Island Journeys - Adventure Tour Company in Puerto Rico — Local services in Canóvanas

🔔This review pertains to the rigorous Saturday El Yunque and Bio Bay tour. 🔔

Clear and detailed communication is essential to a good tour experience. While the website indicated that the El Yunque hike was more rigorous and longer than the other tours, there was room for further elaboration as well as better supervision on the trek. The reality is, this trip requires a steep climb uphill AND downhill on a slippery, muddy trail with almost no support from the guides. This was treacherous even though we were lucky enough to not experience rainfall during both trips up and down.

As it is currently staffed and run (if our experience is the norm) is completely unsafe. There were 20 people in our party and only 2 tour guides (both of whom were small and unable to physically assist) and 1 tour guide had to leave to assist a woman who sprained her wrist only a few minutes into the hike. That left 1 guide to help 18 people up a steep mud hill that required significant climbing experience. That’s not enough. On top of that, when we were stuck on the hill, help came from a fellow traveler strong enough to lift another adult and not the tour guide.

There was real shock upon realizing that descending the same hill was required. The guides did not stop the group and give clear instructions to everyone before descending. There was a singular rope, slick with mud to cling to. The guide descended face forward and again, another guest had to give instruction on how to descend safely (facing the hill, on your bottom when possible). It’s only a matter of time before there is a significant accident on this tour.

Actually being in the rainforest and resting in the river was beautiful. The water was clear and refreshing and having photos taken by the guides was helpful. Going to El Yunque feels like another world, a little bit of rainforest paradise with, shockingly, no mosquitos.

The latter half of the trip, kayaking in the bio bay, was magical. After El Yunque we were taken to a restaurant for an unrushed dinner. The guides at Kayaking Puerto Rico were excellent — communicating clearly and setting expectations early. The El Yunque staff should take note of this approach. Instead, we had to seek them out for information and when we were clearly struggling with the hike we were repeatedly told “that’s the Saturday hike, didn’t you read the website? Do you hike at home?” Yes, to both of those questions. Our hikes don’t require scaling slippery clay mud hills, however.

I believe photos of this hill and more information should be provided to guests on the website, so guests can make a more informed decision. Saying the hike is rigorous and longer is not enough. There’s a climbing component that needs elaboration. The staffing and communication training also needs addressing. What we experienced was negligent.

I’m grateful our party was not majorly injured and appreciative of the fellow tourists who helped. The second half of kayaking the bio bay was breathtaking. With clear communication and expert guidance, we were able to confidently kayak through dark mangroves and...

7/24/25 We had an outstanding time! Danny & Bradley were our guides and did a phenomenal job. If you’re wondering if you should go, the answer is yes!

Brief rundown of what to expect: Wear close toed shoes. You don’t need a hat. You don’t need sunglasses. You don’t need sunscreen. 85% of the hike is in the shade. If you’re worried that this is going to be too exhausting, it’s not. It’s extremely pleasant. You go on a 1ish mile hike through the rainforest. You will experience walking through mud, water, and mildly sloped terrain. There is some rock climbing but it’s simple. This isn’t super strenuous at all. If you are in remotely decent shape you should be able to handle it. (If you have any type of disabilities, copd, etc, this isn’t for you.) I’m over 200lbs, not in the greatest shape, and had absolutely no issues at all. I’d rate it a 3.5/10 as far as difficulty. You will get extremely muddy and soaking wet. If you bring your phone (I recommend) then bring a waterproof case as you will get completely submerged underwater. If you don’t have your phone, no worries, the guides take photos the entire time with a water proof camera and are happy to take your photo for you, and will email your photos free of charge. During the hike you’ll stop 3-4 times to discuss the history of Puerto Rico as well as site see several plant species with examples. Wildlife isn’t really something you see much of, so don’t worry about snakes, etc,.

Once the hike ends, you will arrive in a river basin with rocks, cliffs, a large wading pool area, rope swing, etc,. You will hang out for about 45 min or so and enjoy the water. You’re also welcome to climb up the rocks to the rope swing and natural water slide. The crew equips you with helmets and life jackets. You’re completely safe the entire time. They also cut up fresh fruit for the group to enjoy as a snack.

After splashing in the water basin and enjoying the fun, you hike back to the tour bus and are greeted with water, soda, or beer as well as granola snacks. After that, time to pack up and hit the road!

This entire rainforest was beautiful and really highlights some of the best natural beauty that Puerto Rico has to offer. Would definitely recommend this. Again, our guides did a great job answering all questions, as well as giving a nice history of Puerto Rico. They’re really down to earth and make the experience better for sure. They refer to everyone as “family” and treat you as such! (But not the crazy uncle who no one likes..they’re good dudes)

10/10 recommend!! PS: tip your guides at the end. They’re hard...

Amazing experience with Island Journeys! The three tour guides were all sociable and knowledgeable and made the adventure extremely fun. We felt safe the entire time. If you are on the fence about doing this, go for it!

We did not rent a car in San Juan so this tour was perfect. They picked us up 1 block from our hotel. On the way to the rainforest we stopped at a local fruit stand where a bunch of us got smoothies and they bought fresh fruit for later. The road to the rainforest was narrow, curvy, and confusing, so a really good idea to go with this tour. I talked to a friend who went a few weeks earlier without a tour and they had a completely different experience. It is nice being able to leave our bags on the bus. Life vests were provided and they take plenty of pictures for you so you really don't need anything except maybe a bottle of water. It was very cool walking through the rainforest and learning about the flora and fauna. We were able to go down natural water slides and do some awesome cliff jumps. I downloaded about 100 pictures that they took of us throughout this part of the adventure. After this, we sat in the rainforest and ate all the fruit that they bought earlier. The fresh fruit was delicious and much needed.

Before loading on the bus we used hoses to clean off all the mud. Definitely bring flip flops or another pair of shoes to change into. Not many people changed their clothes but probably good to bring something. I highly recommend wearing a bathing suit over board shorts or something similar so that it dries quicker.

The night kayaking was pretty cool as well. Just be prepared for a long day, as we were tired at this point. It gets a little chilly by the lagoon but once you get on the kayak it feels warmer. Kayaking through the channels at sunset was awesome and made me feel like I was on a Disney ride. Once reaching the lagoon, the sun fully set and it was pitch dark. We were able to see some of the bioluminescent algae. It was not quite like what you see online in pictures but still cool nonetheless. We also got to see and learn about a lot of the constellations. Kayaking back in the pitch dark is also a...