Swim in the bioluminescent bay at La Parguera during this 8-hour tour from San Juan. Learn about this natural phenomenon through your guide's informative commentary during a short boat trip through the mangrove forests on the way to the bay. You will have the opportunity to swim in the water after dark, surrounded by tiny, harmless dinoflagellates that light up with the disturbance of the water. Round-trip transportation from selected areas in San Juan is included.

8-hour small-group tour to the La Parguera bioluminescent bay from San Juan
La Parguera is the only bioluminescent bay where you are allowed to swim
Learn about dinoflagellates, the tiny, harmless creatures that cause this natural phenomenon
Pickup and drop-off from most San Juan hotels included
Appetizers from a local restaurant included
Suitable for the entire family

What's Included

Complimentary pickup and drop-off in selected areas of San Juan (Old San Juan, Condado and Isla Verde locations and touristic zones)
Certified Guide
Appetizers at La Parguera (vegetarian option available, please notify)
Bottles of water and local beer at the boat

Additional food and drinks
Gratuity

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

02:00 PM

Pickup details

Complimentary pick up only from selected areas of San Juan (Old San Juan, Miramar, Condado, Ocean Park, Isla Verde). Exact pick up time will be provided the day prior to the tour.

What To Expect

Begin your evening excursion with pickup at your San Juan hotel. Board a tour vehicle with your small group of fellow adventurers and travel to La Parguera, a small fishing village in southwestern Puerto Rico. The bioluminescent bay located there is the only one in Puerto Rico that allows swimming and snorkeling.

Arrive in La Parguera and listen to a short introduction to the natural phenomenon by your local guide. After the sun sets, board a boat for the 25-minute ride through the mangrove swamps to the bioluminescent bay. Once you reach the bay, you will have the opportunity to swim. Your swimming disturbs the glowing dinoflagellates, microscopic creatures that give off a glowing light, creating an otherworldly effect. Spend 30 to 45 minutes marveling at this strange, lovely light show before heading back to the tour center.

Board your transportation back to San Juan for hotel drop-off.

La Parguera

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Minimum amount of participants is required in order to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after receiving instant confirmation if the minimum is not met. IN the event of this happening you will be offered an alternate date or full refund.
It is an approximately 2:20 hour drive from San Juan to La Parguera each way, depending on the time of day and traffic.
The bio bay is an unpredictable natural phenomenon that may be influenced by multiple factors. Bioluminoscity level can vary from very visible to minimum or none without any previous notice.
Tour not suitable for persons with mobility issues, using wheelchair, walker or cane as you must climb into the boat from a narrow pier. If you get in the water, you must be able to climb a small boat ladder.
Children must weight 50 lbs or more in order to participate on tour, and must be notified with anticipation in order to assign a car seat.
In order to preserve and create less impact on this ecosystem, if you plan to swim we suggest to avoid wearing chemicals such as perfume, hair gel or spray, and mosquito repellent (use a organic one!). Rash-guards are also recommended during jellyfish season (Winter).
Not wheelchair accessible

Service animals allowed
Complimentary car seats or booster seats available upon request (subject to availability).
You are more than welcome to bring your own snorkeling equipment.
Published starting time is only an estimate. Exact pick up time will be provided the DAY PRIOR to your tour.
Total activity duration of 8 hours includes: 2:20 hr driving time each way, 2 hour tour, and stop for appetizers.
Most travelers can participate
Bespoke LM Reserves the Right of Admission - If a person appears to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not following instructions or causing disruptions the Guide has the right to Cancel their reservation at any moment, and No Refunds will be issued due to this.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Samantha_R

Julian our tour guide and driver were amazingly fun . Hotel pick up was right on time in a very comfortable Mercedes Van with coolers filled with beers and waters that are offered the second you get into van . Our guides arranged a good dinner that we ate after our swim in the Caribbean Sea and bio bay. Captain Hector, was very informative, nice boat also stocked with plenty of beer, soda and waters. The glowing water in the bay were so beautiful!!! It looked like sparklers on the water… BRING GOGGLES IT ENHANCES YOUR Experience 100%!!!! I highly recommend this tour and Please don’t forget to tip your guides they totally deserve it!! Can’t wait to do it again!!!

Reviews

4.5

165 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 165 reviews

Unforgettable day and night!!

Thomas_O, May 2023

Jorge was a great guide and the Captain was well, a great Captain. The ride to and from Old San Juan was 2 hours plus—great scenery, but still a long ride. Be prepared!! We all agreed it was worth the travel time. We had a small crescent moon and we were concerned that it would be hard to see the bioluminescent effects. Luckily we were wrong. Once the sun set and we got into the water it was truly beautiful and a little like magic. The best way I can describe it is swimming in a snow globe! Sparkles on my hands and arms with every move. Kick your feet? Sparkles! Swim? Body sparkles! I had done the kayak tours, but this was by far the best biobay tour! We also stopped at a mangrove sandbar on the way out to the bay. Snorkeling was so much fun in waist deep water. Tarpon swimming all around. We also had some delicious chicken and fish tacos! This was a bucket list item for me! It was great!

Unique and amazing experience

Alyssa_T, May 2023

It was amazing to experience the bioluminescent bay. Our boat captain Luis knew just where to go. It was dark and quite (not having much of a moon really helps) and we could see the stars in the sky and in the water it looked like little stars too (or sparks or fireflies) whenever we moved. It was pretty cool to see something so unique. Our guide, Geoge, said there are only 5 places in the world with these dinoflagellates, and 3 of them are in Puerto Rico (the other two in Jamaica and Vietnam) but this was the only place to swim with them, which is a much better experience. And before the bioluminescent bay we went swimming at this mangrove island, which was nice too. We brought snorkling gear (they didn't provide any, fyi) and saw some huge carps at the boat but also some smaller tropical fish by the mangroves; it was a whole underwater ecoystem! It was over a 2 hour drive from San Juan, but it was worth it and we got to see the middle of the island, which was cool too. And those two hours are why this bay is less disturbed than many of the others. I definitely recommend this tour.

Do not book this tour.

Jolanda_v, Apr 2023

The operator asked if we could move to another day. When we said no it became quite. Our card was charged for the tour so we expected it to go ahead as scheduled. We learned moments before we were supposed to be picked up that the tour was canceled. We still have not received our money back.

Mesmerizing and intriguing

Phoebe_T, Apr 2023

We hesitated to book at first due to the long drive but decided to give it a try. It was fantastic! Julian picked us up from the hotel with a big smile and the ride was comfortable. The scenery along the way was fantastic and you got to see the other side of PR. Once we boarded the boat, we hung out in a four feet deep clear water bay to wait for it to get dark and was rewarded with a beautiful sunset. We then we motored to the bioluminescent bay for a mesmerizing and intriguing swim. Julian called us “familia” all long the trip. As luck would have it, we travelled with two couples who were just fantastic company. They’ll be like the traveling family in our memory. Overall, highly recommended tour.

Definitely do this day trip

Andrew_N, Apr 2023

Julian provided one of the best adventures we have been on in Puerto Rico. The bay was gorgeous and got to experience bioluminescents

Unique experience

Amanda_S, Apr 2023

Had a great time. There wasn’t a blue glow but more glitter in the water. Wet cool to experience and the highlight of our trip.

It was a great time and...

Linda_E, Apr 2023

It was a great time and made new friends. Our guide George was excellent and made sure we all enjoyed ourselves.

Stars

Andre_B, Apr 2023

Julian was very friendly. We were amazed at the biolumenesence that looked like little star bubbles on our skin and in the ocean water.

Amazing Experience and Jullian was a great tour guide for the long trip time. Everything was so fun!

Delilah_H, Apr 2023

I absolutely loved the tour guide, Jillian. He was witty, entertaining and made everyone very comfortable on the long ride. We ate some dinner before getting dressed to head out to the boat. The ride was smooth and the water felt amazing. The shops nearby were cute and I enjoyed the multiple opportunities to eat and drink along the way. It was totally worth the trip!

Scam of bioluminescence

Vrjesh_S, Apr 2023

This was a scam The tour operator picks you for a drive of 3 hours and then leaves you in small town for 2 hours and the actual boat tour to bioluminescence is just 30 minutes remaining 8 hours is just making you fool Just drive on your own to Lajas and hire a boat you will be back in 5 hours

Once in a lifetime experience

Edward_K, Apr 2023

This is for sure worth the time from San Juan to get to the bay. The family had a great time watching the sunset from the sand bar, and then the experience of a life time to go swimming in the bay. Once in a lifetime experience, and our tour guide/ captain were awesome.

Fun experience

Rachel_M, Apr 2023

Julian was a great guide. I had a blast even though I did not get in the water at 2e weeks pregnant. This was a fantastic experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Unique experience

Rachel_W, Apr 2023

This was a unique experience. Julian was a professional tour guide that took us to the La Parguera area. The tacos at the restaurant were delicious. Then we were taken out on a boat to the bay. We swam around an area until it got dark and then went to the bioluminescent area. The water indeed glittered due to the dinoflagellates. I thought it would've glittered more brightly but it was still cool. The one constructive criticism I have is please put a dry towel down when the guests are stepping in and out of the boat. It's very wet and slippery on the edge of the boat.

Our tour guide George was...

Jenny_L, Mar 2023

Our tour guide George was awesome and being able to swim with the bioluminescence is worth the long trip to the other side of the island from San Juan.

Great overall experience

Emanuel_V, Mar 2023

Great tour with great guides. Our only complaints were the restaurant served were amazing tacos but only two with no sides and most people were still hungry. Portion were small considering the overall price for the tour. Lastly, as it was amazing experience but be mindful there might be jellyfish. A few people got stung while swimming in the lagoon.

A Must See!

Banelle_M, Mar 2023

George and Luis were excellent. The 2.5hour journey to Lajas from San Juan was very educational. George was very engaging, recounting PR facts and history along the way. The tacos were very much a delicious light meal once we reached Lajas. 10/10 best tacos on our trip! Luis safely guided our boat to mangroves where we got to swim and enjoy crystal clear waters- very shallow, about chest level. Once it was dark, we headed back on the boat for the bay. Since booking this experience, I've been looking forward to the bay and it did not disappoint at all. It's an ethereal experience to see the water glow with each movement you make. To make the night more magical, the stars were out, never like I'd seen before. A truly magical experience. It's hard to capture on camera, so just enjoy the breathtaking moment.

Bucket List Trip

Stephanie_R, Mar 2023

Long trip but worth it! George shared a lot about PR in the way. Hector our boat captain also made sure a good time was had by all.

Best experience!

Abby_R, Mar 2023

Jorge and Luis were amazing guides. Jorge is very knowledgeable about sites on the trip there, the village we stopped in, and everything along the way. We stopped at a small island to swim until dark and it was amazing. We got to explore mangroves while wading through water only chest deep. The water was crystal clear and so warm. When we got to the bio bay, Jorge and Luis explained the best way to agitate the water to see the glow and they both were extremely helpful getting off and on the boat. Plenty of time was spent at all locations, we didn't feel rushed at all. Worth every penny to experience everything yourself and not just looking from afar. Highly recommend!

The highlight of our vacation!

Sam_B, Feb 2023

This trip was the highlight of our vacation. Firstly, we really enjoyed getting to see so much of the island as we drive to our destination. Our guide, Ramon, had so many fun & interesting facts to share with us about the areas we were driving through, and made stops for food & drink, comfort & for taking photos of the breathtaking scenery. It's hard to say which was the high point for us - swimming among the mangroves in the warm sea as the sun set, or swimming under the stars in the bioluminescent bay at night. The sky was very dark and we were able to see so many more stars than we are used to seeing, as well as the beautiful bay. The trip on the boat was fabulous too, and Ramon handed out drinks as we went for no extra charge (the other tour we took on this vacation, with a different company, charged us for every little extra.) Some tours apparently just go out into the bay for a short while, but this was a very in-depth adventure and one that we won't forget for a long time. Ramon was such a thoughtful tour guide, making sure everyone had what they needed. Highly recommended!

Bioluminescent creatures were just the beginning

Elizabeth_M, Feb 2023

Seeing the bioluminescent creatures was an amazing and unique experience, but the trip was made even better by our fabulous guide and driver, Ramon, who turned the 2.5 hour drive into an educational tour of Puerto Rico. I had no idea our trip would include a stop at the beautiful mangroves, which I so enjoyed! Also the stop for an appetizer was more like a light meal. All in all this was an experience that was well worth the time and expense and I absolutely appreciated the time and care provided by Ramon. Highly recommend this tour!

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