La Parguera
Bio Bay

Location: Lajas (The picture above was taken at the La Parguera Nature Reserve, near the bio bay.)

Getting there: Drive just over two hours from San Juan to Lajas on the southwestern coast. Park in the free lot near the tour agency booths. There are a bunch of booths, some of which are tour agencies. We bought tickets at a stand alone booth with big signs, then walked over to a dock to depart. I haven’t been in some time but I believe the price was less than $20 per person.

General Info: The boat that we took carries 15 – 20 people. The boat ride to get to the bio bay from the dock took about 20 minutes. When we went, the bioluminesence was not very bright. The captain takes turn turning the boat to one side, then the other to cast a shadow on the water from the moon behind us, then sends a local kid to hop in the water and swim around to splash around so you can see the water light up. I’m not sure how much of a moon there was when we went, but we picked the wrong night.

Heads up:  As with all bioluminescent bays in Puerto Rico, swimming is prohibited. The tour won’t let you get in the water. Go as close to the new moon as you possibly can, the size and brightness of the moon makes a huge difference in the brightness of the bioluminescence. There are times when it is possible to go before moon rise, which is a good idea if you are going closer to a full moon. I went once when the moon was full and can confirm that it is definitely not worth going.