Reserva Natural de las Cabezas de San Juan

Inexpensive ($ 12 — $ 22pp) tours offered by this 316 acre nonprofit nature park (just down the road from Seven Seas Beach and the restaurant Costa Mia) are great value for anyone interested to learn about the variety of ecological systems of Puerto Rico. The Reserva Natural Las Cabezas de San Juan provides guided tours of (among other things) the 3 types of area mangrove forests, the famed Laguna Grande bio-​bay, some less traveled beaches and reefs, an active archaeological site, and El Faro, the 1882 Spanish white lighthouse on the top of the tallest point with spectacular 360 degree views around Fajardo.
Our family attended a 9:30a tour of the park which included a tram trip to the lighthouse with stops to explore the mangroves and a rocky, windy beach. Our local tour guide and geologist by trade, Francisco, was very friendly and knowledgeable about all aspects of the reserve and was a wealth of information about Puerto Rico in general, as well. Although our tour was scheduled to be in Spanish, Francisco quickly switched to English when it was clear that all attendees were from the mainland U.S. We were glad to have brought water, hats, and umbrellas, as there were some portions of the tour in the hot sun.
Evening walking bio-​bay tours (where you stay on a board walk and activate the dinoflagellates via long poles) tend to fill up weeks to months in advance, so visit the park’s website (it has an English version) and make your reservation as soon as you know your travel dates. This can be a great option for travelers who are not interested in kayaking to the bay or would like a quieter, more «one with nature» experience. If you try this, be sure to cover yourself with mosquito repellant, as the bugs are relentless in the mangroves. FYI, Francisco says that the best time of year to view the brightest bio-​bay action are from March to July, and you should try to go when the moon is not full; he also says that Mosquito Bay on Vieques is really the best bio-​bay, so go there if you have the time.
We were very disappointed to find that the park’s gift shop was unable to process any transactions during our visit (prime tourism season over the winter break). We were told, «Oh, we just did inventory for the year, so we can’t make any more sales.» ¿Qué? This was such a shame given that the nonprofit certainly needs funds to further their work and they missed out on more than $ 500 in sales from the tour attendees during our visit alone (all of whom would have gladly purchased a $ 20 t-​shirt and other items after hearing our guide’s convincing spiel about how we could help preserve this ecological wonder). Perhaps this story illustrates some of the economic problems PR is facing…
FYI, the park’s entrance is guarded and gated, but it may be a surprise to hear that the beaches surrounding the park as well as the interior’s bio-​bay are required by law to be accessible to the public. This means that if you are adventurous, you can follow the beach trail from in front of the Costa Mia restaurant until you reach a path that runs right into the bio-​bay.

Awesome way to experience and learn about the natural beauty of Puerto Rico. We did the daytime trolley tour (about 2 hrs) and it took us through the natural reserve. We got to see the mangroves, a rocky beach, and finally the lighthouse. Beautiful views from up there :). Must do for families!

We did both the kayak and this tour to see the bioluminescent bay. Both were good, but different. This tour also showed us native wildlife, which I loved! The tour was very informative and definitely worth doing!

Found by accident. Wanted to see a lighthouse our GPS brought us here. You must have reservations. There is only one English tour a day. They do a tour at night which is suppose to be amazing. Wear comfortable shoes, bring your own water and have bug spray. It is beautiful here.

Very informative guide, Carlos was friendly, filled with a host of knowledge and all around fun.

THE CIVILIZED WAY TO SEE THE BIOLUMINESCENT BAY
Las Cabezas de San Juan is a reserva naturel on Puerto Rico’s north-​east tip, just north of the port town Fajardo. The reserve is named after three promontories that jut out into the Northern Atlantic — «cabeza» meaning headland. But how do I know this little known place? Necessity is the mother of invention. Take a seat my friends, and help yourself to a cold drink …
There are about six bioluminescent bays left in the world. Pollution and artificial light kills the delicate plankton, so they are declining. Since three bio bays are in Puerto Rico, of course you should see one of them if you visit. So I diligently started reading about the viewing options and they were horrible sounding. Canoe rides in the dark mangroves with mosquito bites and getting soaking wet and tired and hating life. I don’t wanna get all wet and have to paddle myself in the dark. Horror stories I tell you, with hundreds of canoe paddlers in a mob scene in the narrow channel. The electric boat sounded kinda lame also. And all overpriced also — up to about $ 80 for the pleasure.
But then I happened upon the website of The Conservation Trust of Puerto Rico, which maintains a 445 acre tract of land overlooking the east coast.
Their tours have about 15 people. They take you in their bus first to the Fajardo Lighthouse (see separate review). Built by the Spanish in 1880 and in continuous operation since 1882, this lighthouse is a historical gem. You go inside to watch a movie about the lighthouse and the bio bay. Then you go up to the deck and admire the view from the highest point of Cape San Juan. After that you do the nature walk through the forest and down to the beach. This plant is this, and that bug is that. You know the routine. It was really dark in that forest, and some of us weren’t as excited about resident bugs as the tour guide was. The nature reserve shelters seven different ecological systems, including beaches, lagoons, dry forest, coral reefs and mangroves.
Then (drum roll) they take you down to Laguna Grande along the boardwalk over the mangroves. You use long sticks to trail in the water to see the plankton light up. All the luminescent activity you could want (besides diving into the water, which is now illegal). Very cool and you don’t get wet at all. A nice long boardwalk — very dark and peaceful. Out on the water you see the paddlers toiling. LOL. We used our bug spray and didn’t notice any mozzies.
The tours are in Spanish or English, so pick the right one for you. Book ahead amigos. About $ 22.00 for adults. less for students. Scratch that one off the bucket list.

call ahead and make reservations because for $ 10 bucks you can get a 2.5 hours guided tour on a trolley of the light house and the reserve. The tour is offered both in english and spanish.
come early to relax on the rocking chairs on the porch, it’s a great way relax :)
Our guide Carlos was great, he was informative and had a good sense of humor. The majority of the tour was on the trolley but there were a few stops where you can get out and explore, once at the beach, again at the light house and lastly the mangroves.
beautiful view! definitely worth it.