Activity: Half Dome Hike
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Description: Half Dome is a gorgeous hike in Yosemite. You can take a bus to the top and hike down or do the full roundtrip hike
Activity: 4 hour night kayaking tour in bioluminescence Tomales Bay
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Website: Bioluminescence Kayaking
Description: Bioluminescence is defined as: "the biochemical emission of light by living organisms such as fireflies and deep sea fishes." There is no easy way to describe the experience except to see it in person. In the meantime I can attest that it is by far one of the coolest things to see in nature.
First, you arrive at the point of departure for the tour (bundle up!). There are only a few places in the world that have these bioluminescence tours so if you live in the bay area you have no excuse because there is one close by- Tomales Bay/Point Reyes. The other locations include Maldives and Puerto Rico. From pictures these locations are more spectacular because conditions lend themselves to brighter beaches full of bioluminescence, however I still recommend going to Point Reyes for this tour.
Once you arrive at the destination there is a safety and introductory section. Then you and your partner (kayaks are tandem) suit up in jackets, pants, and skirts (that go around the kayak to prevent water from coming in) and start the journey to the beaches. If you go from Point Reyes you will pass Hog Island. As you are kayaking it becomes very dark (this is standard as these tours only go during the summer and into Oct). After a few hours of kayaking, you arrive on a beach to take a break and learn about bioluminescence with some hot chocolate. Once the instructor has described the experience (ours said it would look like "fireworks, diamonds, or glitter!") you get back into the kayaks to go to the cove with the most activity. Once your paddles are in the water again, the area starts to glow. You can put your hand in the water to see it light up and make designs of your own. There are even fish that swim around in bursts of light. I can not describe how incredibly beautiful and interesting it is to see this in action.
Recommended: couples, groups of friends, outdoorsy people who are not afraid of the dark
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