Bioluminescent Kayak Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover Nicoya Peninsula bioluminescence on an after-dark kayak tour in Paquera Bay, where you’ll see glowing algae in the water all around you. Exploring by kayak means you can enjoy the natural phenomenon without the distracting noise of a motor, and you’ll spark bursts of sparkling light each time you dip your paddle into water where bioluminescent algae are present.
- Bioluminescence kayak tour from Bahia Rica
- Guided tour is suited to first-time or experienced kayakers
- Access to onsite bathroom facilities and hot drinks included
- Group size is limited to 10 people for personal service
What's Included
- Kayaks, paddles and life jackets
- Coffee and/or Tea
- Snacks
- Bathroom
- Insurance
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Bahia Rica Fishing & Kayak Lodge1.5 KM EAST OF PAQUERA FERRY LANDING, Provincia de Puntarenas, PUNTA CUCHILLOS, Punta Cuchillos, Costa Rica
We try to start on time, please be here 10 minutes before departure. From the Paquera ferry landing, take the dirt road to Punta Cuchillo. After 1,5 km you'll get to a small bridge. Park along the road here and walk the little trail to our kayak launch site. Follow the signs to BAHIA RICA
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Make your own way to the launch point in Paquera Bay, Costa Rica 15 minutes prior to the starting time. As the sun sets, enjoy complimentary refreshments under the palm trees overlooking the bio-bay, and receive instructions from the knowledgeable guide.
Witness the captivating glow of bioluminescent algae as you paddle through the calm gulf waters in a kayak. This after-dark experience allows you to immerse yourself in the natural phenomenon without the noise of a motor. Each stroke of your paddle creates bursts of sparkling light.
The tour concludes with a return to the meeting point, where fresh water, towels, and bathroom facilities are provided. This guided excursion is suitable for both novice and experienced kayakers.
Witness the captivating glow of bioluminescent algae as you paddle through the calm gulf waters in a kayak. This after-dark experience allows you to immerse yourself in the natural phenomenon without the noise of a motor. Each stroke of your paddle creates bursts of sparkling light.
The tour concludes with a return to the meeting point, where fresh water, towels, and bathroom facilities are provided. This guided excursion is suitable for both novice and experienced kayakers.
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Bahia Rica Fishing & Kayak Lodge
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Most travelers can participate
- Age limit: minimum 10 years old
- Not recommended for travelers with fear or water
- Not recommended for travelers that are afraid of the dark
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Such an incredible experience! The bioluminescence was so much brighter than we thought it would be. Our guide was also great and very knowledgeable. Don’t miss this if you are in the area.
Reviews
4.9
based on 222 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
An absolutely magical night. Our hosts and guide were welcoming and knowledgeable. Our kids were able to jump off their kayaks and swim in the bioluminescence, it was unforgettable!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your kind review. It is such a special phenomenon to experience because you literally immerse yourself in it!
Luis our guide was very funny, good with safety, explained how bioluminescence occurs well in english and went out of his way to make sure we were able to see the brightest examples of bioluminescence as possible!!! Loved kayaking on the night water!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thats a great feedback for us. Thank you very much and we are so pleased that you enjoyed your tour with us:-)
This was a great experience, we appreciated how the big group was divided up so we had our own guide. We even got to swim and go around the whole island.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We try to make this experience as personal as possible so instead of cramming everyone with 1 guide we have 2 guides for a better experience.
Wow!! An experience you can only find a few places in the world. Our guide was terrific and very knowledgeable.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for the feedback. We are happy you had a good time!
This was a lifetime goal of mine and it was perfect in every way! The guide and owners were very knowledgeable and kind. I had a blast!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
That is so cool! We are thrilled to have been ab,e to help you achieve one of your lifetime goals!!
This is totally worth it! Such a rad experience!!! I would do this 100 more times. We loved it! Everything about it was rad!
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Thank you so much for your review we are so happy that you enjoyed your experience with us!
Pura Vida!
This was nothing short of magical, and one of the highlights of our trip to Costa Rica. Our guide was very knowledgeable and personable. The spray of diamonds in the water anytime anything moved - it was like Disney animation come to life. And if that weren't enough, the billions of stars above in this rural area of CR was a show in and of itself. Our guide also pointed out many different stars and planets and constellations, too. Absolutely wonderful experience. 100% recommended. Do yourself a favor and make this part of your Costa Rican experience.
Magic! Unique experience of bioluminescence and starry skies. Easy paddling (most double kayaks). Of course weather dependent, also allow more time than listed.
This was amazing. And we love louis!! You can help but love life more with him around!!! So fun!!!! 1
Response from Host, Jan 2026
SO happy you enjoyed the tour with us - and Luis' positive energy is for sure contagions.
Thank you so much for the review! SO very much appreciated.
We had a wonderful evening paddle! Our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the bioluminescence in the area and he made sure that we got great pics!
Response from Host, Jan 2026
So glad that you had a great time on our tour - and really cool that you managed to get some good pictures - it is a challenge to capture the bioluminescence on film
One of the coolest things I've ever seen. Calm water, easy kayaking. Fun, interesting guide. Beautiful lights in the water, on land from a few fireflies, and in the sky from the stars. My adult kids got in the water and said it was even better and couldn't believe the rest of us were missing out on it.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for choosing us for your experience. We are thrilled that you enjoyed it!!
Pura Vida!
Don’t forget to bring your bathing suit!
This experience was once in a lifetime. I felt like I was in the movie Avatar! I would compare this to seeing the northern lights in the sky in Alaska, but in the water in paradise!
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for your review and for choosing to do the tour with us!
We just love that you loved it!
Pura Vida!
A must do! Very bumpy road to get to the location, photos hard to capture the magic so leave cameras behind; immerse yourself in the magic by getting into the water! Our guide was very passionate !
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Thank you so much for choosing us - and the effort coming here (the road in is a bit of an adventure, but at least the worst part has just been fixed by the municipality).
We are thrilled that you enjoyed your experience with us - and yes, our guides love what they do!
Such an incredible experience! The bioluminescence was so much brighter than we thought it would be. Our guide was also great and very knowledgeable. Don’t miss this if you are in the area.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for choosing to o the tour with us - and for taking the time to share your experience with this review!
We are so happy you enjoyed it.
You are greeted by the most lovely people! They inform you of all you will experience and beyond. Drinks and snacks provided before hand. The experience itself was a once in a lifetime experience. I chose to swim and I couldn’t keep my hands still and eyes away, the bioluminescence is other worldly. Highly recommend going with the kayak experience!!
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Thank you so much for choosing to do the tour with us - we are thrilled that you loved the experience. Nature can be so magical!!
Thank you also for taking the time to write a review sharing your experience with other travelers.
Pura Vida
Juan was a very knowledgeable and invested guide! We loved his insight. He obviously loved the area. Such a wonderful experience.
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience - and we are so happy you enjoyed the tour.
Juan and the rest of our team are just great - and yes, they love the area and what they do!
What an incredible experience!! The guide was experienced and attentive to our concerns a s needs along the way! We got ti experience the beauty and energy God has for us on this planet and it was mind blowing !
Response from Host, Jul 2025
Thats a great way to put it! Thank you very much for your review! It is a natural wonder of the oceans that everyone should experience at least once.
Best to go on a moonless night. A wonderful experience with an informative guide who was passionate about what they are doing.
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so very much for your review:-)
What an incredible and unforgettable experience! We took our two kids, 13 and 11, out just before the moon came up. Our guide was amazing—he shared his knowledge of this unique ecosystem, explaining how the bioluminescence worked and how / where best to see it. It was easily the most unforgettable science class our girls will ever have. So grateful for the experience and the awesomeness of our guide—HIGHLY recommend!!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you so much for this glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that your family had such a memorable experience on our tour. We'll be sure to pass your kind words to the guide. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you back for more adventures in the future.
This was so amazing because, how often do you get to go kayaking at night in a beautiful place, warm calm water, and with a wonderful guide, Juan! That alone was cool enough but the bioluminescent was something we had never seen before! When the moon would go behind the clouds, you could get the whole wave from your paddle to glow and light up! Dragging your hand in the water was like having stars flying from it. Juan, our guide was the absolute best! He had a bunch of us get out and swim and see all the glowing around us and in our shirts. I loved how you could feel how passionate Juan is about all things marine and ocean, so knowledgeable. The actual place, Bahia Rica Fishing and Kayaking Lodge was reached by walking down a magical, lit up path… the whole vibe was an amazing experience I was glad my family got to have. Like Juan said, “they do the best they can with what nature gives them” so I understand every trip will be different depending on all the things nature can throw at you, but if you go in with the mindset to enjoy the experience for what it is, where you are at - you will have a 10 out of 10!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
SO glad you had a nice experience!!! We want everyone to enjoy the beauty of nature that we are so lucky to have at our doorstep:-)
This was a once in a lifetime. Really cool experience! We had a great time. Our guide was so full of both life and knowledge-we loved it. And between the stars in the sky and what felt like stars under water, it felt like we were in a Disney movie.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you so much for your glowing review! We're thrilled you enjoyed the magical bioluminescence. It's a memorable experience, and we are happy to share ti with adventurers like you!
Great tour. The guide, Louis, was very enthusiastic, friendly and fun. We had a great time and the bioluminescence was spectacular. Well worth the costs and time.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you so much for joining our tour - we are so happy that you enjoyed the experience.
And yes, Luis is very energetic and loves doing the tour.
The bioluminescence tour was definitely one of our favorite experiences in Costa Rica! It was absolutely magical to see the ocean sparkle. We recommend this tour to anyone who’s visiting Costa Rica!
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Thank you so much for your review!
It makes us so happy to read!!!
Pura Vida!
Great giudes, stunning sunset, nice place. It was great experience. Swimming in bioluminiscent water was gorgeous…
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Thank you. It always nice when you as our client is happy:-)
Traveled with my teens during the rainy season in July and it stormed just as we arrived.
But Thomas, the tour owner, was optimistic and friendly, and Luis, our guide, was SO knowledgable and enthusiastic. The rain did not hamper the bioluminescent experience, which was amazing and well worth the trip. I even got to swim in the water! Our tour ran late due to the storm, but Thomas was able to contact our hotel and arrange for a late pick up.
A must do!
Response from Host, Aug 2024
Nature is amazing and we are so happy when our clients get to enjoy this brilliant experience. Rain or shine it is always there.
Great guide. Super knowledgeable and charismatic the entire trip! Shared lots of great details about how bioluminescence works. Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you for your glowing review!
We are thrilled you enjoyed your experience with us. Your feedback means de world to us.
Pura Vida!
We had an excellent time, our guide was fantastic. I felt safe with my kids in the kayaks, and the education about the bioluminescence was excellent!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you so much for joining our tour. We
re thrilled you enjoyed the magcial experience. Hope to see you again!
We had a super time out on the water with the bioluminescence, fishing bats, trumpet fish, and beautiful surroundings! We chose to go during a new moon, which really made the bioluminescence incredible!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you Sara. It is a very special and magical tour and we are so glad you enjoyed it:-)
Such a great experience! Wonderful service, beautiful surroundings and fun adventure! Highly recommend!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you for your fantastic review!
We're delighted you loved the bioluminescent kayak tour with us. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Being able to be in such a serene environment and witness a natural phenomenon like this one was the opportunity of a lifetime. Whereas most bioluminescence tours are on a boat and you are disconnected from the water, the kayak is the perfect way to experience this. To be so close to the water and really encouraged to make as much fun as possible made it even better. Our guide, Jose, was both informative and relaxed, and helped us navigate safely to an area where we were able to get in the water! Overall, an amazing experience and would highly recommend!
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per personWas $36.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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