A full itinerary for Halong Bay Tour
The World
Heritage seascape of Halong Bay, dotted with jagged limestone pinnacles, is
one of Vietnam’s biggest attractions. The most popular way to experience the
bay is on a
cruise, and unsurprisingly every travel agency and hotel in Hanoi has tours
to sell.
Choice is a great thing,
but the multitude of trips on offer can be overwhelming. Here’s the
skinny on Halong Bay touring to get you started.
Luxury cruises
Want to
spoil yourself? Halong Bay has some sumptuous
cruise options that are basically luxury hotels on water. You’re paying for
the experience of five-star amenities here – not for any particular divergence
from the typical cruise itinerary – but if you want to live it up from a swanky
sun-lounger while watching the sun set over a vista of craggy jungle-topped
islands, you can’t really go wrong.
For a luxury cruise, bank on
spending around US$220 for an overnight trip.
Pros It’s
a serious treat; and the romantically inclined are sure to score brownie points
with their partner.
Cons Those
looking for good value should probably look at midrange options. Overnight
trips (marketed as two-day-one-night trips) usually involve 24 hours or less on
the actual boat, which can rankle given what you pay for the experience.
Budget and midrange cruises
Most
Halong Bay visitors go for midrange or budget cruises, but there is a huge
range when it comes to price and value for money. At one end of the scale are
some ultra-budget boats where on-board safety is not top priority; at the other
end are some excellent midrange options offering cosy hotel-style cabins,
knowledgeable on-board tour guides, and kayaking stops. If purse strings are
tight, for facilities, comfort and safety considerations it’s sometimes better
to choose a day cruise with a midrange operator rather than a bargain-basement
overnight trip.
Budget
cruise prices start from a rock-bottom US$60 per person for a day trip. Paying
between US$110 and US$130 should get you a worthwhile overnight midrange
cruise.
Pros Competition
is fierce, which means plenty of operators add freebies into the itinerary,
such as kayaking and private minibus transfers from Hanoi.
Cons You
have to wade through a lot of options, which can be confusing. It’s worth doing
a bit of pre-trip research.
Bai Chay tourist boats
Get ready
for a truly local experience. Bai Chay Tourist Wharf in Halong City is the
bustling hub of Halong Bay’s day-tripping tourist boats, which whisk visitors
out onto the water for excursions of four to six hours. If you’re not fussed
about added frills, don’t mind sharing boat space with gaggles of other folk,
and just want to cheaply get out on the water and quickly see a couple of
highlights, this is a good option.
A
four-hour trip, stopping at big-hitter cave highlights Hang Dau Goand Hang Thien Cung, costs
100,000d (around US$5). The Halong Bay entrance fee (120,000d) and individual
cave entry fees (30,000d) are additional.
Pros These
are cheap and easily organised tours right on the spot in Halong City. Plus
there’s free entertainment on board provided by karaoke.
Cons Crowded.
Did we mention the karaoke?
Kayaking
Most
decent midrange Halong Bay cruises will offer an hour or so of kayaking.
Paddling around the karsts allows you to experience the limestone towers from a
completely different angle: up close, at sea level and without the constant
thrum of an engine in the background. For more experienced kayakers, there are
also kayak-only trips. These trips are run by a handful of operators based in
nearby Lan
Ha Bay (off Cat Ba Island) rather
than Halong Bay itself, though Lan Ha’s islet-scattered sea has just as much
wow factor as Halong Bay and is much less visited.
Full-day kayaking trips from Cat
Ba Island cost between US$25 and US$30 per person.
Pros In
one of southeast Asia’s most popular tourist destinations, this is a way of
escaping the crowds.
Cons On a
full kayaking tour you’re only going to see a sliver of the area. To see more,
it’s a better idea to take a cruise that includes a kayaking stop.
Safety
One of the
most important reasons to steer away from the ultra-budget cruises is safety.
Due to a boat sinking (and the loss of 12 lives) in 2011, new safety
regulations were brought in for Halong Bay cruise boats, but scrimping on
safety does still go on with some fly-by-night operators. In particular, check
that any included kayaking stops are accompanied by a guide. Due to the
variable and surprisingly strong currents close to the karsts, a
safety-conscious operator won’t allow kayakers to paddle off from the boat by
themselves.
Arranging a tour
Most people
book their Halong Bay tours in Hanoi. Some
recommended operators:
·
Vega
Travel offers good-value overnight and two-night tours with
comfortable cabins, and kayaking included. Highly recommended by travellers.
·
Cat
Ba Ventures runs tours out of Cat Ba Island, taking in both Halong Bay
and Lan Ha Bay.
·
Indochina
Sails has a traditional Chinese junk that’s been fully fitted
out with all mod cons.
·
Handspan
Adventure Travel has a proper sailing ship, so you don’t have to put up
with that pesky engine hum. Handspan also runs full kayaking tours in nearby
Lan Ha Bay.
When to go
One of the
best times for Halong Bay is November – there are blue skies aplenty,
temperatures are moderate and there’s a good chance of calm seas. From May to
September tropical storms can whip up without much warning. This is also high
season in Halong, particularly from June to mid-August when domestic tourism
peaks. February to April is often cool and drizzly, and the fog can make
visibility low, though also adds an ethereal atmosphere. Year-round, cruises
and tourist boats sometimes need to alter their itineraries, or trips can be
cancelled with little warning depending on the weather and sea conditions. If
you’re booking a cruise, check the fine print for what the refund procedures
are in this case.
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