San Juan: El Yunque Rainforest and Bio Bay Combo Tour

The whole tour was memorable. I still so excited I can not put it into words yet. But what an experience. The tour guides were awesome and very helpful to everyone needs.

I enjoyed the brief hiking and natural water slides, but left wishing I spent more time hiking through El Yunque enjoying the rain forest’s beauty. No time to stop and take it all in. And after experiencing Vieques Bio Bay no other Bio Bay can compare…but still, to experience any Bio Bay is pretty amazing. The Water Slides - Before hiking in El Yunque to the natural water slides, give basic instructions on how to hike through the water, climbing the rocks and cliffs and to take ones time. There were 24 in our excursion group, excluding our guides. Even though it’s mentioned with what to wear and bring, most did not wear the best footgear for the hiking through the mud, water, and cliffs resulting in some minor falls and slips. I wanted to learn more about the rain forest itself, but not much was talked about. The focus was primarily on the natural water slides (super awesome!) jumping off cliffs and rope swings (again, super awesome!) The Restaurant (Dinner) - Our orders were taken ahead of time for the restaurant while at a planned stop at a local fruit stand. The fruit stand was amazing; good eats, bathroom break en route to El Yunque. The restaurant food was really good, accommodating a large group of people with outdoors seating in a beautiful area. However, the music was being constantly changed mid song and played incredible loud that you had to yell to have a conversation. It did not help that we sat close to one of the speakers and instead of asking to turn down the music, after eating decided to walk aroun. Bio Bay in Fajardo - Uncertain if it was too many Mojito’s from the restaurant or little kayaking experience in our group, but it was bumper city paddling through the mangroves after twilight, creating crashing entertainment as we were guided to the bay. Guides held up flash lights so we could see our way through the mangroves, fortunately this aids in ducking from wildly swinging paddles…a few times. The Dinoflagellates were very dim, a spark here and there along with the combination of people and light pollution near this Bio Bay doesn’t help even when the condition is perfect to see them better. So tarps were provided for us to cover ourselves over the kayaks, creating more darkness to see the dinoflagellates glow as we agitated them in the water.

The rainforest guides were excellent and it was splendid! We had so Much fun. It was exhilarating but the bio kayaking was too rushed and there wa too much traffic in the lagoon and the guides seemed stressed. But the bioluminescence part was fantastical and we appreciated the careful thinking through how to illuminate the microorganisms and filter the light pollution

After many years of my childhood wanting to visit El Yunque and the Bioluminescent Bay, I finally had a chance to go with my husband! This trip was well organized from start to end. First, we had a shuttle pick us up at our hotel. Although we were one of the first people on the bus and we had a long drive to pick up the others, it was still great because we got an informal tour of San Juan during the journey. Once we were out near Fajardo area, we stopped at a local fruit stand and market. I highly recommend buying the freshly cut fruit, and especially the mango! I have never had mango as amazing as the mango in Puerto Rico. We then continued on to EL Yunque and when we got there it was spectacular. Be warned that the hike is more intense than you may expect. You will need to climb tree roots, rocks, and very slippery areas. Although the tour guides do show you how to navigate it effectively, and they are there to help you, it is important that you are physically capable and you should definitely wear very supportive shoes. I am usually scared of everything related to thrillseeking and heights. This tour definitely tested my courage a bit, but it was totally worth it! They first take you down two different natural waterslides. Then, you jump off a cliff. There are two different options for cliffs in case you want to jump from a higher point. Then there is a Tarzan rope swing that you can use to propel yourself and jump in the water. They then bring out the freshest fruit you will ever eat, and everyone enjoys a nice snack together. You will then stop at an extremely delicious restaurant! I highly recommend getting any type of Mofongo. The Mojito‘s are delicious too, but don’t go too crazy because you will then have to navigate a kayak in the complete darkness later on! We ended with kayaking at the bio luminescent day and it was amazing! Although we really couldn’t see the bay lighting up due to weather conditions, there was a “work around” by giving us a tarp to put over our heads. You should be warned that you will be extremely dirty and messy. Bring a change of clothes, a towel, and some flip-flops to change into after the trip. If you need to use the bathroom and require toilet paper, I recommend bringing some tissues too! We returned to our hotel around 9 o’clock at night. If you are considering booking this tour, definitely do so!

This trip was the highlight of Puerto Rico. The rainforest is stunning, and our rainforest guides, Jamilex and Patricia, were fantastic. Two tips: you will get dirty and everything will get soaked. Don’t wear clothes or shoes you love. I wish I would have bought an iPhone protector to have taken pictures, but the guides did a great job of capturing the moment. The kayak experience was also incredible. It was not a great night to see the plankton glow, but through the use of tarps we were able to see these magical creatures. It was an unforgettable day!

I loved my experience with Island Journeys. Luis was a great guide and driver. I felt completely at ease as a solo traveler, and the communication with the company was great. I agree with previous reviews to BUY SOMETHING and GO TO THE BATHROOM at the fruit stand. And get a smoothie. Holy crap, that was amazing. Your shoes will be completely soaked. I had an old pair of gym shoes and socks that were both almost ready to be thrown out. I did end up throwing them both out. Bring a towel, change of clothes, and extra shoes!

Organized, fun and great crew . Noel n Francisco were very professional and helpful. They answered all our questions.

Highly recommend the tour. It was really fun at el Yunque. Luis was our tour guide and he was very nice and friendly

The entire trip was great the tour guides were fantastic it was a great experience for a family except for we have not received no photos at all who can we contact

The water slides were beautiful, exciting and fun. Our guides in the rain forest were knowledgeable and friendly. The meal between the rain forest and the biopay was tasty and fairly priced. The kayak to the bio bay was exciting but we left late and missed sunset.