Vieques: Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Night Tour with Guide

About This Experience

Mosquito Bay in Vieques holds the Guinness World Record as the brightest bioluminescent bay on earth, and at $55 this is the cheapest way onto it that we could find. You paddle a fully transparent kayak, so the glow appears underneath you as well as around the blade — every stroke lights up the hull and the water below it at the same time.

It is a one-hour tour, which is the standard shape on Vieques: the bay is small and enclosed, so there is no long mangrove channel to work through as there is at Fajardo. You are on the glow almost immediately. The guide covers the biology of the dinoflagellates that cause it and the reasons this particular bay is so much brighter than the other two.

The catch is not the tour, it is the island. Vieques is reached only by ferry or a short flight, and getting there is your responsibility — the operator states clearly that transport to and from Vieques is not included. One genuinely useful detail: guests on the 7:00pm departure are driven back to the ferry port afterwards and the operator guarantees the return. That only applies to the first tour of the night.

Highlights

• Paddle Mosquito Bay, the Guinness World Record holder for the brightest bio bay
• Fully transparent kayaks, so the glow shows beneath you and not just beside you
• The lowest price of any tour in this catalogue at $55
• A guided explanation of why this bay outshines Fajardo and La Parguera
• Guests on the 7:00pm departure get a guaranteed lift back to the ferry port
• One hour on a small enclosed bay — no long channel paddle to reach the glow

What's Included

• ✓ Fully transparent two-person kayak and paddle
• ✓ Certified life jacket and safety gear
• ✓ Expert local guide for the duration
• ✓ Guided tour of Mosquito Bay
• ✓ Briefing on the bay's ecology before launching
• ✓ Return transfer to the ferry port for the 7:00pm departure only

Not Included

• Ferry or flight to Vieques — not included and not arranged by the operator
• Transportation to the meeting point
• Food and drinks
• Accommodation on the island

What to Bring

• Swimwear under comfortable clothes
• Insect repellent and biodegradable sunscreen
• A waterproof camera if you have one
• Drinking water

Good to Know & Caveats

• Vieques is reached by ferry or plane only, and transport to the island is not included in this booking.
• The return transfer to the ferry port applies to the 7:00pm tour only, not the later departures.
• Mosquito Bay is the brightest of the three bays, but brightness still drops sharply around a full moon.
• Swimming is prohibited in Mosquito Bay to protect the organisms — this is a paddle-only bay.
• Minimum age 6.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.

Meeting Point

Esperanza on the south coast of Vieques. The operator returns 7:00pm guests to the ferry port at the end of the tour.