around, we would do it again and recommend to friends.

It was a good experience kayaking at night and also the glowing organisms We went through a channel to the bay at night

While the tour guides were super friendly and fun, the bio bay itself was underwhelming. It’s about a 30 minute kayak ride to the bay, when we got there it was still light out so we had to wait in the bay. For 5 minutes they put a tarp over our kayak and we could moderately see the bioluminescent lights. Our tour also was 2 days before the new moon. The kayak ride was fun, but I feel that $115 was a very steep price for this and wish I spent it on something else. Also, if you book solo or with an odd number group, you will need to pair up with somebody else from the tour.

This was a fantastic experience. Our driver Angel was safe and personable. Out kayak tour guide Joe and Emily were fantastic.

Go during new moon. Otherwise it's a nice time but not much illumination. The guides were professional and the equipment was very good.

I went with my sister-in-law and we both loved the experience. We are novice kayakers and had fun trying to get the rhythm going. Yes we did run into the trees a couple of times and giggled the whole time. Our guides, AJ and Capt Joe were awesome and super friendly. Joe stayed with us at the back of the pack and chatted along the way which was super helpful. Once we reached the bay, we had a few minutes of free time to paddle around the bay or just relax and enjoy the night sky. The moon was waxing and over half full so it made for a bright night (try to plan your excursion during the least moon phase you can). Because it was bright, we were provided a tarp to lay over us to allow us to see the glowing microorganisms in the water. It looked like fireworks or sparklers in the water. It was cool to cup to water in your hand and let it fall to see the little specks of light. (Btw the bay does not glow like the pictures. It’s more of a sparkle). We loved the experience and would highly recommend it, especially with Joe and AJ.

This experience was out of this world! I wasn’t sure what to expect & this did not disappoint! It was more than I expected the staff, drivers, tour guides. Pick up & drop off locations was easy to find. I tried to do this once before, however, the tour cancelled due to weather. The company contacted me prior to & provided a refund. I was glad to be able to finally take the tour at a later date. I will definitely do this again!

Stunning lack of information. I had to ask about what to wear. Everyone got wet, as expected, but there was no proper place to change into dry clothes! It was buggy and everyone got itchy bites, whether we sprayed or no. The trip leader spoke English that was as fast as her Spanish, so I got about every fifth word. That was okay because I am an experienced kayaker, but many were not and had no clue how to control the direction of their kayak. In terms of organization and communication I would rate "Very Poor." I was bow in the kayak, and was paired with a young woman, who sat is the stern, as she was heavier. We had no time to talk and strategize how to communicate, and the boat ahead of us could not steer! It was chaos. Speaking with another woman, while we were waiting for the bathroom, she had done this kayak tour before,and said that this one was very poorly organized and not fun. Biggest complain: NO PLACE TO CHANGE and the bathroom had a broken toilet, and another toilet that would not flush. Very long lines for the women's bathroom made the experience even worse.

This was supposed to be a fantastic experience, but they took us in early and brought us back by 7:30, which is when other tours started. It was not dark enough, and they put tarps on our heads to simulate darkness in the bay. We were barely able to see anything. Further, the guides could not control the kayakers, who kept banging into each other. Taking us out into the bay so early was useless, and a very disappointing experience. I have taken this kind of tour before and had an amazing experience. This wasn't very pleasant.

The bioluminescence is interesting, but the night we were there, underwhelming. The kayaking was fun. We were warned that weather conditions were not good for luminescence, and the warnings were accurate.

This experience was great! We did the earlier tour, so it was still light out while kayaking to the lagoon but dark on the way back. Unfortunately it was pretty light out, so they had to put a tarp over us so we could see the glow. But we could see it! Definitely something everyone should experience. Our tour guides Emily, Joe, and AJ were very helpful, and our driver Rafael was super informative and kind. I will say, it gets pretty dark on the way back and the channel is narrow, so you may want at least one person in the kayak with you that has some experience. Overall though, it was worth the trip.

The excursion from start to finish was awesome. The Driver picked us up at El San Juan Hotel was on time and super friendly. The experience was great from the people at the booth to the guides were awesome!! Good time had by all.

Great tour and great chance to kayak and see beautiful scenery and the bioluminescence. The guides were very friendly and competent. Time was longer than I thought and I wish they had told us more about what we were seeing besides just the bioluminescence, but in the mangroves and around the area

Kayaking through the mangroves, was a neat experience! We’ve done this tour a number of years ago, it was hands down much nicer then! There were too many people, and we were rushed through to allow for more tours. We had to hold tarps over our heads to make it darker, which was more than likely another result of getting us out sooner! We were impressed at the fact that the team did a great job of keeping our group, and all groups coordinated the way they did.

Capts Niche and Emily were very knowledgeable, fun, and made the experience awesome. The bioluminescence were amazing to see. Like little fireworks in the water. 10/10

Super experience I recommend for anyone visiting PR! The bioluminescence is awesome. There was a full moon that made paddling through the mangrove forest even better. Our guide team - Nichi, Joe and Sammy - were highly enthusiastic, clearly knowledgeable and capable. They made the trip enjoyable for everyone, even those with no previous kayaking skills. The transportation team was efficient and kept us updated on schedule and made it easy for pickup and dropoff.

Seeing the bioluminescence in the bay was fun but you could really see it on the way back through the mangroves. The guides were great - Emily, Joe, and the rest.

Everyone from Peniel Access Eco Tour made the experience even more wonderful! Would definitely recommend them!

The pickup was very smooth and our driver was a terrific individual. The guides at the experience were very patient organizing a great number of people to paddle out to the bay. Would recommend.

Excellent experience Customer service exceptional!!!! From the communication before the trip , the pickup and the actual excursion is a must for vacation!!

We had a great time kayaking, the ride to and from the bay was lovely. Our guides were friendly and helpful. We saw a little bioluminescence but I think we would have seen more if we had gone on a later tour. When we were kayaking back we saw some people who were just heading out. Overall I'm happy I went.

We were concerned that our 4:00 pick-up time (the later times were unavailable) would be too early and that it wouldn't be dark enough to see the bio-luminescence--we needn't have worried. Pick up from the hotel was prompt, and it was almost 1 1/2 hours to kayaking site, so we didn't start kayaking til 5:45, with 6:00 PM sunset. It was actually easier and more pleasant to start our kayaking while it wasn't totally dark. By the time we arrived at the bay, we were able to see the bio-luminescence well both under the tarp and moving the water with our hands, and paddling back through the mangroves in pitch darkness with the paddles making streaks of light through the water was amazing. It was my first time kayaking, and it was a delightful experience.

Very fun, amazing tour! Wish we could’ve heard the tour guide talk a bit more but it was overall a great experience… don’t forget bug spray!

Paddle through the mangroves was cool. I thought there would be more to see in the bay. Nice that there were some food options there. Long ride from San Juan

Amazing! This was an absolutely incredible experience! kayaking back in the dark as the organisms lit up was incredible!

This was an amazing experience for myself and my 12 and 14 year old sons! We all would strongly recommend this adventure. The guides were great and the bioluminescent water was so interesting and fun to see. The kayak trip back was an adventure in itself, with fish jumping and the paddles making the water glow. You don't want to miss this experience!

Its hard to describe how bizarre and magical the bioluminescence is. Well organized and very pleasant throughout.

Booked this specifically because of the transportation from San Juan. Overall great experience from transport, to checking in with experienced staff, and of course our excellent guides. Our tour was with Captains Nitshy, Joe, and Yareff. The kayaking was fun and not too challenging, the highlight of course being the amazing bioluminescence! Would definitely recommend to anyone visiting!

An excellent time. The 2nd time we’ve done the bio bay tour. They’re pretty much the same, but this one is family run and I love their vibe. Definitely recommend. (Pls get your driver to wear his seat belt though).

Transportation was a great bonus. Driver was amazing. The kayak instructors were really helpful getting everyone out and back in. The bay was beautiful and you could see the bioluminescence clearly when you moved the water. I recommend a sunset tour and the way back in the dark was much more difficult than the way in when it was light out.

The lagoon was so cool—so interesting and weird and beautiful. The driver was very nice, the ride was comfortable and on time, and the guides were informative and helpful. It was a great experience over all.

We had an excellent time kayaking to the bay and seeing the biolumiescence! Our guides did a great job of helping us along the route to and from the bay.

The kayak tour was great. The hosts were friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. My only complaint lies with the transportation driver. He called me 5 minutes before our meeting time and told me he was early. Because of traffic he wanted to depart right away. I told him that I planned on the meeting time and would be there on time, which I was. After the kayaking we were waiting for the restroom to become available to change clothes as recommended when booking. While standing in line, the driver was about 10 feet away YELLING that it was time to leave. I askeif we had time to change and his response was, "I'll wait again". He didn't wait the first time because we weren't late. On the ride back, her pointed out the area he lived, how far back his drive was, and how late it was. I highly recommend that the driver stick to the schedule and stop being impatient.

First of all, the bay doesn't sit there glowing on its own. Some seem disappointed, but they need to get more info before going. The water glows when it is agitated, so only if you wiggle your hand or oar in it. Pick up some in your hand and you'll see little specks of light too. The kayaking is a real adventure though. We went for about a mile on a narrow course between mangroves, occasionally canopied overhead as well. It was quite lovely. The route is fairly narrow, probably two experienced kayaks could navigate it side by side, but we were given instructions to go single file. This is good advice, follow it! The bay empties and fills through this channel, so if you're with the current on your way out, you will probably have the opposite current on the way back. For us, that meant an easy glide to the bay and a workout coming back. The guides were helpful and fun, but our trip back was a challenge and in the dark too. They didn't really impress upon us the importance of staying single file, but it really is vital! We bunched up fairly quickly and it was a frustrating mess for about 15 minutes. Once we spread out things went fine, if not a little spooky in the dark.

The crew was amazing and helpful from start to finish. It was a first time experience for us and the crew was great in making sure we felt comfortable and safe.

The experience was OK - a typical outdoor experience where you exert yourself a bit and get some satisfaction from the accomplishment. They only offer 2 person kayaks, so odd numbered groups someone will have to split off and go with a stranger. Due to surrounding light pollution, once at the lake they let you take turns using a tarp to cover yourself to block out the light so you can see the light show, which is brief and underwhelming. The paddling is relatively easy, even in darkness, so it is more of a night time kayak excursion to enjoy sunset on a lake and paddling with stars overhead. You will get wet from waist down so wear a swimsuit and water shoes.

Unfortunately our experience was outweighed by a thunderstorm in the middle of the river so that put a damper on it. However, our tour guides were amazing and made sure we made it back safely. I would not recommend this tour in the rain.

Not for the faint of heart by any means. The first half was easy enough and the Bio Bay was cool. The guides were helpful and so friendly but the trip back, WOW. I was not prepared for the upper body strength I needed for that trip and ultimately, they had to tow us back.

Getting lost in our kayak in the channel through the mangroves, in almost pitch blackness. This was a physically demanding excursion, lots of heavy paddling against the tide. Good workout.

I came to Puerto Rico entirely because of my desire to see this phenomenon (no disrespect to Puerto Rico, which is beautiful, but this was 100% the deciding factor in where I chose to take my first full vacation in 3 years). The bus ride to the tour was completely silent - the driver made no attempt at pointing out even the biggest, most obvious points of interest along the way on an hour long drive. The most animated part of the trip was them repeatedly reminding us that we would be abandoned in Fajardo if we weren’t back on the bus 15 minutes after the kayak tour ended. Then we were “taught” how to kayak by the guides having us stand in a semi-circle on dry land while they showed us how to hold the paddle and said which direction to paddle to go left, right, and slow/stop. There was zero practice in the water. Once we were in the boats it was time to go. I’ll admit that I had a bumpy start. As the only person with no kayaking experience and the only person without a partner, I was entirely on my own figuring the kayak out. I definitely got caught up a couple of times early on but considering that I was brand new and I managed to get myself back on track I felt pretty good about working to develop a new skill. When we made it to the lagoon we were given time to paddle around and once I was out in the open I was actually fine. I enjoyed practicing further and watching the sunset. Then it was time to finally see the bioluminescence… except we couldn’t. I mean you could make out the occasional spark if you REALLY reached in an agitated the water but only if you did it while under a tarp, which made getting a good look nearly impossible. I felt like we were out much too early to get enough darkness and there was too much light pollution. The tour should really start later in the summer to get any real opportunity to see what the excitement is all about. Then before it was really dark enough to enjoy anything it was time to head back. Now, over the course of the previous hour I had improved and some of the other guests had started to run into issues themselves - they had also ended up caught on trees or started paddling too quickly and hit one another by not leaving any room for the group ahead to slow down. My earlier mistakes had forced me to learn how to back up and when to make room for others, etc. so I was okay pausing to let others get back into line or moving out the way. We’d been told repeatedly to stay in a line so that other tours could pass on the outside, but several folks start to clump up instead and rather than hanging back to get into formation, those people just tried to go around the rest of the line. I ended up getting hit not once, not twice, but 3 times as other people focused more on getting ahead than making sure we followed expectations. As a result, I got rammed nearly ashore but I was okay with doing the work to get back on track. It would have been a little tough but not impossible and I’m not one to just give up. Instead, before I could maneuver my way back out, one of the guides said they were going to give me “a little help” which turned out to be towing me the entire way back. It felt infantilizing to have someone first ignore that I was repeatedly rammed into by other guests because I was allowing another kayak to enter the line (as was asked of us) and then take over the entire rest of the way without asking if I wanted that. If he’d just wanted to get me recentered that would be one thing but it felt really awful to be improving at something and have the opportunity to get better taken from me. Don’t get me wrong, the guides were nice people, but it was frustrating that instead of reminding others to be mindful of their surroundings I was towed back like a child. All together, it was a really deflating experience to come all this way, excited to see one of the world’s coolest natural wonders, and both not see it AND get the rest of the activity taken away too.