Bio Island Puerto Rico

Highly recommend Bio Island for the way to see the BioBay. We had a larger group and split into two companies, the other group’s experience was polar opposite of ours. Great guide, great crew. They are the rescue boat for the Bio-​Bay so highly attentive, well versed in the experience. Educated, informative, and funny. Agree with the other reviewers, no need to get there super early — I’d target 15 mins and you’ll be fine. The kayaks are a disaster. I’m an experienced canoeist and there is NO WAY I’d go that route. The Bio-​Bay experience overall: you may/​may not have a great viewing experience but for me it was like holding stars in your hand. Truly unique. As a bonus, going thru the mangrove «tunnel» was like traveling through Jurassic park — that alone was worth the ride.
If I can repeat 2 things: don’t go with any other company except Bio Island and don’t kayak.

This was the worst experience of my life. FIRST OF ALL. This company was super unorganized and failed to realize that people need so much assistance when it is dark outside in the canals. YOU CANT SEE SHIT. And your bumping into EVERYTHING as fish, snakes, and other animals are falling into your kayak. THE ILLUMINATING WATER IS BEAUTIFUL TO SEE BUT… To be in the dark when you can’t see shit and are scared it’s not pleasing AT ALL. Our guid guy was a pure EDIOT. Leaves us and says come find me when we’re scared and lost and bumping into everything. I think that they need to organize a much much better way to get people back.

The good:
The ride through the mangroves to and from the lagoon was amazing.
Our guide was extremely knowledgeable on many, many subjects and made the trip special
The not so good:
They tell you to arrive 40 minutes early, which is a waste of time. You can arrive 5 – 10 minutes early with no issue
Not BioIsland’s fault, but the luminescence is fair at best right now
Got eaten alive by mosquitos
This is something definitely worth doing

So glad we chose the boat tour instead of kayaking! When we went out, it was so dark and hard to see in the water, I don’t know how those kayakers managed to survive their 1.5−2 hour trip to the lagoon and back. Taking the boat, we were able to enjoy the serenity of the lagoon and chit chat with our amazing guide Mario about the biology that surrounded us. Sadly it was still too cold for the microorganisms to glow brightly. The guys had a tarp to pull down on the sides of the boat so that we had a cover from outside lights and see the microbes in the water. It was a really fun and chillaxing experience. We had to pause in the trip a few times to let the kayakers through, the boats also double as rescue for any kayakers in distress. Too bad it was hard to see many of the blue glowing microbes, but we did manage to see an iguana and a bat! The ecosystem here is beautiful, I would definitely recommend this for anyone coming to Puerto Rico. It’s worth the trip!

take my advice, unless you are an expert Kayaker, take the freaking motorized boat ride. it’s roughly the same price, and you won’t continually bump into each other. we saw kayaker’s flipped over, stuck in tree’s, going the wrong direction, you name it.
the guides were cool, answered all our questions. however, the actual bioluminesce were a let down, all the photo’s you see of lights are photoshopped. all we saw were small sparks in the water, and that was stretching it. maybe we came at the wrong time of year.

The people were awesome. We were there when there was not much bioluminescent action going on. They were very upfront about everything and did everything they could to help stir up the water to see what we could. The tour was worth it just for the information about the area wildlife and ecological systems. Guide was fantastic and even though I didn’t see all the glowing things I would have liked, I would still highly recommend the tour. Very enjoyable and informational. Also it is located near a couple of delicious restraunts with fresh seafood. You could get there early, grab a bite to eat and then take the tour.

Great tour. Mario is really knowledgable and funny. My wife and I are currently visiting Fajardo for our anniversary. We did some research and realized that the bioluminescence wasn’t going to be super vibrant. We based our decision to embark on a tour with Bio Island based on reviews from tripadvisor and Unilocal.We realized we would be heading into a very dark mangrove after dark, and the fact that Bio Island has an electric motor boat made all the difference. We got a detailed tour of not only the bioluminescent lagoon, but also the ride in. We saw iguanas and mangrove crabs and even though the display wasn’t as luminant as some may have hoped, we still saw the properties of the bioluminescent organisms that inhabit the waters. As a side note, we saw many kayakers out there, mucking their way through the dark and it made us extra happy to have chosen Bio Island to take us out.

Our crew was amazing! Captain Jeff was so nice & our tour guide (I forgot his name but he was amazing & funny) knew a lot & we were very entertained the whole trip. The bio bay did not glow very much for us. But my husband did see a jellyfish glow on the other side. The boat & the ride were very nice in the dark especially under the trees. And after my husband gave me a hard time for not picking the kayak trip (with 2 small children mind you) he then apologized after & thanked me for booking the boat instead. Kayaks were everywhere & it was pitch black dark. In your mind a kayak trip sounds great but what we saw was over the top terrible! But our crew was top notch! Just sad the glow wasn’t there for us!

First of all nobody told us prior to going out there that you can’t even see any organisms glowing! We had to put our stomachs on the bench seat where we were sitting and put our heads thru the metal bars of the boat, put a plastic tarp over our heads and reach down to the water and swish it around to see even a glimpse of the organisms lighting up! If someone would have told us prior to spending 3 hours waiting and going thru the lagoon to see nothing but some Iguana’s that you can see all over the island, we would have passed. Not to mention spending $ 55 per person for a brief teaching about the stars. Don’t get me wrong the crew were very good at trying to make you think you were doing something worth $ 55 but it is NOT and I do NOT recommend this at this time because the water was supposedly too cold to produce the actual effect!

This company is unethical. They knew the water was too cold and we would not be able to see any lights in the water, yet, they took us out anyway. We were not refunded. They should have least told us that we would not be able to see the water glow and let us make the decision to go or not go. I also noted that all of the kayaks were out as well. I don’t know if the other companies were doing the same. I just think it is a scam! It would have been nice to be told ahead of time. it wasn’t until we were in the lagoon that we were told we would see nothing!

My husband and I went on the 8pm tour with our guide, Mario. We knew we made the right choice by not kayaking Bio Bay when we saw people climbing out of their kayaks soaking wet. In order to get to the bay, you have to pass through a very narrow and dark channel. We passed by so many inexperienced and uncoordinated kayakers while on the boat. Mario even had to help some of them out while we passed by them. We were nice and dry while we passed them on the boat. Mario even taught us about the history and ecosystem of the bay. Once we were on the bay, we were given sticks to paddle in the water so we could see the bioluminescence. We also saw fish zipping through the water. It’s a very cool experience.
I suggest you book way ahead of time since tours book quickly. The boat only holds 6 people and they only go out 3 times a night. Make sure you book with BioIsland! You’ll have an awesome time.

Singlehandedly ruined my Puerto Rico stay. They’re closed on Sundays, so given that my visit was only Sunday til mid-​day departure on Tuesday, that only left Monday night availability. We booked nearly two weeks in advance online with the understanding that sadly Monday was a full moon, so wouldn’t provide the best view, but wanted to go anyway. Prepaid in full immediately on booking, and ONLY booked this one excursion for the entire trip, as we wanted to simply unwind at our hotel otherwise. Company waited until 8am sharp on the day of the tour to wake us up letting us know that the captain was refusing to take us out on a full moon because he’d dubbed it not worth it, and that it was non-​negotiable, as the captain wasn’t interested in calling us himself, and was just relaying this information via the company’s third party individual. I’m not sure if they realize that full moons happen every month, and that they could easily just block out those days as available for booking. If that wasn’t bad enough, they offered to take us out the very next night, which would still have basically just as much moon as the evening before (thus making their captain’s excuse extremely unbelievable), but with the added benefit of us having already left town! Had anyone bothered to mention that full moon bookings would be cancelled, given us the option to make our own judgement about visibility, or noticed the full moon that happens EVERY SINGLE MONTH in advance whatsoever, they could have saved the end of our vacation. What really made us suspect that we were being blown off was that just the day before they cancelled, they emailed us to tell us they’d be meeting us at 6:30, not 6 the next day, then waited until 8AM the next day to cancel. While I’m sure the tour itself may be very enjoyable, I’ll never have the opportunity to find out because of the extreme unprofessionalism of this company. I highly recommend that if you do decide to book this company you have a backup plan, because evidently your money isn’t enough to convince them to actually take you as agreed upon. Now I can only hope I didn’t just get scammed out of $ 110, and actually receive a refund.

ALL wonderful! Could not have choosing better great guide great boat !!
Kayak sound great but it is dark at night and maybe not suitable for all people .
For us i did not want to work that hard
After all i am in vacation !!

The experience with this tour company was very fun, entertaining and educational.
They provide you with snacks while you are waiting for the tour to begin, but the location is in the heart of a bunch of local flavor BBQ options. Ask the older man checking you in for the tour which one to visit and trust him, it was delicious! The reason they tell you to be so early is because the parking can be quite packed, so it may take a few trips around the circle to find a space. Don’t be late!
Now, back to the tour. They are very thorough in their directions, pay attention. It is getting on and off the boat where most people injure themselves, I know this from experience and clearly they do as well and try to protect you from being clumsy. Once you are on board and underway, you should listen to your guide and be ready to be entertained. Make sure you join in as he will try to make it fun for everyone.
Things to remember, do not be dissuaded by full moons, we went on a full moon night and had a great time. Be ready to look for sleeping Iguanas, there are some large and very prominent ones that the guides will show you. If you have an SLR camera, bring it and they will show you the proper settings to catch the best pics. There will be kayakers that the boat will share the water with at some point, but the boat will take you to the best place to see the «water lights».
Rest assured that there is NOTHING poisonous waiting in the mangroves that you pass on the way to the lagoon. You will see things floating in the water, but those are the lost flip-​flops of kayakers. I decided to call them «Chankla Snakes» and made everyone including the tour guide laugh. You should ask him at the beginning of the tour to point them out, he will laugh!
I hope you have as great time as we did!

Best.Choice.Ever.
My friends and I came to the island a few weeks ago, and while there — had an AMAZING trip! Our highlight reel is really focused on the INCREDIBLE trip we had out to Farjado and our experience with the folks from BioIsland.
When we arrived (go early — parking can be a bear on weekends), we had no idea where to go, but quickly found the correct tent. We were able to enjoy some of the local flavor while we waited for our tour to begin. There was a concert happening in the square and there were artists and food vendors all set up, as well. So, some local flair was fun to enjoy before the real stars of the night. =)
Once we were checked in, we were offered ice cold water and some snacks… as well as chairs and time to relax and enjoy the area. As we watched the kayakers head out, I have to admit I was a bit jealous thinking that they were going to have this AMAZING experience, and we were going to have an «eh» time on our lazy-​bones electric boat. I could NOT have been more WRONG!
Things we enjoyed while sitting in our boat include:
Lots of educational tips about the mangroves
not worrying about 1.5ft water that our kayak would certainly be stuck on
PITCH BLACK navigating in said kayak
not paddling against rising tides (which is nearly IMPOSSIBLE)
seeing the iguanas (including Lady Gaga)
learning about the trees
learning about pollution (or lack there-​of)
laughing at those who had never kayaked before and had a MILE to go to get to the lagoon,
being able to get to the other side of the lagoon and really see the plankton, shrimp, and fish — who looked like shooting stars
dipping our feet in
playing with our hands in the water
enjoying hearing about the guides — their lives, their pasts and futures… the list goes on.
SO many AWESOME things we learned while on the boat. Oh and did I mention that the lagoon is a MILE from the place where you get IN the kayak? Yep — 1 mile there, 1 mile back and then about 20 min of floating in the lagoon. No sore arms, no fighting mangrove trees, no worry of falling out… nothing.
In addition, the pilot we had was a Nikon certified photographer. He took my DSLR camera and took some INCREDIBLE photos for me. No other cameras will pick up the colors, because of the lack of light (including goPros). And while speaking of photos — the photos you see with the blue surrounding your entire kayak and whatnot — is not truth. The plankton have to move, in order for them to glow… so the only way to SEE the plankton is through movement. So, while the photos from kayak companies *appear* to be AMAZING — in truth — the photos won’t turn out that way and frankly — without a HUGE, mega camera — you won’t get photos anyway. So just ENJOY the magical experience! (It reminded us ALOT of one of the scenes from Avatar, where the little magical jellyfish type things were falling… just like that!)
Also, I have mobility issues and the fellas on the boat were AMAZING! They offered their hands, shoulders and made sure *I* was taken care of. Seriously — sweet.
PLEASE for the Love of Plankton! Take this tour! Forget the kayak!

Wonderful tour to see the bioluminescence sitting relaxed in an electric boat. We saw hundreds on kayaks coming back on our way to the middle of the lagoon and noticed how tired they were. Since I’ve kayaked a couple times before and had other plans of kayaking in this trip, (plus I was taking this tour after a long day of travels, soon after landing at PR so) I preferred this option over kayaking. The three guides were very nice and knowledgeable about the biology of planktons and the mechanism of bioluminescence. They even gave great recommendations for yumm food around the place. On our way back they showed us several iguanas. They help with DSLR camera settings to capture the luminescence otherwise not visible on cellphone cameras. At the end they gave us all a postcard with the luminescence picture as a memento.

So glad we were able to get a reservation. We called on a Monday and got the last 2 spots for the electric boat for Wednesday night at 9PM. The guide was so knowledgeable on every part of the tour. We were so impressed with the information he shared, also he was very humorous! The price was $ 52 a person but if you pay cash it was only $ 49. We were happy we didn’t go with the kayak tour. Too many people in the groups and also as you boat into the lagoon, it it totally dark. It is truly something you should not miss. It is a bit hard to find but we were lucky to get really accurate directions from our resort.

We took the Bio Island tour boat on 4÷13÷15. It was wonderful! We took our 5 year old son with us, and we all had a great time! The crew (Mario, Barney, and Charlie) was very friendly and knowledgable. I have not tried the kayaks, but it did not
appear that the kayaks got you anywhere the boat did. The boat was a fabulous alternative, and they make sure it is ecofriendly. Wonderful experience !!

DO NOT KYACK. this is an amazing group. We go on a flat bottom boat with electric motor. Amazing. I agree with everything else the other reviews say.
When we were on our way back some one in the kayaks yelled «so worth $ 50» then the look on there face when they saw our boat, priceless.

I was debating about getting into one of the kayak tours vs the electric boat for the bio luminescent bay tour. After much debate and reading some of the reviews about having your relationship tested on the kayaks, I decided that I was going to do the electric boat tour instead. I’ve read a lot of good reviews on Bio Island and decided to go with them. I was so happy that I’ve decided to do so.
The staff was super friendly and helpful throughout the entire tour. I bought my DSLR camera with me because it’s part of my limb and it goes everywhere with me. I took a few picture while on the tour and Captain Jeff noticed some of the shots wasn’t as good it should be and he offered a few pointers that made a huge difference. The lagoon was beautiful, I can’t even describe how awed I was when the micro organisms glow in the water when it’s disturbed.
The tour lasts about an hour plus and it takes a little while to get into the lagoon since there’s also other kayaks tours that are running at the same time. As the electric boat takes you into the lagoon you will realize why very quickly it was a good idea not to do kayaking tour. In order to get into the lagoon you will need to go through a narrow swarm of red mangrove. You will get to see some lazy iguanas, crabs and even boa (if you are lucky) chilling on the mangroves. One of the cool things about doing the tour on an electric boat is they are able to quickly point out the creatures of the night with a powerful torch. Mario our tour guide points them out as we past them using the torch.
I did bought some mosquito spray and applied prior to the tour. I didn’t get a single bite, however Mario did mentioned that it is not usually a problem. He was very knowledgeable and was able to answer a lot of the questions that were asked by the group. The boat sits about 8 people and on top of that there was 3 staff on the boat during the entire tour. Another advantage we had over the kayaking tours was we were able to go out further out into the lagoon away from everyone and spend more time on the lagoon since we are able to move faster in and out of the lagoon we weren’t pressed for time.
A few thing to note, we bought our tickets online. It was hard to get a hold of them on the phone. I’ve tried calling a few times and nobody ever answered. Come early to find parking, there’s a lot of tours going on at the same time so it can get very crowded. Be prepared to wait a bit. My advice, do the last tour so it’s nice and dark and there’s less people on the parking area. There’s plenty of restaurant around the area that you can grab a bite before the tour.
Just do the tour. You will not regret it.