KayakHalongBay.com

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA ) aims to advise travelers places to kayak and cruise in Vietnam. Travelers have the chance to discovery the breathtaking landscapes, remote scenery and get exciting experiences.

Kayak Halong Bay, Vietnam

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According to ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA’s tours to south-east Asia, travelers want to visit some marvelous places in Vietnam that have been recommended by travel experts and reporters.

Kayaking in Halong Bay, Vietnam

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GETTING to Halong Bay in Vietnam’s northeast has been quite a journey.

It has taken almost four hours by road to cover the 180km from Hanoi, and all the while we are dodging a typhoon. Earlier in the morning our trip was canceled when authorities ordered all vessels out of the World Heritage-listed bay.

Kayaking Halong Bay, Vietnam

Disappointed, we console ourselves with the thought that while we might miss out on seeing one of the world’s most beautiful geographical treasures, we could always go shopping.

Then the captain of the  junk calls to give the all-clear. The typhoon has changed course, yet again, and it is now safe to set sail.

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ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) blazing hot promotion offers great kayaking adventure into the majestic Ha Long Bay and also a glimpse into culture of the Vietnamese.

Summer Promotion 2010 - Halong Bay Kayaking Tour

This tour offers a great chance to discover Halong Bay in Vietnam – a world heritage site recognized by UNESCO. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as paddling through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery. The trip is for true and different kayaking experience in Halong Bay.

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ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA (ATA) is offering Great Summer Promotion 2010 in Vietnam and Cambodia. These promotions are guaranteed by luxurious adventure tours, add-on values and reasonable prices.

ATA kicks off Special Summer Promotion 2010 covering all kinds of adventure tours include trekking, biking, motorcycling, kayaking and family adventure in Vietnam and Cambodia. There are eight tours in Vietnam (www.activetravelVietnam.com), eleven ones in Cambodia (www.activetravelCambodia.com) and three others combining between Vietnam and Cambodia. Each tour is provided with unique and special value-added services.

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“Traveling has kept many people busy at this time of year, including myself.” The author said

Traveling has kept many people busy at this time of year, including myself. My first destination was Halong Bay with some friends visiting from Singapore.

We were fairly disorganized with our travel plans which usually makes for the best trips. Getting to Halong turned out to be no problem. Traveling and everything involved with Halong Bay is very efficient and trustworthy.

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I went to Vietnam recently for my first visit and, while I was there, I took a two-day trip to Halong Bay. Known in Vietnam as Vinh Ha Long, it is one of the natural wonders of the world and one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

We were picked up by mini van at our hotel in Hanoi early one morning and taken out of the city with a group of around 20 other people. As often happens in Vietnam, we discovered they were a real mixed bag, students, backpackers, people who were doing a trip around the world, a retired teacher, a woman who was a nurse for six months of the year and then traveled for the other six months.

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Vietnam is a country of stunning natural beauty and a turbulent history. In the northern part of Vietnam, near Hanoi and the country’s border with China, lies Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The towering natural cliffs and islands that rise above the bay offer a picturesque view and the smooth water is an ideal surface for boats of all sizes.

Indochina Sails on Halong bay

Step 1 Tour the bay. One of the most popular activities in Halong Bay is a boat trip across the bay. Peruse the range of tours and tour operators available until you find one that suits your needs and budget. For excellent views and a romantic atmosphere, take a sunset cruise. When out on a boat, take a jacket; the weather in this part of Vietnam can change rapidly.

Step 2 Rent a boat. If boat tours with large groups of people are not suitable, consider renting a kayak or smaller boats. You might choose to tour Halong Bay in a group of kayakers, or set out on your own. Be sure to ask about safety standards and ideal itineraries. Remember to bring sunscreen and plenty of water, as Vietnam’s sun can be harsh during the warmest part of the day.

Step 3 Bring your camera. Halong Bay offers countless photo opportunities. It has arguably the most stunning natural scenery in all of Vietnam, and is ideal for photos at all times of the day. For dramatic photos, head out to Halong Bay at sunrise or sunset to capture the reflection of the colored sky on the water, with the cliffs in the background. Be sure to bring extra sets of batteries and ask your hotel staff about the best vantage points.

Step 4 Learn basic Vietnamese phrases. Many vendors and hotel owners near Halong Bay will know a significant amount of English, but it is a good idea to memorize handy phrases in Vietnamese. Locals will appreciate that you took the time and effort to appreciate their culture, and you will likely receive kinder treatment. Bring a Vietnamese phrasebook on your trip to Halong Bay, and refer to it as needed.

Step 5 Be prepared for culture shock. Vietnam has seen an increase in tourism in recent years, but visitors should still be prepared for a vastly different culture. Because Halong Bay is a popular destination for foreign and national tourists alike, there is a significant infrastructure. If you arrive prepared to be patient in situations that will inevitably be frustrating, your trip will be infinitely more enjoyable.

Step 6 Travel safely. Vietnam is generally a safe and friendly country, but dangers exist in high-traffic tourist areas like Halong Bay. When in public, be careful to keep your bag across your chest and in front of you to avoid petty theft; keep wallets in a front pocket to avoid pickpockets. When choosing meals, be careful to choose food that has not been left to

Source: ehow

Recommend vessels for Halong bay cruises:

Indochina Sails: http://www.indochinasails.com

We got off the bus and were greeted by a guide with Indochina sails.  We were taken inside a building to wait for our boat to be ready.  We were given cold towels at the door, you know your entering luxury when you get a towel to freshen up.  We waited for about a half hour, while our luggage was taken to the ship.  We then were put on a small boat or the “tender” and taken to the ship.  As we were drawing close to the ship, one staff member on the boat was playing a drum, it was a bit odd, feeling like your in a King Kong movie or something.

We were greeted by a female staff member and were brought to the dining room on the 2nd level of the ship.  There was 13 people including ourselves.  We were given the safety speech and told a bit about our itinerary.  Then we were given our key and told to settle in a bit then return to the dining room for lunch at 1pm.  We had a room on the 2nd floor, which I think would have been better than the 1st level.  We had a fantastic view of the bay and our room was amazing.  Definitely one of the best showers we’ve seen.  It was like a 4 star hotel room.

Indochina Sails Suite Cabin

We settled in and looked at our in tin a bit closer, then headed to the dining room.  We had a set lunch, which included cream of pumpkin soup, papaya salad, prawns, fish, chicken, spring rolls and fruit salad.  Overall it was really good quality.  The prices for drinks wasn’t actually too bad and they had a really good selection.  After lunch we were told we would cruise to a fishing village with 400 floating houses.  The bay is as stunning as everyone says it is!  The legend behind it involves a family of dragons that were sent by the gods to help protect the coast during times of war with China, the dragons spit out jade and emerald which turned into the islands around the bay.  After the war the family of dragons decided to stay and the mother settled into Ha Long bay and the children in other near by bays.  The islands do have an amazing dense green to them, like nothing we’ve ever seen.  I can see why it is a UNESCO world heritage site.

We cruised for about an hour and a half before we reached the fishing village.  We all hopped on the tender and were taken around the Cua Van village by the guide.  The village is supported by the government these days and the people are provided with a basic education and health care within the village.  There were a lot of children around, some around 6-9 years old, rowing their own boats.  There was a squid fishing boat, the primary school and even a local cafe for relaxing.  It was really interesting.  After our tour we headed back to the boat and doubled back to Ti Tov beach.  We opted to go kayaking for $10 each.  We had to wait for them to bring the kayaks to the boat, which set us back a bit on our itinerary.  I’ve never been kayaking before, so this was going to be interesting.

We got in and were on our way, everyone except one couple went.  We ended up going quite a ways to the east of the boat, a good 2km.  We came upon Bat cave, which was a opening to a otherwise closed off section, which the guide called a lake (which it wasn’t).  It was cool to just drift though the cave.  The section past it was so serene and peaceful.  We drifted around for about 20 minutes then our guide took off, so we figured we should go too.  Kayaking is hard work, especially when there is a fairly strong current.  We had to pause a lot on our way back, but it was nice to really soak up the experience.  Eventually we made it back and were directly taken by the tender to the beach.

The sun wasn’t out but we figured we might was well go in the water.  You could climb to the top of the island, some 400 steps, but kayaking was enough for us.  The other two girls who were on our bus told us the water was actually pretty warm, they were both from B.C…  So we swam around for about 20 minutes, chatting with them and a couple from Australia.  Then we were all herded back on the tender to the ship

We had some time to get ready for dinner at 7:30.  You could do a wine tasting before dinner, which was tempting but we passed.  We relaxed in our room for a bit and freshened up.  The sun, what sun there was, went down quick and it became pitch black out.  We went out to the top deck, the weather was actually quite pleasant.  Some staff was fishing for squid off the front of the boat, so we watched them catch a few.  Then we headed to the dining room for dinner, which was a set menu as well.  I had a relish glass of red wine, a rarity in Asia I think.  We had vegetable soup, shrimp and grapefruit salad, calamari and beef with potatoes and veggies.  The main course was a bit unimpressive, especially when you are used to Alberta beef.  We had chocolate cake for dessert.

After dinner we could watch a movie (which was a Vietnamese dubbed classic), fish for squid or a few other activities.  We opted to try the squid fishing.  We were both unsuccessful, but other people caught a couple.  They use a bright light to attract the fish that the squid eat.  They were pretty cool, they were little and they’d squirt ink when they were caught.  It was funny to watch.  They had a 2 for 1 happy hour on all drinks from 9 to 11pm, so we had a couple beers while fishing.  Then we went up to the top deck and sat in the lounge chairs.  It is so peaceful here.  The manager told us that we were anchored at an exclusive spot.  All the other tour boats anchor somewhere else, there can be up to 50 of them when its busy.  There were 3 other boats around us.  I’m happy we’re at the exclusive spot.  We took in the beautiful night, then decided we better head to bed.  We have another early start tomorrow and we were pretty exhausted from the day.  I am so ready for a comfy bed!  Ciao for now!

Source: Travelpod

Tags: Halong Bay cruises | Halong Bay tours | Cruise Halong Bay | Halong Bay Vietnam | Halong Bay Travel | Halong Bay Junks |

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We decided to book the Valentine boat owned by Indochina Sails. We chose the Valentine since the pictures of the boat, rooms, and common areas looked stunning. At least they did in the pictures. We were told that some boats the look nice in the pictures are very old but they use the pictures from when they first sailed. We also liked that this boat only had 5 cabins for a maximum of 10 people when some alternatives had as many as 25 cabins and 50 people.

Indochina Sails

One other positive was that the boat supposedly would be away from other boats when it was time to sleep and that it had it’s own private dock away from the hoards. When we first boarded the boat I was in awe. The boat was just as promised and only a couple of months new. We took a small boat to reach the Valentine and I thought it was a little bizarre that no one else was on this boat. It turns out that Stacy and I were the only guests on the entire boat (there was also a travel agent inspecting the boat).

As a result they gave us the Presidents suite which we were told was the biggest cabin in all of Halong bay. It was huge with a Jacuzzi tub and separate marble bathroom and rain shower. The walls were made of thatched bamboo and dark wood that glistened in the sun. The ceiling was almost high enough for a second floor! The top deck had 6 gorgeous teak loungers that we had to ourselves. Soon after we arrived on the boat the ship began to sail and we sat down to our 5 course lunch. I only wish I knew it was 5 courses so I could have paced myself. Delicious soup, papaya salad that looked too good to eat, perfect lemongrass shrimp, thai chicken, and dessert were some of the items. After lunch we visited an island that had several steps leading up to a sweeping view of Halong Bay. After snapping too many pictures we were soon back on the boat sailing some more and then off to a secluded bay for a little kayaking.

Nearly the entire time sailing we only saw the 3 other boats the company owned (Ginger, Jasmine, Indochina) but at this bay it was just our boat. It was so great to be the only guests, they completely worked around our schedule and asked us what we wanted to do of all the options. Kayaking was a highlight of the trip. No one else around and the water so still that it looks like glass. The reflection of the rock formations and trees looked nearly identical whether looking at them straight on or it’s reflection in the water.

Back on the boat for some relaxation and then we had dinner. Another meal with too many courses, this time we joined the travel agent (Simon) and an employee of the company. Later after dinner we took the small speed boat to the Indochina sails to listen to some live traditional Vietnamese music and eat squid that was caught just 15 minutes before we arrived. May have been the best I have ever tasted. When we got back on our boat, I grabbed a fishing pole and tried my best at catching some squid.

This is more fun than normal fishing because you can see the squid in the bright light that was shining on the water and once you see the squid close to the lure you pull up to catch it. I caught one but surprisingly it was during one of the only times I wasn’t actually trying to catch one. It was nearly 12:30P when I went back to the cabin to sleep. I didn’t want to go to bed since I knew that I would wake up with the main part of the trip already over. Plus, I wanted to make it to the 6:30A kayaking adventure.

Source: TravelPod

Supported by: Indochina Sails