Paddle through the mangrove forest on your way to the unique Bioluminescent Bay of Laguna Grande in Fajardo, Puerto Rico! Savor your surroundings while the sunset fades, bask in the beauty of your surroundings and experience the thrill of night kayaking. Here at Peniel Access Eco Tours, our Adaptive Paddling Program also provides ample opportunity for anyone who would like to try kayaking for the first time or have any special challenges – from issuing better, comfier seating to towing, our team has got you covered. Live-commentary and interpretations are offered by our tour guides who will lead and assist you all along the way. So put on your life vest and get ready for an encounter with nature!
Nothing at all as expected. The bioluminescent water was basically nonexistent. They threw a tarp over our heads so we could see it better. No help. Basically just a kayak cruise in pitch dark waters
Nice experience. The driver arrived right on time, the river guides were great, and the entire experience was enjoyable. No issues at all.
The trip was great! The entire staff was wonderful!
Great trip! Well organized and worked well for our family, kids ages 7-12.
Our experience was amazing! Great guides and perfect night to see the bioluminescence. A must do for anyone coming to Puerto Rico.
Pickup well coordinated - driver Angel dropped me at my hotel instead of pickup location - a really nice touch. Kayaking also well coordinated with attentive guides. Bioluminescent not at its best because of conditions, but was informed in advance that was the case.
Nice tour, fun time! wish it was more glow but a good adventure nonetheless!!! Got a good arm workout!
The mangroves are cool and the paddle was pretty. I didn’t like the long drive from San Juan (90 minutes with traffic) and then having to wait for all the different companies to leave together when we could have had more time on the water. We waited an extra 30 minutes even after all of our tour was there. Some of the guides were attentive and some were just chatting with each other and not paying much attention. I thought it was a bit expensive for the time on the water.
It was beautiful I went with my 9yr old son they called a day before to confirm pick up also to let me knw that we probably wouldn’t see the glowing water because of circumstances due to weather but we both enjoyed this soo much regardless
Poorexperience. In dark, not much guidance, zero glowing water
Humiliating experience. We are older adults and experienced kayakers. The rest of the group was college kids who didn’t know how to kayak and kept bumping into each other. We hung back to avoid the snarl. One of the guides assumed we were in trouble because we were behind the group and towed us. This was done without asking and is a form of ageism. I do not recommend this tour for older adults.
We had a great time kayaking on this excursion! It was my first time kayaking while my friend was more experienced but we both had a great time! Our tour guides were obviously very experienced & were very professional. It was an excellent learning experience & it really was pretty cool watching those phytoplankton sparkling under the water.
This was a full moon, and what they don’t tell you is that you can’t see anything when there’s a full moon. Darkness is required. So it was kind of a bust. But a good time and the guides were good. Just picked the wrong day.
It was the most amazing experience! Our guides were all absolutely wonderful! We are so lucky to visit the beauty of Puerto Rico nature!
The Bio luminescent experience was really cool. However, the bathroom facilities was disgusting. The guides did a good job but it was too large of a group of kayakers. It was difficult to hear the guides when on the kayaks.
Interesting adventure, tour guides were great and helpful. However it was a little overwhelming the number of people that do these trips...there are 12 kayak companies that take groups out at the same time. So if you think it's going to be a quiet and peaceful kayak outing - it's not. But you do get to see some bioluminescence. They do put a tarp over you to cut out the light so you can see it better. Tour guides are super knowledgeable and friendly.
Great guides , nice bus ride to get there . Amazing trip.
Overall great experience, was a ton of fun. For the bioluminescence we saw something like sparklers in the water
Quite an experience! Guides were great. If you're traveling with someone who doesn't have hand eye coordination or is athletic, be prepared to do more of the work. Getting there we were kayaking for a decent amount of time against the current. The moon was too bright the night we did it but still got a chance to see it with the tarps. Unfortunately, we had a person in our group who couldn't stop talking or using his phone with the brightness fully on so that didn't help. Warning- the brightness of the organisms is so quick that a camera actually can't capture it. The guide told us even if there wasn't a full moon, the pictures on the computer are purely to display for ads. In real life, a camera can never capture it. It's more like sparkles on your hands than the blue that you see in pictures. Expect to get fully wet. The kayaks had water in it before I even sat in it. Would have loved to try Vieques instead but it was too much of a mission to get there.
Good experience. Tour started and ended on time. We were able to Kayak through the Mangrove, see a little bit of the sunset. Could not see much Bioluminescence. But a good activity overall.
This was an amazing experience! It was hard to see the glowing algae due to the bright moon, but our guides were prepared with tarps for us. They were very knowledgable about the local wildlife, and respectful of nature and family. We specifically used Puerto Rico Access Tours.
Professional and friendly service. Punctual, which is very important and also fun experience. From the moment our driver Joshua picked us up to the moment he dropped us off everything worked out great. Thank you for excellent Bioluminescent tour.
Great experience! Worth the trip! The guides were knowledgeable, very helpful, & entertaining. The only issue was the transportation to Fajardo. We hit traffic due to accidents (no fault of our driver) and it took over two hrs to arrive. After the adventure, the driver went out of his way to drop us really close to our Airbnb so we didn’t have to pay for an Uber from the original drop off point. Overall it was a wonderful experience and would definitely recommend this company!
It was a very poor experience. To paddle a kayak for 20 min, after wait as another 20 min to be covered by tent for 5 min to see plankton and paddle back!! It feels like waste of time and money. This experience good for young kids. Not for adults.
Fun experience. Being picked up and dropped off at/near our hotel (which is an hour away) is a huge bonus. Called to confirm the day before and the day of, which gives peace of mind on the plans. Super professional.
The bio bay tour was fantastic! Joe was an amazing tour guide!
It takes us moré thanatos 2 jours on bus in thé trafic to get there. Without clim. The tour essayer boring and to see the luminescent plancton se had to cover herself whit a big towel. Very expansive for what you got. ITS RIDICULUS.
The process is very smooth and they take care to make sure you have a good experience. Tour guides are very helpful and kind. However, at least in our experience, I'd recommend not going in with expectations of what the google images look like. It was much more subdued (possibly because of pollution), you could only see the microorganisms at the edges of the oars during the kayaking. Once we reached the main lagoon area they gave us tarps to cover ourselves in for total darkness and splash around the water with our hands, and then they were much more visible.
We went during the new moon in total darkness and there was still 0 bioluminescent lights. It still was fun to kayak at night and through the mangrove trees, but do not take this tour expecting to see anything magical. I am going to go to Vieques now to go to the stronger bioluminescent bay. The tour guides were nice and I hate to hurt their business, but I have to be honest. It could perhaps be better in the summer with warmer water (as that has an effect I believe), but I'm really not sure.
Please don’t listen to all the lame people saying this wasn’t worth it. I have kayaked all over the world and this was a great experience. It was so neat to kayak at night, to hear all the sounds of the mangroves, and of course to see the bioluminescence. Truly unique! We had a blast. Our group ended up being small, only 7 people, which was a plus. I would absolutely recommend booking this!
When they say bring bug spray, what they really mean is they will gather you up “to feed the mosquitos” as they said, literally. Unnecessary exposure. They could have done the instructional in the plaza or parking lot. I have 100+ bites (100% serious) on my body. Bug spray will not touch that. Kayaking at night in the mangroves was the highlight, not the slight glimmer of bioluminescence when you splash the water. Now I understand why the instructions and tour details were so vague. The instructors were nice but a group of 21 double kayaks is way too many. And that was just our group. There were at least 5 others. Would I do it again, no. My daughter and I are suffering with allergic reactions and then I read there is a public health crises of mosquito born illness right now (2025). Something not advertised. Kayak at your own risk.
Fantastic trip. Amazing experience. Captains Jaime, Emily, Niche, were fantastic and knowledgeable guides. Highly recommend.
Enjoyed so much. First time kayaking and really enjoyed it. The bioluminescence was very cool. Got to see tons of stars in the sky as well. Had a great time!
Be prepared to get soaked. But it was very fun. Our guides, Joe and Emily, were excellent, very knowledgeable.
This excursion was the most disappointing one of our trip to PR. When we got to the bay we were given a wet tarp to put over our heads and still barely saw anything
It was fun and exciting. Everyone was very helpful since it was our first time kayaking experience I really recommend it.
The guides were very professional and good at what they did. The equipment was good quality. For future travelers, the phase of the moon is very important, don’t go during a full moon if you want to see the bioluminescence. The amount of boats going to the lagoon is a bit obnoxious and detracted from my experience. Wayyy too many people!
Perfect for inexperienced kayaker. My guide made me feel safe and that allowed me to fully enjoy the experience. So peaceful and beautiful to glide through the water at night and see the starry sky. The bio luminescent was a once in a lifetime sight to see.
This was a really fun tour. You should be in decent physical condition to do it as the return trip is against the current and can be demanding. Seeing the creatures glow was amazing. Our tour driver and guides were excellent and very knowledgeable.
they pick you up at a certain time and when you get to the place , you have to continue to wait . the paddle out to the spot wasn’t bad it was 2 miles and we basically floated w the current. when we finally made it, had to wait again & bc it wasn’t dark enough from the lights on the island they put tarps over us . the kayaks was tied side by side so you only had enough room to put your hand in and splash . you could see some glow but not a lot , definitely not what i was expecting . the paddle back - HORRIBLE. fighting current for 2 miles , getting piled up on top of other kayaks bc of the current and didn’t have enough room to paddle to get to get out of the pile up . the guides say they will tell you ahead of time for turns and low laying branch’s - they do not .
While this is called a bioluminescent bay tour, for me the highlight was definitely kayaking through the mangroves. It was quite beautiful. Our tour was just before sunset, so we could still see the grove on the way out to the bay. At the mouth if the river we were treated to the most beautiful sunset over the bay. After the sun set, you could see a slight glow in the water when you dragged your hand or your paddle through. It's not like the kayaks left shimmering trails on the water, so if you're looking for that, you will be disappointed. There were several groups on the lake with us. Each kayak had a little glow stick at its bow and stern, or a small light to identify the groups. It was actually pretty cool to see all those colorful lights on the black lake. On the trip back through the mangroves, it was pitch dark and all you could see was the soft glow of the bows and sterns of the kayaks ahead of you. The guides knew the river so well that they were able to call out "right turn ahead" or "left turn now" in the dark. They would briefly shine a light so that the first kayak could catch a glimpse of the turn, and the everyone would just follow. A very pleasant experience, easy paddling (no current) and great for solo, couples or families.
The guides were amazing! We had 4 and they were all nice, informative and very efficient/helpful. The bioluminescence was hard to see until they brought the tarp out, then it’s pretty cool. It did rain pretty hard on the way back (which the tour company did warn us ahead of time that it would rain) but it did take away from the experience a little. I would say if it’s supposed to rain and you can reschedule it to a different night that would be ideal. My only complaint and reason I took off a star is because it was very crowded and difficult to kayak through the mangroves on the way out. There were 30 people in our group which is just too much. The listing says max of 12 people per group and even though we had enough tour guides, 30 people is just way too many people to try to get through the currents in the mangrove. The current was super strong on the way out and several kayakers didn’t know what to do so it caused us all to crash together several times. The guides were there and on top of it and even got out of their kayaks and into the water to pull kayaks through the currents. The only way to prevent this from being so chaotic would have been to book less people in each group. So again, 5 stars for the guides, 4 for the experience.
Fun tour! Long ride to get there if staying in Old San Juan area. Loved the mangrove part of the paddle, wish the bio bay paddle part was longer! All in all very glad we did this.
It was a really unique experience to see the bioluminescence! It was also cool to kayak thru the mangroves in the dark! Highly recommend!
I did this with my two teenage kids (14 and 17). It was really really cool. I highly recommend it. Warning: you will get pretty wet from the waist down. You can't take your phone unless you have a dry bag specifically for this purpose.
What an amazing experience! Our guides were fun and informative. Very attentive to guests and safety. I recommend bringing mosquito repellant, very buggy in the mangroves. It was my daughter's 18 birthday, the whole group sang to her in the bay. What a great memory!
The tour company and guides were all great. However, the bio illumination itself was lack luster. You could splash the water to see it, that’s about it. The illumination was not as expected from advertisement.
We had a great time getting to kayak and see the bioluminescence bay. The tour included pickup and drop off from the San Juan area which made it accessible and convenient. Everyone was extremely helpful and friendly: we confirmed our tour twice, storage for our belongings, lifejackets, and a tarp was provided over our kayak so we could clearly see the plankton. The 4:30 pm time allowed for us to begin kayaking at sunset and it was dark by the time we reached the bay.
Poor communication about transportation to and from tour. We weren’t informed of our pickup time until 90 min before they arrived. We had already made subsequent plans since we hadn’t heard from our transportation. Note the business is closed on Sat so you cannot reach them on Sat. We were told they would call us back on Sun but didn’t hear from them until too late. No refund was given.
Angel, the shuttle driver, was helpful, fun, and efficient. Once we arrived onsite, the experience felt rushed. We were asked to leave everything we brought with the tour company, and they said we were leaving in “3 minutes”. So we rushed to the restroom, dealt with a long line and wet toilet paper, rushed back to the tour meeting point…and then waited another 5 minutes to get our life vests. During this time, I questioned whether to go back to get my bug spray from my bag and whether I could have brought my dry bag to keep my passport and wallet with me. I decided to leave it all in the tour office and take my chances. The tour guides were fun and friendly, but it was not much of a tour. We were asked to paddle quickly and keep up with everyone because there were hundreds of people doing kayak tours at the same time. We did not see any animals on the way out to the bay (except a fish or two). Once in the bay, we huddled with our tour group and the tour guides gave us information on bioluminescence. They were knowledgeable and personable. We saw some lights in the water, and then we paddled back to the starting point in the dark. The highlight of the tour was kayaking at night with the stars and the bioluminescence in the mangroves. However, I think the ‘glow’ is over-hyped and the tour companies have to rush people through at a fast pace.
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