Kayak Halong Bay Vietnam

Halong Bay has been declared a UNESCO World heritage site and it really deserves the designation. It is one of the most exciting unusual places I have been to in my life.

Halong Bay -Halong meaning “Descending Dragon”- is named after the thousands of island with bizarre rock formations and limestone cliffs that are within the Gulf of Tonkin, in the north shores of Vietnam. It is composed of more than 3000 islands of all shapes and forms, covered in green vegetation and protruding from the ocean’s surface.

If you are a nature lover, this place will enchant you with its many awe striking sites, and majestic natural composition.

Among the sculptured islands and rock formations, Halong Bay also hides many deserted tinny white sand beaches that you can visit by boat, stop and enjoy for a while. In these locations you’ll be surrounded by nothing but nature.

A wonderful aspect of Halong Bay is that it has so many islands and rock pillars that every turn comes up with a surprise: another astounding sculpture, a perfect archway through the mountains, a peaceful lagoon where you can Kayak and enjoy the scenery……

Kayaking at Halong Bay

Another curiosity of Halong Bay is that, while sailing through it, you will occasionally come across floating fishing camps that are stationed in the middle of nowhere and are also an interesting site.

I was in Halong Bay during the rainy season, it fortunately didn’t rain but there was a lot of fog and the sun hid on and off behind the passing clouds. I reckon April would be a better month: no clouds, no fog; plus, when the sun shines and illuminates the Bay, it comes to glow in its entire colorful splendor.

I reserved my boat trip in the hotel I was staying in Hanoi and the service was very good. I had a cozy little cabin with a queen size bed and private bathroom in a wooden double decker old fashioned boat, with a windowed dining room from which you could appreciate the view and a deck to enjoy the fresh air; just perfect.

Cat Ba Island

The Boat Tour through Halong Bay includes an overnight stay in Cat Ba Island, the only populated island of them all. Cat Ba has a little town of about thirteen thousand plus inhabitants and nice long beaches, where you can swim, take nice walks, sit back and relax, or enjoy a sea side meal. But most importantly, Cat Ba Island is home to Cat Ba National Park, where hiking, trekking and/or biking are a pleasant way to explore the local flora and fauna.

Source: hubpages

Recommended tours:
Kayaking Halong Bay
Trekking Cat Ba National Park and Kayaking Lan Ha Bay & Halong Bay

Halong Bay is probably where you would find yourself. Majestic and mysterious, Vietnam’s Halong Bay is a breathtaking location with over 2000 incredible jagged islands and islets rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin.

Halong Bay, Vietnam

This superb panorama of limestone peaks enshrouded in mist, tumbling into the gently lapping sea and enclosing within its folds striking hidden caves is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The near-perpendicular pinnacles conceal the remains of many grottos and caverns, created over millions of years ago through a complex process of erosion whereby water trickled through limestone cracks enlarging them to create spectacular caves and resulting in the distinctive towers seen today.
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October 31, 2010
By Judy McEuen
Travel Writer – Troy Media

It is easy to feel overwhelmed and lost amidst the Hanoi’s bustling streets and the countless mopeds and bicycles moving around.

But don’t get discouraged, even if you want to immediately hop on the nearest van and set off to the more tranquil and eerily beautiful Halong Bay. While not at first glance obvious, Hanoi has several attractions that are worth seeing and its charm will grow on you if you give it a chance. So, rather than escape the hubbub straight away, don’t be afraid to get lost in the city for a while: I guarantee you will enjoy what it has to offer. [...Read more]

By CHOU K. S.
Nothing is more romantic than cruising Halong Bay in a rustic wooden junk.

After several days of being caught in the hustle and bustle of Hanoi, we badly needed to escape the chaos of Vietnam’s second largest city. So we did what most tourists here do — head for Ha Long Bay, 170km east of Hanoi.

The bay, dotted with countless mist-shrouded limestone islands, offers a stunning seascape that must rank as one of the most spectacular sights in Vietnam. [...Read more]

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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I know its been a while since I last wrote! Been quite busy with traveling but here is an entry I should have posted ages ago!!!!

On Wednesday the 1st of July we set off for Ha long Bay, we booked a two night three day tour, on a Junk which only had five cabins therefore a maximum capacity of 10 people. A mini van came to pick us up at 8 am and we set off to Ha long city, halfway to Ha long city we stopped at this silk factory thing which sold a lot of souvenirs at very expensive prices, but it seems everyone stops there for the break so we just walked around in boredom for about 20 mins before setting off again. The journey from Hanoi to Ha long City took about three hours. We arrived at Ha long City and then waited for about 15 mins and then we were taken to our Junk!

Ha Long bay sunset by Indochina Sails

The Junk was great beautiful made out of dark wood; our cabin was really nice with big windows so we had a magnificent view as we were going! Soon after setting off lunch was served which was really nice but eating was the

Actually turned the boat a little woopp! Last thing on my mind as we started going the view was just so beautiful and I had no idea that it was going to be so beautiful! After lunch we relaxed a bit on the boat just watching the view and relaxing on the deck, in the afternoon we went to do a bit of kayaking and looking out for birds our guide knew all the birds and seemed to really love his job which was great.

Afterwards we went back to the boat again and relaxed and then we had dinner which was a whole selection of different things, each course was very well cooked and tasted great the only downside was that there wasn’t enough of it! After kayaking and being in the water everyone was very hungry!
The next morning we were up early to kayak again this time to get to a deserted beach where we were going to have a barbecue lunch we kayaked for about 2 hours and then arrived to this adorable tiny little beach where we settled down to have a swim (water was perfect!!) or relax and have a beer while the chef prepared the barbecue. The barbecue was delicious!!!

After that we went back on the boat and the boat started moving again to go to the place where we would stop for the night, the sunset was beautiful! Seeing the golden sky through the different islands around the bay was amazing!
Since that was our last night the crew made a special dinner for us once again the food was amazing and then they sang some songs for us which was great!
The next and last day of our Ha long Bay trip we went to a local fishing village, the company that we used has an agreement with the village and helps them financially as well as making them aware of the importance of keeping the area clean. At the fishing village we were rowed by locals in a little boat around the village where we got to see how life goes on in the village it was a great experience and the village was very pretty.

After that we went back onto the Junk had another swim having fun jumping off the boat deck etc, and then we started heading back to Ha long City. Back at Ha long City we got off the boat very sadly as we would have loved to stay on for longer, one of the most peaceful and beautiful tours we have done on our trip so far, it was amazing!

Source: Travel Blog

Supported by Huong Hai Junk, Active Travel Shop, Active Travel Vietnam

Ever since I saw the movie “Indochine,” I’ve wanted to visit Ha Long Bay. I loved the haunting scenes where Camille and Jean Baptiste, her beloved French soldier (originally her adoptive mother’s lover – it’s a French film after all) float through the islands in a small junk. Camille’s just killed a French soldier, they’re fleeing the French army, and they’re without food or water and are barely conscious, but it’s all terribly romantic, like they are the last two people on earth, together at last.

My Ha Long Bay journey was not exactly cut from the same cloth. I was about 60 years too late for the sexy French soldiers. I took a package tour on a junk like everyone else, since it’s the easiest and cheapest way to see Ha Long Bay from Hanoi. After researching a few companies
and reading lots of stories on-line about nightmare trips, I booked a 3 day/2 night trip with Active Travel Vietnam.

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