Luminous Lagoon Excursion Review
Looking for a unique and (almost) once in a lifetime experience? If you are staying near the Montego Bay or Ocho Rios area in Jamaica, don’t miss out on the opportunity to visit the Luminous Lagoon. It is located near Falmouth, and was about an hour drive from Ocho Rios. It made for kind of a late night, but definitely worth the time. We arranged this excursion through our resort, but there are several ways you can get here via different tour operators (ask your travel advisor….ahem…me…for how to best book this experience).
After arrival, waiting for the sun to set
This is an experience you have to do in the dark. The bio-luminescence comes from microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates that glow when disturbed. The Luminous Lagoon here is believed to be the largest lagoon of the four known in the world for this phenomenon. When you arrive, you are given a glass of rum punch or fruit punch and are entertained by some dancers while you wait.
Your group is given a number and once the sun goes down, your captain calls out the number and you load yourselves on to a small-ish boat to be taken out to the middle of the water. The captain gives you some information as he is driving and will do some turns with the boat so you can see the bio-luminescence effect.
Once he anchors the boat, you are free to get in the water and see the magic for yourself. It took us a while to get off the boat since we were near the back (and it was lightning so some of us were a little weary of getting in the water - it did stop so we did get in). It is not very deep, but you are asked to not touch the bottom because it is a little muddy and murky and will affect your ability to see the dinoflagellates light up. I personally chose to swim with a life jacket so that I could focus on enjoying the experience versus trying to not touch the bottom. I am not a super confident swimmer (but I can swim), so this was a nice option for me.
The water was warm, but did have some cold pockets here and there. Seeing my arms glow underwater was one of the coolest experiences of my life. The dinoflagellates stayed on your skin for just a second when you lifted your arms out of the water and it looked like you were covered in pixie dust. It was impossible to get on camera or video, so you will just have to trust me that is was absolutely amazing. I didn’t want to get out of the water when it was time to load the boat and head back.
Each boat also had a photographer who would take a picture of you churning up the water and you could purchase this picture once you got back to the dock. It was a little spendy, but I am really glad I have the photo evidence of this experience.
Other tips for this excursion:
Depending on how far you need to travel to get here and what time you will depart and arrive back again, consider packing a lot of snacks. I would go as far as saying to eat a big meal before you leave and then bring snacks and water with you. I sort of did this, but wish I had brought one more snack. I was able to eat as soon as we got back (Moon Palace Jamaica room service ordering via the app for the win), but I was really hungry by then and it was definitely late. While there was some food available while you waited to board the boat, I didn’t go check it out and I have no idea if there would have been enough time to eat anyway.
You can bring a change of clothes if you wish. They have a small bathroom/changing area, but don’t necessarily expect your tour to wait for you if you (or the line) take a while. We were all fine, but the guide on our bus didn’t count heads before we left.
Bring your own towel! I would also suggest water shoes for this excursion. You don’t have to walk far so you could just wear them the entire time or bring them to change into.
Does this sound like an excursion you would like to do? Have you done something like this before?
