Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour

What an experience!!

We were a couple traveling with my husbands mother and step mother. Both over the age of 75. Each of us took one of them on a double kayak. It was easy for us with breaks to complete the kayaking! Views were stunning and our guide Lino was knowledgeable and was very good at answering our questions and teaching us about the gulf. We had dinner after and highly recommend to book the dinner prior to leaving on the bioluminescence kayaking. The coconut cake was incredible and Alberto was a gracious host and you can see the pride he has in his business

Excellent. Must swim to get the most out of it!

This was a terrific experience with our 3 adult kids. The kayaking was beautiful and Swimming in the bioluminescence was magical. Our guide Lino was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. And watching how he prepared pineapple and coconut on the beach was an unexpected delight (no joke!). Aventuras tropicales was welcoming and super efficient. Highly recommended.

Bucket List Item!

Kayaked through the mangroves learning about the types of local birds and mangrove varieties. Watched the sun set as we paddled back before pulling up onto an island beach to eat snacks and swim with the bioluminescents. Much easier to see from underneath the water so recommend bringing goggles! Our tour guide Lino was brilliant and we had a wonderful night. Thank you!

So fun!

This was a great tour. The mangroves were interesting, the pineapple snack was so tasty, and the bioluminescence was great. There were 5 people in our group, and only 1 had seen bioluminescence before. The water temperature was very comfortable, and we had a perfect amount of time to spend checking out the bioluminescence. The bioluminescence lasted the whole way back to Puerto Jimenez, so it was great to watch our kayak paddles in it. We had a tatty dinner at the Adventuras Cafe next door afterwards. Great evening!

Easy kayak trip, educational

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and had a great command of the English language which made for a better experience than struggling with limited Spanish. I expected an isle of Capri complete illumination however that was not the case. This is more like hundreds of lightning bugs lighting up the water as you used your hands or rowed. It was beautiful and my 11 year old grandson totally loved it. Even relatively new kayakers can do this tour. Water was very calm outbound and just slightly choppy on the way back. We preordered dinner at the location and were not disappointed. Very good meal. We did get wetter than I expected so bring a change of clothes!!

Loved it !

The people are so nice and helpful. Biolumence kayak trip - our tour guide Lino was so nice. Lots of information about the mangrove trees and at dark saw the plankton light up. Water bag for cell phone necessary. Ocean was calm at night for us. Really Enjoyed. Ate lunch at adventuras cafe. ( a quick 5 min walk from the curio hotel with lots of monkeys in the trees. Lunch, smoothies and coffee good. Offered to make us a local breakfast the next morning. So we went back in morning. Was the best breakfast of our entire vacation. Highly recommend. Will do the waterfall repelling next time we visit.

Amazing!

We had an awesome time!! The waves were super choppy and I was honestly kinda nervous, but our amazing guide Lino made me feel comfortable and we had a great conversation! He knows the ocean very well and we skipped the biggest waves. I was worried we wouldn't be able to see bioluminescence but it ended up being a great night for it! Absolutely incredible experience, I would absolutely book the trip. Ask for Lino if you can, he's awesome. Thanks Lino!!

Super! Thanks Lino1

It was like seeing stars in the water! Not quite as wild as the internet pictures but still beautiful and Lino was a fantastic guide and took us around the mangroves in our kayaks also. Also gave us coconut and watermelon on the beach. It was a great trip. Thanks so much Lino!

A must do!!!

The pouring rain. Eating pineapple and coconuts on the beach. The bioluminescence bursting like stars in the water. Our guide who was so sweet and knowledgeable. Everything about this experience was excellent.

Bioluminescence kayak tour

The guide was really nice and the bioluminescence was really beautiful. Thank you to Lino that answered so many questions and was very kind.

Beautiful experience

Firstly, we did a small mangroove tour (because the conditions were good) where we learned about different types of mangrooves. We really liked that Lino showed us a survivor trick - how to open a coconut with stick and then he shared the fruit with us explaining each part. The bioluminiscence was beautiful but it is not that strong in this place, so you can see it with eyes but you won’t be able to photo it (maybe only with a really good professional camera). We nevertheless enjoyed the tour very much!

Had an amazing time. Guide was excellent and bioluminescence was out of this world. Would highly recommend this trip. ++

Had an amazing time. Guide was excellent and the bioluminescence was out of this world. Would highly recommend this trip as it was a real highlight for me.

Highly recommended!

We loved the tour! Very nice staff, everyone makes a great effort. We saw a beautiful sunset with dolphins! The glow in the dark was also magical!

Bioluminescence

Bring goggles! We saw the bioluminescence from the surface but once we put on our masks, looked under the water and moved our hands, it was really amazing. Our guide was kind, informative and fun!

Don’t miss this tour!

Wonderful tour!! This was our favorite thing we did in Costa Rica. The kayaking was fun and the view of the sunset from the water was beautiful. We really enjoyed the coconut and pineapple and the bioluminescence was just amazing. The best thing about the tour however was the guides. We had Lino and Hector and they were knowledgeable and fun and just so nice! We also really enjoyed learning about the stars and viewing them with the app on our phone (which we had no idea even existed). The tour was worth every penny. Definitely do this tour. We did wish that we had arrived earlier to enjoy the hamburgers at the cafe once we got there. They looked and smelled yummy.

Lost out of money

When I booked my trip it switched to a different country and I was not able to change the booking. I lost out of all my money and I thought at least they could have given me a credit! I will never use this service again!

worth it

definitely a night we will never forget! be ready for an adventure! the bioluminescence was beautiful.

The highlight of my trip!

This was simply incredible, truly the highlight of my trip. The kayak into the mangroves was so peaceful and beautiful and Alberto the guide was incredibly knowledgeable about the creatures living there and the ecosystem. The lessons in tropical living with the pineapple and the coconut were great fun as we waited for the sun to go down. The bioluminescents were absolutely beautiful, and are the best in the whole of Costa rica

The most amazing experience - once in a lifetime

Alberto was a great guide, he had so much knowledge about everything and you could tell he was truly passionate about all the nature around him. He taught us how to crack coconuts and cut pineapple on the beach waiting for the sun to go down. Once dark, we swam in the bioluminescent which was a once in a lifetime experience. Alberto took us to the best places and showed us so much. Thank you!

Very informative and fun!

We had an excellent time! We started by going into the mangroves near the ocean. We learned so much about the ecosystem they create and got to see some amazing flora and fauna. Then we went out to the ocean to watch the sunset. After that, we had some coconut and pineapple and swam with the bio luminescence.

Amazing experience

The sunset is extremely beautiful. Bioluminescence is interesting. Highly recommend. Host is friendly and brought very delicious coconut and pineapple.

Magical!

Our guide, Pierre, was so heartfelt and sincere about his love of the Golfo Dulce, where he grew up. He also brought keen humor and we thoroughly enjoyed our kayaking trip. Be aware, you will be immersed in the warm warm waters of the Gulf as part of this trip, as you really need to see the bioluminescence up close, with movements in the water.

Not worth it!

The trip, for $60 a person, is not worth it. 3hrs, we thought there would be SOME adventure was a total let down. 10 min of paddling and 2 hours of swimming. So we paid $240 to go swimming!!

Dissapointing tour

Overall, we found the kayak tour experience disappointing and concerning. Although the tour was expensive, the main issue was not the value for money but rather the lack of safety precautions and organization. When we began the tour, a storm was approaching, but we were assured by both the agency and the guide that everything was safe and that the tour would proceed as planned. However, due to a delay caused by other participants who never showed up, we had to skip the mangrove visit and arrived at the bioluminescence beach around 5:30 pm with plenty of daylight left to explore the mangroves. As the storm worsened, the guide attempted to distract us by offering pineapple and coconut water while we waited for 45 minutes for the bioluminescence to appear. However, the situation became increasingly unpleasant, and we ultimately asked to return due to the extreme weather conditions. To our dismay, we discovered that our kayak had no lights, and the life jackets did not have lights either, which made us feel very unsafe. We were only able to rely on the guide's flashlight, and the only safety advice we received was to blow a whistle if we needed assistance. Fortunately, the return journey was not as perilous as we had feared, but we could not shake the feeling that basic safety precautions were not being taken. Upon our return, we were surprised to find that instead of a team waiting to greet us and ensure our safety, the agency was hosting a party. This lack of concern made us feel even more vulnerable, and we could not help but wonder what would have happened if we had encountered an unexpected problem during our tour. While we support local tourism and recognize the challenges faced by local businesses, we feel that there is significant room for improvement when it comes to basic safety precautions. In summary, this was the most disappointing tour we experienced during our time in Costa Rica.

Cash stolen

Be careful !! During the tour the aventura tropicales golfo dulce cie ask you to let them your key's car (who was closed) to move it! During the tour, 1800 dollars were stolen ans the boss of the cie said me than nether the employees moved the car (they moved the five cars of the group that made kayak with us) and he said that file a claim would be usefull because no witness!! It seems to be an organised still. I went to tribunal to complain.

Beyond expectations.

This experience was amazing. The staff/company were organized and professional. Pierre was our guide and he was fantastic. He was friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The tour was so much more than we expected. This adventure is HIGHLY recommended if you ever have the chance! Thank you Pierre!

Perfect quick paddle

Travelled with my niece. Lino was a great guide and help to me. Warning. Have to walk through low tide muck to get to kayaks but when you return at night you are in high tide so you come up on beach. Really enjoyed it and felt like a kid playing in the water again.

An excursion worth doing in Puerto Jimenez

The only reason I gave this 4 stars is because my expectations for the bioluminescence were so hyped up that it was a little underwhelming when we finally saw it. If you’re expecting glowing waves lapping on the beach like in the film version of Life of Pi (like I was), you’ll be disappointed. But the kayaking was wonderful and our guide was great. We paddled out into the gulf to watch the sunset. We watched a rain shower make its way over the water from the far side of the gulf and when the warm rain came down on us it was glorious. Then we made our way to the beach, enjoyed pineapple and coconut until it was dark enough to go in the water and play with the plankton.

Fun and Unique Experience!

This was such a fun and unique experience. The bioluminescence was amazing!! The guides were very fun and engaging when we had our snack and they showed us how to open a coconut without a knife. We travelled with 3 kids and felt like the guides did a great job of keeping everyone safe and accounted for, especially when paddling back to shore in the pitch black of night. I would recommended to all!

The bioluminescence was cool!

We had a fun time doing the tour. Pierre was the best tour guide! Estebán was a little bossy and his formation structure didn’t work very well. He did tell a decent story though. I recommend using the number system from the start to make it easier for everyone. We had a nice time watching the sunset from the kayak before continuing to the beach. There, the tour guides cut coconut & pineapple for everyone to try while Estebán told stories about Puerto Jimenez. After it was dark, we all went into the shallow water and were given mesh handkerchiefs to help us see the bioluminescence. After a little while it started to rain so we all paddled back to shore. It was fun and not a super difficult kayak so beginners could manage. Thanks again Pierre!

Great for a night-time kayak outing

Esteban was an awesome guide - super friendly, funny, knowledgeable and he kept us safe (plus he speaks 8 languages). I booked through TA - be advised it helps to take a quick look at when the moon will be full & NOT book on the full nights. My reservation got bumped to another day because of this. The gulf was slightly chopping going out and much calmer going in. We got a lesson in how to open a rather uncooperative coconut, which was entertaining and worth the wait. The bioluminescent plankton were amazing. They weren't blanketing the water but seeing them scattered about and lighting up was a treat. We paddled back in the dark, as the tide was receding. On the whole a lovely time and a nice little adventure.

My favorite tour feels like Magic! Guide Alojandro

I just wanted to say thank you for such an amazing experience with Alijandro and Aventuras Tropicals Gulfo Dulce. This is my second bio-Luminescent tour with your company. I came with my family in January and had the best tour I’ve ever been on in Costa Rica. After dark we were like kids discovering we could make magic swimming underwater watching it glow and sparkle. I knew that even though I was staying 3.5 hrs away in Manuel Antonio this tour was something my friend Rebecca and I had to experience! Alejandro was super professional. We had some questionable weather on the horizon and he went back to go check on the computer that it would be safe for us to proceed. After a safety meeting the whole group agreed to proceed with our tour! It was fantastic and we didn’t experience any rough sea after all. Having a guide with 20 years of kayaking experience was great! I will come take this tour every time I visit Costa Rica. Thank you Alijandro and Aventura Gulfo! Pura Vida

Amazing, amazing, amazing!

We did the biolumuinesence and sunset tour with Alberto on short notice and are so happy that we did. We started out at 4.30pm with a walk along the beach to our kayaks, stopping at a mango tree on the way to try some fresh mangoes. As we started out, the water was so calm and as we paddled out to the middle of the bay to watch the sunset a group of dolphins were swimming not far from us. Alberto is very knowledgeable about the area and was a pleasure to talk to along the way. He is a very calm, peaceful guy and really made the trip for us extra special. After watching the sunset, we paddled over to a beach where we would be able to see the biolumuinesence but first Alberto showed us how to dehusk and open a coconut and then cut some pineapple for us and we ate the fruit as it slowly got dark. While we eating our snack, a large group of juvenile manta rays starting jumping out of the water. They were about 5ocm wide or so and Alberto told us they come there to mate. After all this the biolumuinesence finally began. We were in the water and every time we worth there would be tiny sparkled of bright blue light. Alberto had a white cloth which we used to drag through the water and catch the particles. We brought along our own snorkelling masks, which we were told is a fantastic idea as they are not allowed to provide them currently because of covid precautions. I highly recommend bringing your own snorkelling mask because going underwater and swimming through the biolumuinesence is the absolute best way to see it. After a while we started kayaking back to the starting point, all the way watching as our paddles stirred up the biolumuinesence. Back at the office we could also take a shower and get freshened up. We HIGHLY recommend this tour! It seems to be still relatively unknown but I can't understand why. It was an anaxing, once in a lifetime experience and we are so happy that we could do it. Thank you do much Alberto for everything. We will tell all our friends about you😁

Do it and enjoy

Pure magic! It is like in the movies :-) I went with Elliot, our guide was lovely Tamar. The trip was very relaxed and just wonderful. Do it - and enjoy! Thank you, Tamar. I'll be back fro some night diving :-) Jorge

Stars in the Water

Wonderful paddle and bioluminescence was amazing. Only suggestion is waterproof lights and flashlight on every kayak given the darkness.

Life changing

The whole expierence will be forever memorable. We will most certainly be back for the multi day! Most beautiful relaxing amazing time! Guide was awesome! The food and the drinks were amazing too.

Spectacular!

The whole tour is pure magic. The sunset, the wildlife, the gulf, the bioluminescence. Roy was our guide and this tour is worth every penny. Aventuras tropicales runs this in a very professional way and we are glad we decided to book tours with them it was spectacular!

Felt like swimming in outer space among the stars!

We had such a terrific adventure, with the most amazing payout of swimming among galaxies of glowing, sparkling, fantastical bio-luminescence. Swimming in the bio-luminescence felt very much like a subdued version of the whale scene in Life of Pi, except instead of leaping sea creatures and Hollywood magic, it's just you peacefully floating in the milky way. We were a multi-generational group of women, ages 10 - 50. The clouds really opened up on us while we were kayaking, so we went to shore a little early and ate coconut and pineapple while getting dumped on, which some of us enjoyed more than others ;) To warm up we started wading in the water and as the night became darker the bio-luminescence started to become more and more visible. At one point we got to use snorkel masks which really gave you a truly immersive experience. Alberto, the owner who took us on the tour, was a wonderful tour guide and teacher, and very patient with our group. It was too wet and dark to get any pictures of the bio-luminescence, but I cannot recommend more strongly that if you are on the fence with this tour, you should absolutely do it. It will be going on my "to do" tour list for future Osa visits.

Magic trip

The tour was great! Despite we got under the rain, it still was relaxing and informative. Alberto (our guide) is skilled, quite and intelligent person. He provided a lot of interesting information in English about nature and wild world of the river. All his equipment is clean and durable. I’m glad we picked exactly this tour on Trip Adviser. Thank you, Alberto for your hospitality and wonderful tour. One more thing, our son who is almost five years old was with us, and he was absolutely happy. So, don’t be scared, take your kids with you, they will have fun!)

Unique unforgettable experience

This tour was incredible. We had the opportunity to go out with Alberto who runs the company. The sunset was okay, but after the sunset is when the magic happens. We paddled to the most amazing beautiful beach, ate coconut and pineapple and swam in the dark with the bioluminescence. The incredible night was even more amazing because there was quite a bit of lightning off in the distance and we got rained on towards the end. After the tour we had a wonderful dinner in the cafe prepared by Alberto’s family. Highly recommend this laid back, unique adventure.

A Surprise Highlight of Our Trip

This tour was a really enjoyable and unexpected delight. Our guide was very friendly, knowledgeable, and personable - we couldn't have asked for better. Sunset kayaking in Golfo Dulce was beautiful; we didn't see any dolphins but we did see turtles, waterbirds and wintering shorebirds. The sunset delivered beautifully, but the absolute highlight was experiencing the bio-luminescence after dark; this was a magical experience, especially the snorkeling. Safety was addressed thoroughly and was never a concern. I can't recommend this experience highly enough.

Swimming in stars!

This was a magical experience. After an easy paddle in the Golfo Dulce where we saw dolphins, we watched the sunset and then beached the kayaks on a quiet beach. At dark, we donned snorkels and swam with the stars.... The ocean sparkles with bioluminescent plankton. Our guide ,Vanessa, was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and professional. We enjoyed our experience so much with this company, we rented kayaks from them for two more days of independent paddling in the Golfo. A very professional and well run family business. Thank you!

Kayak and bioluminescent

Friendly knowledgeable guide. Pretty rigorous activity. Don’t really get to see sunset from this dude if bay but nonetheless bioluminescent snorkeling was great

Great experience!

Great experience! Anthony was very knowledgeable about the bioluminescence and the OSA Peninsula. Very cool to see the bioluminescence in the water with each stroke. He also taught me how to open a coconut!

Highlight of my trip

I am so glad I went on this tour. Seeing the bio-luminescence and playing in the water was the highlight of my whole trip. It was an awe-inspiring, magical experience that I will never forget. There is something very special about kayaking at night. We left before it was dark and it was interesting to see the gulf in light and dark. My tour guide, Diego, was very knowledgable and friendly. The tour included a stop at the beach and some coconut and pineapple. Ask for Diego!

One of the highlights of our trip!

We had an amazing time on the Bio-Luminescence and Sunset Kayak Tour! After a two week trip in Costa Rica with many amazing tours and activities, this one was one of the most memorable. We were lucky enough that it was just the two of us on our tour, and that we got Diego as a guide. Diego was an amazing guide, who was not just incredibly knowledgable about everything ocean-related, but also had a great sense of humour and was so much fun. He clearly really loves what he does, which makes such a difference in a guide. While we didn't see any dolphins, the sunset was beautiful. But the highlight of the trip was, without a doubt, the bioluminescence. It felt like we were swimming among stars in the milky way. It's so hard to describe, but such a magical experience to be swimming in the ocean in complete darkness, and see swirls of flashing lights all around you. Diego's excitement about the magic of the bioluminescence made it even more exciting for us. On the paddle home, the bioluminescence lit up the water all around our kayaks, making for a beautiful end to our amazing tour. The actual kayak part is easy enough for beginners, and the kayaks are comfortable with back rests. Highly recommend this tour!!!

Amazing

We have done the bioluminescance tour and were lucky with the weather. I recommend to choose a date close to new moon, and to avoid the full moon day date. We were lucky to see dolfins while waiting the sunset before enjoying a collation waiting darkness. And then we start snorkelling ... and there it was ... bioluminescance phenomenon is seen when shaking our hands on the water ... is feel on our skin while in the water ... is seen on a dark piece of clothe pulled of the water (like a night sky full of stars) ... when paddling ... it appears from all mechanical effects ... The marine bioluminescance is one the the few things that can only be experienced ... i meen it is improbable to bring it back on your camera ... if you are lucky with weather and tides, it is an absolutely unique experience, just amazing !

Voleurs

Nous avons réservé ce tour qui n’a jamais eu lieu car c’était la pleine lune. Il ne devrait donc même pas être réservable ! On nous a indiqué un remboursement sous 1 semaine de 120€ nous n’avons après 10 jours toujours pas récupéré notre argent.

Attrape touristes

On pagaie très peu ensuite on attend le coucher du soleil pendant une bonne heure. Bioluminescence faible. On revient en marchant dans la grosse boue. À mon logement il prêtait gratuitement des kayaks. Aurait été beaucoup mieux.

Wonderful evening.

An excellent moment of peace and quiet, led by a professional and very friendly team, the bioluminescence is not very important, but it was great to see. We recommend.