Courtesy transportation, sunset at Caracoles island, then a short boat ride to a lagoon that lights up as the water moves.
Cancel for free up to 24 hours before. Runs on select nights each month.
Tonight's skySee the darkest nights on the moon calendarPhoto: Maryamarce, "A boat at La Parguera", CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Details
The La Parguera bio bay tour from San Juan is a sunset boat evening on the southwest coast with courtesy transportation, $169 or $199 with two daytime stops. Sunset is at Caracoles island; after dark, an 8-minute ride brings you to a lagoon where tiny plankton light up as the water moves.
$169 per person
Pickup in San Juan at 2:30 PM, straight to La Parguera for sunset and the bay. We confirm your pickup point when you book.
$199 per person
A day of about 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM, with two classic stops on the way.
The tour runs a few nights each month after the full moon, when the evening sky is dark. The calendar opens on the next tour night and marks every one.
The $199 option from start to finish. The $169 option skips the two daytime stops and goes straight to La Parguera.
Courtesy transportation from San Juan. We confirm your pickup details when you book.
The Pig Route is known for lechoneras, restaurants that roast whole pigs on a spit. Lunch is not included: you choose and pay for your own meal.
A stop in the heart of Ponce on the way to the coast. Its main square, Plaza Las Delicias, holds the Lions Fountain and the red-and-black Parque de Bombas.
In La Parguera, a 5-minute boat ride takes you to a mangrove island for sunset. Snacks and refreshments for kids, rum drinks and beer for adults, and time to relax on the boat.
An 8-minute boat ride brings you to the lagoon, where a microscopic plankton lights up blue-green as the water moves.
The $169 option picks up in San Juan at 2:30 PM and goes straight to La Parguera. We confirm your pickup point when you book.
Sunset and the bio bay in La Parguera fit into one evening on our tour. The boat takes 5 minutes to reach Caracoles island for sunset, with snacks and refreshments for kids, rum drinks and beer for adults, and time to relax on the boat. After dark, an 8-minute ride brings you to the lagoon, where the water lights up as it moves.
The light comes from Pyrodinium bahamense, a microscopic plankton that flashes bluish-green when the water around it moves. The bay is part of the La Parguera Nature Reserve, protected since 1979. Moonlight makes the flashes harder to see, and our tour runs on select nights after the full moon, when the evening sky is darker. Want the science? Read why the bio bay glows.
On our tours, La Parguera is the bay you see by boat. The boat rides are short, 5 minutes to Caracoles island and 8 minutes to the lagoon, and there is no minimum age, so it suits families with small children and anyone who would rather not paddle. It is a boat tour from start to finish, with no paddling.
Still choosing a bay? Our kayak or boat guide and best bio bay in Puerto Rico guide compare them by fit.
The La Parguera bio bay tour from San Juan is $169 per person, with pickup in San Juan at 2:30 PM, straight to La Parguera. The $199 option adds a lunch stop on the Ruta del Lechón and a stop at Ponce's historic town square. Both include courtesy transportation, the sunset boat ride to Caracoles island and the boat ride to the glowing lagoon.
The La Parguera tour price includes courtesy transportation and the 5-minute boat ride to Caracoles island for sunset. You also get snacks and refreshments for kids, rum drinks and beer for adults, and the 8-minute ride to the glowing lagoon. The $199 option adds two daytime stops; lunch is not included.
There is no ticket booth for the La Parguera bio bay tour: your booking is your ticket. Tap Contact Us to Book, tell us your night and your option, $169 or $199, and we confirm everything on WhatsApp, including your pickup details. You can also call or text (787) 209-2127. Our bio bay tour cost guide compares all three bays.
You can cancel the La Parguera tour for free up to 24 hours before it starts. If we have to cancel because the weather is unsafe, you get a full refund. It is the same policy as our other bio bay tours. To change your night, call or text (787) 209-2127 or message us on WhatsApp.
The La Parguera tour runs on select nights each lunar month, a few nights after the full moon, when the moon rises late and the evening sky is dark. The moon calendar on this page marks every tour night and opens on the next one. Tap a night to send us that date on WhatsApp.
The best time to see the La Parguera bio bay is a dark night, when no bright moon washes out the glow. Our tour runs on select nights after each full moon, when the moon rises later and the evening sky is darker. The darker the sky, the easier it is to see the water light up.
La Parguera is about 110 miles from San Juan by road, about 2 to 2.5 hours each way via PR-52 south to Ponce, then west on PR-2 and PR-116. With courtesy transportation on our tour, you can sit back and enjoy the views instead of driving. Our La Parguera from San Juan guide has the route.
The $199 option, with a lunch stop on the Ruta del Lechón and a stop in Ponce, runs about 11:30 AM to 11:00 PM. The $169 option picks up in San Juan at 2:30 PM and goes straight to La Parguera for the sunset boat ride and the bay. For either option, we confirm your pickup point when you book on WhatsApp.
Yes. The La Parguera tour has no minimum age, so families can bring children of any age. The boat rides are short, 5 minutes to Caracoles island and 8 minutes to the lagoon, and there are snacks and refreshments for kids while adults enjoy rum drinks and beer at sunset.
Yes. Our La Parguera tour is a boat tour from start to finish, with no paddling. At Caracoles island you relax on the boat while the sun goes down, and the ride to the glowing lagoon is by boat too, so the whole evening suits anyone who would rather sit back and watch.
At sunset, a 5-minute boat ride takes you to Caracoles, a mangrove island off La Parguera. Kids get snacks and refreshments, and adults get rum drinks and beer. You relax on the boat while the sky changes color, then ride to the lagoon after dark.
The Ruta del Lechón, or Pig Route, is known for its lechoneras, restaurants that roast whole pigs on a spit. Its best-known stretch is Guavate in Cayey, in the mountains off PR-52 south of San Juan. The $199 option of our La Parguera tour makes a lunch stop on the route, where you choose and pay for your own meal.
The $199 option makes a stop at Ponce's historic town square on the way to La Parguera. Ponce's main square, Plaza Las Delicias, is the center of its historic zone, with the Lions Fountain, the Ponce Cathedral and Parque de Bombas, the red-and-black historic firehouse. We share the stop details when you book.
The glow comes from Pyrodinium bahamense, a microscopic plankton that gives off a flash of bluish-green light when the water around it moves. On our tour you see it from the boat in the lagoon after dark. The darker the night, the easier the light is to see.
Choose by where you are staying and how you want to see it. La Parguera suits a sunset boat evening on the southwest coast, for any age. Laguna Grande in Fajardo is a kayak tour that runs every night from $85, ages 6 and up. Mosquito Bay suits guests staying on Vieques. Our best bio bay guide compares all three.
Pick a tour night on the calendar and send it to us on WhatsApp. We confirm your option and your pickup details.
