Puerto Rico Eco Tour — Local services in Fajardo

We had a great time! There’s a lot I learned from reading other reviews prior to going, and that made a real difference. I will give a thorough explanation, so you know what to expect.

The day before the tour, we received a call letting us know what time we would be picked up at our hotel. He arrived on time for when they said he would (at 6:10 pm). We were the first people picked up. We rode in an economy van that holds about 14 people (not a bus). He picked up everyone else along the route and we arrived at the kayaking location just after 8:00 pm. We were given time to use the restroom and change clothes in a bathroom if we needed to. They provided bug spray, but we had our own — after reading other reviews and tips, we made sure we had plenty! We were weighed individually to ensure we were under 230 lbs, then we signed another waiver. We were given life vests and a quick description of how to kayak. They took a group photo and individual kayak pictures (you get them from their Facebook page). We walked into the water that went up to my thighs. My flip flops were difficult to keep on and not get stuck in the muck. I’d recommend water shoes! Each kayak is a 2-person. No one kayaks alone — if you don’t have a partner, you’ll be paired up with someone you don’t know. You will kayak 1.5 miles each way (total 3 miles) in a narrow and winding canal that’s full of mangrove trees and an extensive root system. It was pitch black both there and back. Our only way of knowing where to go was to follow the kayak in front of you. We have a glow stick on the back of the kayak and that’s it — otherwise you can’t see where to go. Not being able to see and can be a bit scary at times, even for an adrenaline junkie like myself. Be prepared to run into root systems and trees! Especially if the kayak in front of you that you’re following goes off course and you’re following them! This is where long sleeves come in handy (low hanging branches can scratch and to deter bugs). It also rained on and off during our tour — that didn’t stop anyone! After winding back and forth through the narrow passage, moving aside for passing boats and other returning kayak tours, we make it to the open bay. They explain how bioluminescence works and why it exists. You can barely see the bioluminescence without additional means to make it darker out. The moon and cloud reflection of the town lights make it too bright. They drape a tarp over groups of 3 kayaks (you hold it up with your head or one hand). You splash around and you can see what looks like silver glitter, sparklers, or tiny little fireflies. We saw it best when we splashed the water on the kayaks and our legs. The more you splash and move it around, the more you see it. You will not see constant glowing water like photos may lead you to believe. It’s not a glow as much as a sparkle or tiny flash. It’s tiny flashes that leave very quickly. You can’t swim in the bay and it’s so dark out there that you don’t want to tip your kayak. We tried to record it with our phones, but it didn’t work — you couldn’t see anything in the videos. After learning a little about bioluminescence and viewing it under the tarp, we returned back through the narrow canal. By this point, my friend and I got the hang of how to communicate with each other to know when to go faster or slower, left or right, etc. This helped a lot! After we got back, they provided a small bottle of water and an individual bag of chips (variety to choose from). You could rinse off your legs and feet with an outdoor faucet. You could change into dry clothes in the restrooms before getting back on the van. They had the photos posted on their Facebook page within 30 minutes of us leaving. Since we were the first picked up, we were the first dropped off. We got back around 11:00 pm.

OVERALL TIPS: Wear bug spray Wear water shoes Wear long sleeves Don’t wear pants Bring cash to tip the guides. They deserve it! They are funny, friendly, and knowledgeable. What else could you ask for in a...

Was traveling with friends and did the evening bio luminescent tour. We were provided bug spray at the beginning so that was one of few perks - I recommend using it or bringing your own. The tour consisted of a bunch of kayaks - at least 20 (all 2 person) and initially kayaking about 15 ish minutes thru mangroves “in a single file line” to get to the bay. As you can imagine the idea of a single file line with not well seasoned kayakers did not turn out well at times. We managed to make it to the bay at dusk which was stunning. The mosquitos were no joke however. Shortly after dusk we were provided a tarp to cover ourselves and were told to splash our hands in the water or put water in our kayak - I mistakenly thought this was just the beginning. It was difficult to splash water into kayak or even put my hand or oar into water to initiate the glowing because all 20 kayaks were tied up to each other leaving minimal space. Yes I was able to see some glowing and sparkling and yes it was cool. Was the 5 min slotted to do this adequate? No. Had this been my only gripe I would have at least given this 3-4 stars, however our guides were less than helpful. On the way back it was dark and again were expected to paddle in a single file line thru the mangroves as a 20 kayak unit. Again- not a big deal if you have a good leader. Manolo, the lead of our tour was the least helpful person who could have been assigned to us. He was initially very off putting and arrogant. He provided absolutely no instructions leaving people confused and kayaks smacking into each other and then proceeded to make quips and jokes about how bad people were at paddling rather than being helpful. This all could have been avoided with a better attitude and some communication and direction. At no point did I feel unsafe, however I’m sure those less comfortable in a kayak may have because there was little support or assistance and bad attitudes all around. This seemed to be the general consensus and sentiment of many of my fellow tour mates and was certainly how my 4 other friends felt. Find a different...

I took my family on this, hoping that, since it was a kayak tour, it would be as good (or better) as tours we've had in other bio bays. Instead, here's what we got: guides who were unable / unwilling to manage the overbooked tour, filled with quite a few seemingly drunk 20 or 30-somethings who took more pleasure in alternately treating the outing as a race, a melee with paddles, or as bumper cars than in seeing the bioluminescent bay itself. Both my kayak and my wife's got rammed more than once - hard enough that, had it a different part of my boat, they could have physically knocked my son off the kayak or injured him. My wife's kayak was pushed into the mangroves by one of these disruptive clients with a guide nearby... who did nothing.

And then there was the question someone asked, "Why doesn't it look like the pictures on your website?" An excellent question and an opportunity to discuss why sensors see light different than our eyes, what factors can change viewing conditions, and why light pollution (of which there is a LOT around the bay... see the image attached to this review. All that light coming from the right side is from developments!) is so detrimental to seeing the dinoflagellates even under otherwise optimal conditions. Instead, the guide opined, "Those pictures are all photoshopped." Okay, I can't speak for Glass Bottom PR Tours. Maybe their pictures are all fakes as the guide suggested and the whole thing is a racket. However, I showed one of the other guests pictures I had taken just the night before in La Parguera as proof that this statement is not necessarily true at all. (Mine hadn't been photoshopped. I was showing them images directly from the back of my camera.)

My advice? Don't go here to see a bioluminescence bay. Try one of the other bays in Puerto Rico. It might cost more, but it'll...