The best day of our vacation! I took my two teenagers snorkling with Eco Journeys and we all had a great time. Since we'd never been before, I was a little nervous, but the guide made it easy and helped us feel at ease. After a boat ride out to the small islands, we hiked through the mangroves and saw iguanas, crabs, birds, etc. Then we rode out to two other islands where we snorkled. There were sea urchins, conchs, coral, and lots of beautiful fish. Amazing and relaxing. The guide also provided great snacks: banannas, pineapple, pears, and of course cold waters. Reapply your sunscreen though! One coat of spf 45 isn't enough for the whole morning in the water. The best value of our trip.
Luis has truly found his niche as a tour guide. He goes out of his way to share his vast knowledge of the area and culture. His english is very good, so you don't have to worry about a language barrier if your spanish is not the best, but he is more than eager to teach you that as well. Luis took my friends and I around the islands of Ponce and Salinas, demonstrating nothing but professionalism, I had an amazing time and look forward to kayaking with Luis my next visit. I left that day feeling part of Luis' family, that being said, I would trust him with my grandmother!
We had such an amazing time with Luis on our kayaking tour. He was extremely knowledgeable and went at our pace. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to kayak for 3.5 miles, but it was fun and easy! Don't miss the chance to kayak through the mangrove, it was awesome! We also had a great time snorkeling. It was definitely worth the price (much cheaper than many tours) and we had a great private tour guide all to ourselves for over 3 hours! Lunch is included and it's such a nice sampling of some of the GREAT food available in Puerto Rico!
The day started with a spectacular sunrise view of the Salina Bay while sipping a cup of well brew coffee at the pier. At 7:30, our guide, Luis show up with the kayaks. He gave us instructions on how to properly use the equipment and some safety tips. We commenced our 3 hour eco-adventure learning and maneuvering thru the many mangroves. Luis explained the lives of various species found in the bay's basin. We picked up colorful star fishes, saw all kinds of fishes jumping out of the water, and even got the opportunity to see a huge mother manatee with its baby calf. The approximately 2.5 mile run on the kayak of the Salinas Keys was very educational and exciting. At one moment when we were far out on the bay, we stopped to appreciate the total silence of nature. No human sounds only the sounds of the natural environment and its habitats. Surrounded only by the clash of water on the reefs and mangroves, I though how wonderful it would be for a 63 year old retiree like me to experience this spiritual moment more often. So I agreed to come back and stay at the comfortable hotel again. However, this time Luis will pick me up to go kayak fishing. I promise to tell you all about this attraction soon.
1. Very professional and knowledgeable tour guide. He never rushed us and was always polite.2. The prices were the best around and the time given on his tours are much longer than other tour companies. 3. He took the time to drive us to an authentic Puerto Rican restaurant where we discussed the culture and interacted with the locals.4. My wife and I are a military couple and we felt very safe while on his tour and will bring our four children with next time.5. Aside from the excursions, he also offered to help us plan our next vacation so we could divide our stay and visit each part of the island.6. I recommended him to my friends who took a trip there months later and they were blown away by their experience.7. Hands down, best tour guide in PR!!7. I will use his services everytime I visit Puerto Rico.
I first conversed with Luis with Eco Journeys by email and then transitioned to the phone. I had some pretty big demands and let him know exactly what I wanted and he listened very well. I have been on many tours all over the world and I must say our two days with Luis and Eco Journeys were probably the best ever! The service was personalized and Eco Journeys only goal was to make sure the 14 year old that was with me was happy! We fished, boated, kayaked, snorkeled, learned about the Ecosystem and ate some really great meals with Luis. Luis is a man of great character and his honesty and guidance made our stay great! You can trust this guy from daylight until dark and he will show you some things around Salinas only a local could show. Safety was the top priority and never did I feel in harms way for the two days we spent with Luis. He has many contacts where he can set things up outside his tours and you can bank on anything he puts his name on. I hate tours as a whole but Eco Journeys has changed my thoughts. Not only did we have a great two days with Luis and Eco Journeys but we made a great friend. I would recommend Eco Journeys and Luis at the highest level for fun,safety,trust, and an experience that will not be forgotten.
What a great day we had. These guys are the real deal!
To begin everything the tour guide, Luis Martinez is an amazing person that will literary go out of his way to help you. To show how much he really cares about your experience he offered to pick me up from the hotel since i was having travel difficulties to the site. He took the time to explain hw things were going to work beofer hand and he answered all the questions that I had. During the trip he took us to places that not many tourist see and showed us different activities, and told us different background history about the place. IT was an amazing time and trip that i highly recommend for people to do.
This is not my first trip to Puerto Rico. It has been 10+ years since my last visit. This tour was a great start to my time on the island. Luis was very informative, the information he offered gave way to further awareness as I visited different locations on the island. I learned an abundance of information regarding the ecosystem and history of Puerto Rico. I was surprised as to how little I was aware of since I had studied aspects of Puerto Rico and had visited 3x prior. It was a great day of boating, snorkeling, and catching some sun. After our time on the water, we were taken to a local restaurant in order to get a true taste of Puerto Rican culture. I highly recommend this tour. Luis was great and accommodating!!
This is truly a "Must Do" journey! Our guide Luis was very prfoessional, extremely knowledgeable about the area, and absolutely friendly. You get to see nature up close and personal. We traveled by kayacks through mangroves and saw the formation of crabs and other creatures. We also went into the bay and open waters. Anyone can reach down in the crystal clear water and come up with a living star fish. While in our kayacks we came within several feet of a large manatee. The pace was easy, and following Luis' instructions, no one got tired or exhausted. Luis stocked each kayack with fresh fruit and water which made everything even more enjoyable. We definitely are doing this again and again! Kayack fisking and snorkling are next.