The bioluminescent bays of Puerto Rico
Ordered by every profile at once · 3 places
Puerto Rico has three bioluminescent bays, where microscopic plankton light up the water with every movement: Mosquito Bay on Vieques, Laguna Grande in Fajardo and La Parguera in Lajas. They are visited at night, by kayak or boat, with an authorised operator.
The glow is best on moonless nights and can fade after heavy rain. The rules are there to protect the plankton: swimming is not allowed in some bays, and sunscreen and repellent harm it, so check the current rules with the operator before you go.
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Puerto Mosquito
62/100Bioluminescent bay · ViequesNot verified: Scores estimated from public sources, pending an on-site check: they may change.The brightest bioluminescent bay in the world: on dark nights the water glows blue-green around kayaks and fish. Visited only on licensed tours, and swimming is not allowed.
- Scenery
- Wildlife
- Tranquility
- 2Bioluminescent bay · Lajas · West coastNot verified: Scores estimated from public sources, pending an on-site check: they may change.
The bioluminescent bay of La Parguera, reached by boat from the village pier in a few minutes. Its glow is fainter than in Vieques, but here you can usually swim in it.
- Scenery
- Wildlife
- Tranquility
- 3Bioluminescent bay · Fajardo · East coastNot verified: Scores estimated from public sources, pending an on-site check: they may change.
A bioluminescent lagoon in Fajardo, reached at night by kayak through a mangrove channel. Every paddle stroke lights up the water.
- Scenery
- Wildlife
- Tranquility
How this ranking is made
Every place has a score from 1 to 5 for each criterion, following a public rubric, and the score out of 100 combines them with the weights of the profile. Most scores are estimates from public sources; places marked “Verified” have been checked in person.
Read the methodology