KayakHalongBay.com

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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

Halong bay

Ha Long Bay is the leading candidate for Seven New Wonders of the World - an amazing, jaw dropping “have to see it to believe it” kind of place. And I had. Seen it. One year earlier, to be exact, while on a business trip and it amazing and my jaw did drop. I wanted S to experience the same thing and I was counting my blessings that I was going to see it again.

Normally we are on a tight, tight backpacker budget that forces us into fan cooled rooms with questionable stains on the walls, the sounds of the noisy street (or beach) keeping us awake. But for this, our one night (well, my second one night) on Ha Long Bay sleeping in a junk boat, for this we decided to splash out a bit. And what a difference that 20 extra dollars can make! The food on my trip last year had been good - a solid good. But this year…..just look.

The first course of lunch. We knew that things were looking good when this plate of humongous shrimp (I like to call’em shrimp) were set down in front of us. We peeled these guys and dipped them (who am I trying to kid? I bathed mine…) in the limey, salty peppery mixture you see at the top of this page.

I will let you in on a secret. I like eating squid, octopus and cuttlefish the most when they are purple. I have no idea why. When you place a plate of pale white calamari in front of me my stomach is like “nope” but when I see a piece of tako that is the color of concord grape juice something in my brain breaks and I become submissive to its charms.

Yes - we are still on lunch! You may recall that I am normally a vegetarian (an ass kicking’ food loving’ one) but on this trip I decided to eat fish because frankly, I think they are dicks. The wonderful staff on this boat made us an entirely proletarian 5-course meal. This was a lovely fish steak smothered in a sort of Vietnamese warm salsa - tomatoes, onions both spring and white, chili and of course, garlic.

Our boat was much nicer than our course backpacker senses were accustomed to. Every thing was dark wood polished to a high sheen - very posh.

We eyed the requisite karaoke machine with suspicion, knowing full well that all of the Da Lat wine and Ha Noi beer was going to loosen us up enough to give it a go. But first, a perfect simple photo of a cold towel in a little lacquered basket.

I am really at my very happiest when a meal begins with a vase of jumbo shrimp and some carved vegetable flowers. I want every meal to start with these things. Do not be surprised if you come to my house and I present you with a tall refreshing glass of shrimp and a carrot rosette before you’re even all the way in the door.

These were in served in a really light broth - mostly clam nectar and garlic and were very delicate and pretty, but….I have had a bad relationship with bivalves since a terrible, horrible, life changing-ly bad bout of food poisoning from mussels a few years ago. Only recently have I been able to even entertain the notion of placing a clam anywhere near my mouth - but these boys made the cut! Cautiously, mind you - I only ate about 5 and even then was terrified to go to sleep, as if they were little clam axe-murderers just waiting for me to relax and close my eyes.

For the grand finale: crab shells stuffed with crab cakes. Just when I was feeling a little riced out, a little accosted with lemongrass (I hate the stuff and am pummeled with it daily) they brought these little gems out. Now, I don’t harbor any notions that these are in any way Vietnamese other than the fact that the crab lived here, but let me tell you: I was one pinch of Old Bay Seasoning and a little pot of aioli away from sheer bliss.

I will always remember my first time to Ha Long Bay. I will remember the beauty, the eerie calm, the almost spooky way that the karts rock formations jut out from the murky sea. It was magic in the truest sense of the word.

But my second trip? I will think about those tiny limes, the plump shrimp, the delicate blush of an octopus tentacle, the meatiness of the rich crab meat.

And I’ll look you straight in the eye and tell you that the first time was more meaningful.

You’ll believe me, right?

Related to Ha long bay

HaLong Bay cruises:  http://www.indochinasails.com

Halong Bay is easily one of the most beautiful places in the world. We spent much of our day standing on one side of the boat with our camera’s out taking about 500 photos each, with every picture looking amazing. Our awesome wooden boat took us through the islands of Halong Bay, which we decided resembled Pirates of the Caribbean, Vietnamese style. We totally expected to see Jack Sparrow pop up and commandeer our ship, not that we would have minded of course!

Halong Bay cruises

We headed to the caves at first, it was pretty impressive, despite the fact that it was decked out in neon coloured lights, not the most natural lighting design! The best part were the random penguin rubbish bins placed at every corner. The boat continued taking us into the islands, and we eventually stopped and jumped in for a much needed swim! After arriving at Cat Ba Island we had a late dinner before heading to a local nightclub, a teeny little room that had a DJ and a dance floor, with about 6 locals dancing around. So we joined them! After about 3 minutes we had scared them off and were the only ones dancing as most of the locals had gathered around the dance floor to stare at us and film us on their phones. So awkward, so we left! Hannah and I were really feeling the effects of far too much alcohol so we headed back to our room, laid out on the balcony with a few naughty (and disgusting) Cambodian branded cigarettes and blasted Michael Jackson’s Number Ones album for all of Cat Ba to hear!

Slightly hungover the next morning we dragged ourselves out onto the street and looked for something to eat. We were turned away by multiple restaurants, being told that there’s no food or we are not a restaurant (when it clearly was) or just being ignored completely. According to our guide some restaurants on Cat Ba won’t serve Westerners. He didn’t tell us why, and he sure as hell could have told us earlier! After finally finding somewhere that would serve us (and there are places, we just kept picking the ones that wouldn’t, purely out of bad luck) we headed to the local markets which sold such delicacies as sea horse kebabs and geckos on a stick. We took photos and headed right out the door!

Our hydrofoil ride back to the mainland was an epic failure. It didn’t show up. So we took a local bus to the other side of the island, grabbed a teeny tiny speed boat to the mainland about 1 hour from the bus station, took a local bus (complete with wobbly head ponies on the dashboard) to that station before jumping on our minivan to get back to Hanoi. Wow, effort!

To have a chance to experience Ha Long bay, please visit website: www.indochinasails.com

Source: Travel Blog

We pulled into Hanoi at 4.30am! With our eyes just open we made it back to Elizabeth Hotel to catch up on some emails before setting off to Halong Bay. Back on the bus again for three hours we stopped and grabbed some fantastic egg, bacon and cheese bagettes (or it could have been we were starving) before getting back in the bus. We had another wait at Halong City before boarding our boat in bright blue sky and brilliant sunshine! We set off on our cruise along Halong Bay with a seafood lunch onboard. Our first stop was at the … caves we wandered through back on the boat only to nearly leave one of our passengers behind. We set off again through floating villages and through the spectacular formations of the bay. Next stop, kayaking! After our previous experience we now considered ourselves experts or close too especially given the absolute stillness of the water compared to that of Laos. Back on board to our docking point, we were finally allowed to jump in! Joined only by a few others we enjoyed a late afternoon swim in the quite warm bay! Swimming was called to a halt to take some pictures of the amazing sunset….. only for the batteries to run out!! Showers and it was time for dinner on board! After dinner we had a few beers and a game of cards with some others including our Vietnamese Tour Guide whom we tried to teach the rules of “Cheat”,…. impossible.. but very amusing cos he just couldn‘t cheat “oh my Buddha”. We chilled on the roof under the stars before bed.

Indochina Sails at night

Up at 4.30am to see the sunrise (with fully charged camera batteries, our batteries we definitely still running low!). But unfortunately it was too overcast, instead we enjoyed an beautiful transition from dark to light without the sun rise. After a few reasonable photo’s we crashed for a couple more hours. After a light breaky we cruised to Cat Ba Island. After a friends had said the trek was a short walk along a path. Carly set off in thongs and shorts. Two and a half hours later up two very substantial hills, no path and lots of grit and sweat the thongs were not such a great idea. But the magnificent views of the harbour and national park were worth it.

A easy climb down and we jumped back on the bus to our motel with beautiful views overlooking the harbour. After lunch we walked to Cat Ba Beach 1 and 2 after a quick swim to cool off dodging the litter and huge weed we went back into town. We met up with our group for dinner ( which was the same as dinner the night before and the past two lunches) tofu, vegies, squid and spring rolls. We wandered up the street, alive with street performers and locals before crashing early to catch up on some well needed sleep, in a stationary bed

Feeling refreshed we joined the others for breaky. Before a long journey back to Hanoi, back on the bus to the harbour ,to the boat to Halong city, to the second (very hot!) bus and finally back to Elizabeth Hotel to pick up our bags and washing and then a taxi to the airport. Next on the plane to Bangkok! Jez was pretty happy to see the back of Hanoi! We arrived in Bangkok at 11pm with plenty of time to kill before our next flight to Koh Sumui at 6am! We checked in our bags and wandered around the airport, grabbed some burgers and watched the soccer with the rest of those stuck at the airport at 3am in the morning sprawled out on the floor out the front of one of the restaurants. Finally 6am arrived and we set off for Koh Sumui!!!
Source: Travel Blog

Supported by Huong Hai Junk

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The driver made one stop along the way at a big souvenir emporium for tourists. We appreciated the bathroom break and Jeane browsed quickly. She saw a small red lacquerware vase that she really liked and I told her to buy it, since she might not see it again. Good call. 15 minutes later we were moving again. We arrived at the cruise waiting area just shortly before noon. I neglected to mention that we were originally booked in the single suite on the Valentine, a small ship with only 5 rooms, including the suite. Unfortunately, I had received an e-mail from Tonkin two days prior saying it was not to be and that Indochina Sails had offered an alternative, a suite on the brand new (but larger) Indochina Sails III. Tonkin felt that I should go for it only if we could do it at half price to compensate and I agreed. Indochina Sails also arranged for a bottle of Chilean Red in our suite for our troubles.

Indochina Sails 3

From the waiting area there is a shuttle boat to take passengers to the ship. We departed just before 12:30. After boarding the ship, orientation and check-in were relatively quick and painless. While the ship was bigger than we would have liked, our a/c suite was very nice – king size bed, rain forest shower, plus a jacuzzi bath and a small private deck. There was also a safe and a minibar in the room. Lunch was the first activity of the cruise and it was an international/Vietnamese set menu, not a buffet. Very nice. The price of the cruise was all inclusive, except for drinks and kayaking.

There were two afternoon activities – first, a trip to Titop Island, named after a Soviet astronaut who visited there with Ho Chi Minh and second, kayaking at the Hang Doi Bat Cave area. It was pretty overcast with a few rain drops as we climbed the several hundred steps to the top of the mountain on Titop Island. In spite of the haze, the views were pretty good so we took some photos. The late afternoon kayaking was better – the ship’s guide was helpful, we were in a good group and the skies had cleared somewhat. The lagoon and surrounding waters are very quiet – it was nice to get away from it all as Halong Bay had been very busy. Our guide took some great photos of Jeane and I in our kayak. Kayaking cost $10US extra per person.

Back on the ship, we relaxed with our own cocktails in the room as we cruised toward our anchoring destination for the night. Afterward, we enjoyed a food carving demonstration, followed by a nice buffet dinner. We skipped the movie afterward, “The Quiet American” (I have it on DVD at home) and turned in early.

We awoke at about 5:30 the next morning (Sunday, 4/12), showered and got ready for the day. The ship pulled up its anchor shortly thereafter and we headed towards our next destination, a small fishing village and the Surprise Cave. Coffee and pastries were put out at 6:45. Jeane and I entertained ourselves by photographing the fishing village while we waited for the 8 AM transfer to the Cave. We spent about an hour at the cave, which is actually a series of 3 large caves with the “surprise” being the size and scope of it all. The caves were enhanced with artificial lighting. Steps and handrails were in place where it was necessary to climb. The ship’s guide gave us some history of the caves and pointed out the various formations inside.

We returned to the ship for our final meal, a buffet breakfast which included omelets made to order – not as good as the Metropole’s buffet but fine none-the-less. The ship’s crew requested that we put out our larger bags before breakfast for transfer to the pier. After breakfast we returned to our room to find that housekeeping was already starting to clean it. We used the public facilities instead and retired to the sundeck to relax and settle our bill while we approached the pier.

Our driver was waiting for us at the pier and the ship’s guide helped us with our bags. I gave him a tip and bid him farewell. The one-night, two day cruise had been just perfect. We would not have wanted to stay an additional night. The return drive was fairly quick and uneventful. We made the obligatory stop at the overpriced souvenir place but did not linger. I think Jeane would have liked to have spent more time there but I just don’t care for these places on principle.

Reported by Craig

Related to Ha Long bay:

Ha Long Cruise

Ha Long Kayaking