AkuAdventures
Category: Active Life Rafting/Kayaking Rafting/Kayaking [Edit]
Urb Vistas del Convento 2, A-5, Calle 1Ceiba, PR 00735
(787) 685-9522
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
Johnny C. said: "We did the mini-boat adventure with Kayaking Puerto Rico and it was the best outdoor activity on the vacation. This trip isn't for the faint of heart as you will be drive your own mini-boat in the ocean and you could encounter some…" read more »
5 reviews for AkuAdventures
5 reviews in English
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Review from Vlad P.
Berkeley, CA
6/5/2010
We really enjoyed this tour.
First of all I liked they kayaks and equipment that we were given. We were given a life vest, a kayak, and a paddle each. The kayak is for two people and it has a glass bottom which sparkles when you go through the bio bay.
The tour guides were very fun and active. The guide at the front would hoot like an owl every so often and we could get an idea of how far back the other guide is when the response hoot came back.
At the end of the tour you'll get water, juice and small snacks like bags of chips and candy. I suggest you have dinner before coming here and try to take the latest tour possible. We took the tour at 8:30 and it was dark enough. Try to get there 20 minutes before the tour starts to listen to the instructions. We got there 15 minutes before the tour started so we missed some of the information.
I've been around boats and kayaks quite a bit, so I'll point out what other companies are doing to give you an idea of how good akuadventrues is.
Our kayaks had a green fluorescent loop in the front and a red fluorescent loop in the back. This is very helpful since it can be tricky to navigate in the dark. For example other companies don't stick to this rule and they have red in front on some kayaks and vice versa on others. So you might see a red light from another company and think this kayak is heading away from you when in fact it's coming at you and you could end up with a paddle in the face.
Also some moron tour guides from other companies had the red fluorescent lights which is supposed to be on the kayak around their ear. I was tempted to think this is the back of a kayak and tried to push it out of the way with my paddle, and could have struck someone in the face.
All in all take the tour, you'll enjoy it! -
Review from v h.
Elmhurst, NY
2/25/2009
Amazing experience kayaking in the dark through mangrove trees to a star-lit lagoon to see tiny sparks of light whereever the water is disturbed. Our guides were well-informed and professional. It was also easy to make reservations and get directions to the meeting site. The kayaks with the clear bottoms, while not necessary to enjoy the tour, definitely added to it.
The only thing that bothered me about the tour was how the guide didn't emphasize that it is illegal and harmful to the organisms in the bay for humans to swim in it. He mentioned it, but also said that you could bring your own kayak and do what ever you want. He made it sound like it's only illegal to swim or operate motor boats because the bay is needed to generate tourist dollars, not because it's important to preserve it becaue it's only one of 5 biobays in the world. -
Review from dan l.
Brooklyn, NY
4/8/2009
The tour was definitely worth it. I agree with the other review, in that the glass bottom kayaks were not necessary to enjoy the tour, but were a nice bonus - combined with the fact they charge $45 just like everyone else, might as well get more for your $! As someone on trip advisor put it, when you look through the kayak it looks like star wars when the ship goes into hyperspeed...pretty neat...the guides were pretty good. In the lagoon you couldn't really her what they had to say too much (I could hear b/c we were up front but I know others could not), but they didn't miss a whole lot. I'm not sure how they compare to other companies, but they were pretty well organized, professional, and the tour is very unique - definitely a worthwhile experience.
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Review from Jed C.
Edison, NJ
1/25/2010
Highly recommended! This was probably the highlight of our trip to Puerto Rico. I've been dying to see this rare bioluminescent algae ever since i saw the movie, 'The Beach', with Leonardo DiCaprio. Obviously those were done with computer effects...in person, it's not quite as bright, but still pretty amazing. As you move your hands through the water, the algae light up and glow, almost like something out of Harry Potter or X-men. The faster your movements through the water, the brighter the algae glow.
AkuAdventures were the only company i found that had the glass bottom kayaks, which were a little added bonus. You could see all these tiny bubble glowing and streaking across the bottom of kayak as you moved through the water. The 2 guides were very friendly and knowledgeable. We were in a group of 5 kayaks with 2 people in each. Basically you kayak in the nearly pitch-black darkness through the mangrove trees for about 35 minutes, then it opens up into this huge lagoon where you'll find the bioluminescent algae. They stop and explain the specific reasoning for why the algae glows when you touch it...then they let you play around with it for 20+ minutes or so and then you kayak back to the beach through the mangroves again.
You're NOT allowed to actually swim in the water. It was declared illegal in 2007 to protect the algae and the lagoon. Apparently tourists were jumping into the lagoon with bug spray, etc. which would harm the algae. But it was still fun just moving our hands through the water or splashing with our paddles.
You should also make sure that you go on a night when the moon is not so bright. The week before a full moon is not really recommended since it's too bright to see the algae. The brightness of the algae also depends on how much sunlight and rain it gets during the day. The more sunlight and less rain, the brighter the algae will glow at night. The best time to go really is when it's a new moon and the moon is at it's darkest.
I also liked Aku Adventures because they were extremely friendly over the phone with giving out driving directions and answering any questions you may have. I believe it was Robert who i spoke to. We got lost a couple times on the way there, and he guided me step by step on how to get there. They will also text you the directions to the Las Croabas beach where you depart from.
They also give out, water, juice, and some snacks (chips, cheese puffs, etc) after the trip....but i would highly recommend eating dinner beforehand. It started at 7pm and lasted about 1 1/2 - 2 hours.
it was $48 per person with tax. That doesn't included transportation....a lot of other companies offer to pick you up from the hotel but they charge you about $40+ extra per person just for that...not really worth it if you ask me, considering it's so easy to drive if you rent a car, it's only about 45 min-1 hour from San Juan, depending on traffic. -
Review from asha m.
New York, NY
7/6/2010
juan is the man. chill and informative tour guide, thumbs up.
we got a flat with the rental car, arrived 1.5 hrs late, and they left a tour guide (juan) waiting for a group of 5 of us. we got great directions via text and robert talked us through the way down there once we got off the main highways.
the bay is beautiful, a once in a lifetime kind of experience. there are so many tour groups coming in and out of the bay, so navigating through the narrow river is kinda crazy (but we were also there july 4th weekend) i suggest taking the earlier time (and being there on time) so you can see a bit better on your way to the bay.
they are one of only 3 tour companies that are open on sunday, so i suggest going on sunday (and reserving in advance) so you can enjoy the bay minus the many tourists.
