Bioluminescent Kayak Tour | 1 hour

6 Reviews | Santa Teresa
From $36.00 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
Select Date and Travelers
You can select up to 10 travelers in total.
Adult (16-80) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 10
2
Youth (10-15) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10
0
Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Bioluminescent kayak tour
2 Adults x $36.00
$72.00
Approx Total
$72.00

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English, Spanish
  • Kayaks, paddles and life jackets
  • Bathroom
  • Snacks
  • Coffee and/or Tea
  • Insurance

Overview

There are only a few places in the world where bioluminescence can be seen year round. And luckily for travelers to the Nicoya Peninsula there is one such place here. Bioluminescence is a light created by living organisms through a chemical reaction, biological light. In the gulf it is the algae that create this magical effect. Upon being disturbed, the algae give off a burst of light. Since there are millions of them it looks like sparkles in the water. The wavelengths are in the blue to green area and depending on the amount of algae it will appear as bluish or greenish sparkles. One of the best ways to see this phenomenon is to get a look from above, and kayaking is a great way to see it well. The algae will stick to your paddle, your hand or floating debris glowing for many seconds if you encounter a strong patch. When you kayak over shallow areas, fish will be scared up and it looks like fireworks under water as they take off, leaving a trail of “fairy dust” in their wake.

Meeting points

From the Paquera ferry landing, take the dirt road to the small village Punta Cuchillo. Follow signs to Bahia Rica. After 1,5 km get to a very small bridge. Park along the road here and walk the little trail to our kayak launch site. Follow the sings to BAHIA RICA.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

This incredible tour is peaceful and breathtaking, all at the same time. The kayak launch area is just a short distance from the Paquera ferry landing, and the calm gulf water is very accessible by kayak. At sunset, we gather under the palm trees overlooking the bio-bay for a welcome with complimentary refreshments. Our experienced guide, Luis gives a briefing of the tour. He will equip everyone with suitable life jackets and lead the way to the launch area for the kayaks. He is careful to help entering the kayaks and giving instructions to those that do not have kayaking experience. Everyone gets to do the full hour of the tour in their own kayak or a tandem kayak. You stop along the way, where Luis will explain more about the magical sparkling water and the marine life in the bay. The darker the night, the better the experience will be. Upon the return to the Bahia Rica beach, we have fresh water and towels available, and bathroom facilities if needed.

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Service animals allowed
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Age limit: minimum 10 years old
  • Not recommended for travelers with fear or water
  • Not recommended for travelers that are afraid of the dark

Free Cancellation

December 31100% refund
January 01No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Reviews

5.0

6 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    6
  • 4 stars
    0
  • 3 stars
    0
  • 2 stars
    0
  • 1 star
    0

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-3 of 6 reviews with 5 stars

A day to remember!

Published on Jan, 2024

Why do we only get to give 5 stars? This was by far the best day of our vacation. We did the snorkel/lunch/kayak bioluminescent combo. The guides were full of energy and information. Juan made sure that we had the best possible experience. We got to see Spider Monkeys and many other hidden gems along the way. He started our snorkeling away from the crowd. We saw so much, including a green sea turtle. After lunch on the beach, which was amazing, we got to go snorkeling again. I don't think he had to offer that part. I am so glad he did! We then returned to a lovely area where the hosts offered drinks and snacks while we waited for sunset. Kayaks were ready for us to see the wonder of the bioluminescence. No words can describe this experience. Start to finish, a magic day. Don't miss it!!

Magical—especially recommend during meteor showers!

Published on Dec, 2023

Luis was our guide for the nighttime bioluminescence tour, which was 7:30-8:30pm. We helped ourselves to some water, lemonade, and snacks before he gave us our safety briefing and gave us our life jackets. I booked this excursion specifically on a night I knew we would have a meteor shower (Geminids, December 13 2023), which made this even more special—it was pitch dark other than a few lights across the way from some small buildings, plus a new moon. Ideal conditions for seeing the bioluminescent algae and the several shooting stars! Both the sky and the waters gave us a show. Luis would point out fish and would also take us to specific spots that weren’t as recently disturbed (and therefore were more likely to have brighter bioluminescence). My husband and I were in a double kayak, and he did most of the paddling while I took photos and videos. Photos and videos don’t really do it justice, and unless you have one of the newer phones with nighttime visibility cameras (I have an iPhone 14 Pro and I got a couple good videos), it’s harder to capture the bioluminescence in photos or videos, so I’d say keep the phones away and just be in the moment. It’s pretty magical. I didn’t get as wet as I thought I would on this excursion, but I still recommend having sandals or flip flops and clothes you don’t mind getting wet. I’m also prone to tons of mosquito bites, so I also recommend bug spray. I am fairly certain this was the best value bioluminescent tour I found and am glad we came to Bahía Rica!

A very good tour!

Published on Jul, 2023

I wish I could remember the name of the guide that we had. He was incredibly enthusiastic--to the point of being a little funny. But he didn't let the tour get boring and kept the level of excitement up the entire time. I had never seen bioluminescence before and it was a great experience. We were lucky enough to have a beautiful evening for it. The couple that runs this place are very nice and we were given great directions to find the location.

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