I cried on this tour. For years I have heard of bioluminescence and seen pictures of what it looks like when organisms produce it. There are places all over the world to see bioluminescent marine life, including Brazil, Panama, Cambodia, Florida, Puerto Rico and New Zealand, just to name a few.
After moving to Central America I was determined to finally get to see this phenomenon in real life but timing didn’t work out until recently. Bioluminscence is best seen during certain moon phases and certain weather types. The darker the sky the better.
The moon and stars finally aligned and we were able to go with Bahia Rica Fishing Lodge in Paquera. I tried to capture our experience with our camera and GoPro but it would have required some serious gear and talent that I don’t have, so you’ll just have to go check it out for yourself!
Quick Facts/Tips
- Price: $25 for children, $35 for adults.
- Time: 1.5 hours including explanation and kayak time.
- Location: Bahia Rica Fishing Lodge-Paquera, Costa Rica
- Accomodations: Bahia Rica is a lodge, as well. We actually stayed at Hotel Vista Las Islas Botique (about 10 min away) and it was incredible. It had an infinity pool that looks over the ocean and amazing restaurant. I would totally recommend staying there!
- Bring: water bottle (it is a very warm part of Costa Rica and you will be thirsty after, though they do provide drinks!), comfortable kayaking clothing/shoes
- You have to time this trip correctly with the moon and weather. Bahia Rica has a website with suggestions of when is the best time to come. You will want to follow that. http://www.bahiarica.com/
- This was not a very strenuous activity but my 10 year old brother was pretty tired at the end!
- The roads around this section of Costa Rica are TERRIBLE so plan plenty of time to get to your tour.
- If you don’t have a car you can always take the ferry over from Punta Arenas and walk to Bahia Rica (15 min) or contact the lodge for transportation.
There are some other jumping off points near Paquera (Tortuga Island) but bioluminescent kayaking is one of the best things to do right in Paquera.
About Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is a reaction that produces light energy in an organism’s body. It’s the same thing that happens with fireflies! Humans can mostly see it through physical disturbance, like when we splashed the water with an oar in the kayak or ran our hand through the water on this tour.
Some examples of organisms that can produce bioluminescence are fireflies, landernfish (the scary fish from Finding Nemo haha), along with some bacteria, algae, jellyfish, worms, sea stars, fish and some sharks.
These organisms light up for feeding, protection, attracting mates, luring prey, or even lighting up an area to see it better.
The Tour
We arrived to Bahia Rica Fishing Lodge (which offers a ton of other tours and options- see their website!) and enjoyed drinks and snacks while our guide explained to us the science behind Bioluminscence.
After some quick background information, we suited up in life vests, grabbed the kayaks and headed out.
Each spot seemed to get better and better. The water was completely calm so it was easy to paddle.
Our guide showed us how to paddle in the water and make the plankton light up. The first time I saw it I cried. It was breathtaking!!!!
We paddled around for about an hour. At one point he took us to his favorite spot and it genuinely felt like we were in the movie Avatar. My favorite thing to do was dip my hand in the water, swirl it around and see all of the cerulean beads light up. It was unreal.
The plankton light up with movement so the more you paddle, the more you see. At one point he paddled quickly across the water and everywhere around his whole kayak was lit up. We couldn’t believe it!
I reallllllly wanted to snorkel but apparently there are sting rays in the water and that just didn’t sound fun haha.
This is definitely the type of tour I would like to bring friends back to. It is perfect for an overnight from San Jose. Drive two hours to Puntarenas, hop on the 1 hour ferry, arrive in Paquera and do the kayak tour.
You can even head back the same night on the last ferry or spend the night in Paquera and leave the next day.
Lodging
Bahia Rica is also a lodge and it looked great, but we wanted to stay somewhere with a pool so the kids could swim. We ended up choosing Hotel Las Islas and had an awesome experience.
I think this is one of the nicest places I have ever stayed in and we soaked up every moment of the pool and the views. It was so quiet and peaceful and I LOVED how you could look out over the ocean at the restaurant, or at the pool. The rooms all faced the ocean, as well. It felt like paradise.
Hotel Las Islas is about a 10 min drive from Bahia Rica and a 5 min drive to the ferry. It’s very close distance wise, but the roads are so terrible that it takes a little bit to get there.
Tip: Book directly through Hotel Las Islas for a better price.
The Bioluminescence Tour was everything I hoped it would be. It wasn’t like any of the photoshop/edited photos you see on Pinterest, but it was truly spectacular in real life. I know there are other places around the world that have more light activity, but we had a great time.
Maybe some time I’ll go back and get up the courage to snorkel. Or I’ll kayak next to someone snorkeling so I can see the light around them haha.