Getting to La Parguera for the swimmable bio bay

La Parguera, in the municipality of Lajas on Puerto Rico’s southwest coast, is the farthest of the three bio bays from San Juan, about two and a half hours by car. It is also the only one where you can swim, which for some travelers makes the drive worth it on its own.

Getting there

This is a self-drive or rental-car trip. In our research, no La Parguera operator offered San Juan pickup, so plan on driving yourself, hiring a private driver, or joining a tour that already includes transportation from elsewhere on the island. The drive itself crosses much of the island south, through varied terrain rather than a straight highway run, so budget real time for it.

Should you stay overnight?

A same-day round trip from San Juan is physically possible but long: five hours of driving plus your tour time makes for a late night. Many visitors either stay in or near La Parguera for a night, or combine the trip with other stops in southwest Puerto Rico, like Guánica or the Cabo Rojo lighthouse area, rather than treating it as a single-purpose day trip.

Where tours depart from

Tours depart from the La Parguera waterfront village itself. The operators featured on this site all operate from this area; Hook’d on Adventure and Aleli Tours are, per our research, also bookable through third-party platforms like Viator if you prefer booking there.

What the tour itself involves

Unlike the kayak-based tours at the other two bays, La Parguera tours run by motorboat, and swimming is part of the experience here specifically. See the swimming safety guide for what that actually involves before you book.

Planning around the moon

Given the length of the drive, it is worth confirming the moon calendar’s best-window dates before you commit to a trip this far, rather than discovering after the drive that you picked a weak night.