La Parguera

About this place

La Parguera is a fishing village in the municipality of Lajas, on the southwest coast of Puerto Rico, best known for Bahía Fosforescente, a bay where tiny organisms glow when the water moves at night. Many mangrove islands surround it, with timber houses standing over the water, making it a quiet place for boats and swimming. Lajas was founded in the Lajas Valley in 1883. La Parguera's tourism grew around a parador founded by the comedian Henry LaFont. Many folk tales surround the bay's coloured lights, though the science is simple: dinoflagellates that glow when the water moves. Hurricane Maria hit the area hard in 2017. From the dock you see sailboats and small craft, green mangrove islets scattered on still water and coloured houses with their own jetties. Boats thread narrow channels under the mangroves, where pelicans sit on the branches. Underwater lie seagrass meadows, home to small fish, while the bay turns calm towards sunset. It is about 12 km in a straight line from San Germán. The glow shows best on a dark moonless night, though a trip cannot promise a strong display, as it changes with the weather. Book a licensed boat, and avoid heavy sunscreen before swimming in the bay. Bring mosquito repellent in the evening, do not break mangrove branches and ask about current swimming rules.