When is the best time for a firefly tour?

On the mangrove rivers of Southeast Asia, fireflies can be seen on most nights of the year, although their numbers change with the weather. Go on a dark night, after sunset. In southern Japan the season is short: on Iriomote it runs from March to May.

Are firefly tours bad for fireflies?

They can be. Bright lights, engine boats and people catching fireflies all harm them and the trees they need. A tour that keeps its lights off, rows quietly and never touches the insects lets you watch them without doing damage.

Can I take photos on a firefly tour?

Please never use a flash. It drowns out the fireflies' signals for everyone on the boat. Most of the time, the best way to remember a firefly display is to put the phone away and watch.

Is the glow on other night tours made by fireflies?

Not always. The glowing water on plankton tours comes from tiny living things in the sea. The glow-worms in New Zealand's caves are the larvae of a fungus gnat. Both glow with their own chemistry, much like fireflies, but they are different animals.

Guided tours

Firefly tours

The best places to see fireflies on a guided tour are the mangrove rivers of Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia, where thousands of fireflies gather in the same riverside trees and flash together, and the islands of southern Japan in spring. A good local guide is the easiest way to see them, and the right guide also helps keep them there.

How to choose a good firefly tour

Lights off. Fireflies talk to each other with light, so torches, phone screens and camera flashes drown them out. A good guide keeps the boat dark and asks you to do the same.
Rowed or poled boats, not engines. Engine noise, fumes and waves reach the riverbank, and the waves wear away the mangrove trees the fireflies live in.
Look, don't catch. An adult firefly has only a few weeks to find a mate. A tour that lets people catch them, or shakes the trees to make them flash, takes those nights away.
Small, quiet groups. Fewer and slower boats disturb the fireflies less, and you will see more too.

Go on a guided firefly tour

Kuala SelangorMalaysia
An evening trip from Kuala Lumpur: a boat ride on the Selangor River to see the fireflies, the glowing sea plankton called Blue Tears, and a seafood dinner in a fishing village.
Kota Tinggi, JohorMalaysia
A boat ride on the Johor River at Kota Tinggi Firefly Park, where thousands of fireflies light up the trees along the bank. An easy trip for children and adults.
Iwahig River, Puerto PrincesaPhilippines
A quiet paddle boat ride on the Iwahig River near Puerto Princesa, where hundreds of fireflies light up the mangrove trees. Local guides row the boats and explain what you are seeing.
Photo: Filipinayzd, CC BY-SA 4.0
Abatan River, BoholPhilippines
An evening boat ride on the Abatan River in Bohol, through the mangroves as the sun goes down and the fireflies start to glow, with dinner included.
Photo: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0
BintanIndonesia
A boat trip at nightfall on the Sebung River in Bintan's mangroves, to see the fireflies that live along the bank and a sky full of stars. Pick the fireflies option when you book, because the daytime mangrove tour has none.
Iriomote Island, OkinawaJapan
A sunset on Iriomote Island, then a short walk into the forest at dusk to see the Yaeyama-hime firefly, a tiny firefly of these southern Japanese islands. Its season is short: March to May.
Photo: VKaeru, CC BY-SA 3.0

More night nature

Fireflies are not the only things that glow or come out after dark. These trips show other night life, and why dark skies matter for all of it.

Waitomo CavesNew Zealand
A boat ride in the dark through the Waitomo Caves, under a ceiling lit by thousands of glow-worms. These are not fireflies: they are the larvae of a fungus gnat, Arachnocampa luminosa, and they glow to catch food on sticky threads.
Photo: Michael Willison, CC BY 2.5
Cat Ba IslandVietnam
A sunset paddle around Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam, then a kayak trip after dark where the water sparkles around your paddle. That glow comes from plankton, tiny living things in the sea, not from fireflies.
Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0
KrabiThailand
A speedboat trip around the islands off Krabi in southern Thailand, staying out after sunset to see the water glow around the boat. The glow comes from plankton, tiny living things in the sea, not from fireflies.
Photo: Alexey Komarov, CC BY-SA 4.0
Titusville, FloridaUnited States
A night paddle in a clear kayak or on a paddleboard on Florida's Indian River Lagoon, where every stroke lights up the water. The light comes from plankton, tiny living things in the water, not from fireflies.
North Shore, AucklandNew Zealand
An evening paddle off Auckland's North Shore that carries on after dark, when the sea lights up around the kayak and guides explain how it works. The glow comes from plankton, tiny living things in the sea, not from fireflies.
Photo: Orderinchaos, CC BY-SA 4.0
Night Safari, SingaporeSingapore
A zoo that opens at night, for animals that are awake after dark, such as fishing cats, leopards and wallabies, seen from a tram and on walking trails. It is a zoo, not the wild. Book a time slot with the park before you go.
Night Safari, Chiang MaiThailand
A large night zoo in northern Thailand, where an enclosed tram takes you among animals at dusk and after dark. Like Singapore's, it is a zoo, not the wild.
Ishigaki Island, OkinawaJapan
A guided walk into the subtropical forest of Ishigaki Island after dark, to meet the animals that come out at night, and on a clear night a sky full of stars. These islands' night sky is protected as a dark-sky park.
Rainforest near CairnsAustralia
A day in the rainforest near Cairns that carries on into the evening with a guide, looking for the animals that come out at night, such as sugar gliders, and for glow-worms.
Photo: Greg Tasney, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mt John, Lake TekapoNew Zealand
A night on the summit of Mt John above Lake Tekapo, looking through telescopes with guides who know the southern sky. It sits inside one of the world's largest dark-sky reserves, the kind of dark that fireflies need too.

Questions about firefly tours

When is the best time for a firefly tour?: On the mangrove rivers of Southeast Asia, fireflies can be seen on most nights of the year, although their numbers change with the weather. Go on a dark night, after sunset. In southern Japan the season is short: on Iriomote it runs from March to May.
Are firefly tours bad for fireflies?: They can be. Bright lights, engine boats and people catching fireflies all harm them and the trees they need. A tour that keeps its lights off, rows quietly and never touches the insects lets you watch them without doing damage.
Can I take photos on a firefly tour?: Please never use a flash. It drowns out the fireflies' signals for everyone on the boat. Most of the time, the best way to remember a firefly display is to put the phone away and watch.
Is the glow on other night tours made by fireflies?: Not always. The glowing water on plankton tours comes from tiny living things in the sea. The glow-worms in New Zealand's caves are the larvae of a fungus gnat. Both glow with their own chemistry, much like fireflies, but they are different animals.

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