The Best Tour To Do In Puerto Rico…So They Say

It was our very first trip together and La’s birthday, so the pressure was on. We were sifting through pamphlets looking for that once in the lifetime experience. The concierge at our hotel interrupted to recommend a local tour guide who does night kayaking. “It’s the best tour to do in Puerto Rico” he said. Night time kayak tour? That’s definitely not what we had in mind when we thought “experience of a lifetime,” but La loves a good adventure, so what the hell!

We’re on our way…

We hopped in our car, put the address in the GPS, and we were on our way…so we thought. As Siri announced, “you have arrived at your destination!” we realized we were nowhere NEAR a body of water. In fact, the only thing around us, was probably the least exciting place we could imagine being: a cemetery. 

Suddenly, we started to feel as if we’d been set up. It was clear that this was all one big heist to kidnap us and sell our organs. (We watch too many movies, obviously) A little spooked, we called the tour guide and told him we had arrived at a cemetery. “Not again!” he laughed. (It was a relief that he didn’t seem shocked) Once we hung up, he texted us the correct address, and we were on our way…for real this time. 

Lost Tourists

We slowly pulled into the parking lot of a local dive bar across the street from an eerie looking beach. ‘Lost tourists’ must have been tattooed on our foreheads the way everyone stared at us. As we got out of the car, a guy yelled out, “Are you here for the night kayaking tour?” We told him yes. After that, he asked us to lock all of our belongings in the car, and head down to the beach. We wondered if we would come back to broken windows and stolen valuables, but we just went with the flow.

It Is A Real Tour

Still a little sketched out, we sat on the beach and listened to a 2 minute tutorial on what not to do in a kayak. Suddenly, bright lights started to appear one by one from the dark ocean. The group from an earlier round were returning!!! This was the best sign we had received all day.  

You Want Us To Do What?

Finally, it was time to load into the kayaks. Following nothing but a tiny red light on the tour guide’s kayak, we paddled off into the darkness. We had just about paddled until our arms fell off, when he lead us to a sandbar and told everyone to step out of their kayak. You want us to do what??? By now, neither of us could fathom why THIS was the best tour to do in Puerto Rico. The guide then instructed us to pick up our kayak, and carry it down a muddy path through the pitch black mangrove forest. Again, you want us to do what?? We just knew we were headed into a trap. But surprisingly, what we met at the end of this path was unlike anything we could have ever imagined.

Glow In The Dark Water?!

As soon as we sat our kayak down in our newly discovered lagoon, a neon blue light flowed from underneath it. Could this really be happening?! What started out as the strangest experience ever, had suddenly turned into a scene from a Disney movie. Everything that touched the water, from the paddle, to the fish swimming beneath us, caused a magical explosion of light. Instantly, it felt like we were the only 2 people on the Bay & Sebastian the crab was singing ‘Kiss the Girl.’ (La thinks she’s a little mermaid, so the scene was fitting.)

The Concierge Was Right

As we fixated on the magic beneath us, the tour guide urged us not to miss the beauty above. We then realized we were floating under a blanket of stars that spread as far as the eyes could see. So here we were, in the middle of nowhere, witnessing an unimaginable experience that can never be truly captured by camera. This was by far the most romantic night a couple could dream of, especially for their first trip. In conclusion, It looks like the concierge was right after all: This was the best tour to do in Puerto Rico.