Tours/Hanoi/Lan Ha Bay day tour from Cat Ba, Hanoi - Serenity Boutique Cruise
Viator · group up to 48 pax

Lan Ha Bay day tour from Cat Ba, Hanoi - Serenity Boutique Cruise

4.9(495)Hanoi1 hour
VIATOR4.7(23)TRIPADVISOR5.0(472)

Description

The Lan Ha Bay day tour from Cat Ba Island, Hai Phong, and Hanoi offers a distinctive itinerary on a spacious cruise, featuring a plethora of outdoor activities such as kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, and jumping. This tour stands out for its longest route to the less touristy area of Lan Ha Bay - Ha Long Bay, and its departure from Beo Wharf. Guests will have the opportunity to indulge in kayaking and swimming in the most picturesque area of Lan Ha Bay, followed by a delectable lunch of fresh seafood and Vietnamese dishes. The tour is facilitated by a friendly staff and a humorous local tour guide, ensuring a memorable experience. The group size is limited to under 45 people, despite the boat's capacity of 99 people.

Tour Options

Pick Hanoi & drop Hai Phong
  • Pick Hanoi & drop Hai Phong Pickup included
Pick-up & drop-off Hanoi
  • Pick-up & drop-off Hanoi Pickup included
Pick Hanoi & drop Ninh Binh
  • Pick Hanoi & drop Ninh Binh Pickup included
Pick Hanoi & drop Cat Ba Town
  • Pick Hanoi & drop Cat Ba Town Pickup included
Pick Cat Ba & drop Hai Phong
  • Pick Cat Ba & drop Hai Phong Pickup included
Pick Cat Ba Town & drop Hanoi
  • Pick Cat Ba Town & drop Hanoi Pickup included
Pick-up & drop-off Hai Phong
  • Pick-up & drop-off Hai Phong Pickup included
Pick Hai Phong & drop Hanoi
  • Pick Hai Phong & drop Hanoi Pickup included
Pick Hai Phong & drop Cat Ba
  • Pick Hai Phong & drop Cat Ba Pickup included
Pick-up & drop-off Cat Ba Town
  • Pick-up & drop-off Cat Ba Town Pickup included
Pick Hai Phong & drop NinhBinh
  • Pick Hai Phong & drop NinhBinh Pickup included
Pick Cat Ba & drop Ninh Binh
  • Pick Cat Ba & drop Ninh Binh Pickup included

Itinerary

200 min

5:30 AM - 5:45 AM: Pick-up at your hotel located in Hanoi Old Quarter. 6:00 AM: Pick-up at the Serenity Cruises Office (No. 214 Tran Quan Khai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi).

Pass by

Pick up at Hai Phong: Lan Ha Bay day tour at 16 Ben Binh, Minh Khai Ward, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong at 6:30 am.

15 min

8:15 - 8:45 am Pick up from Cat Ba Express office at No. 191, 1/4 (Mot Thang Tu) street, and hotels in the area of 1/4 (Mot Thang Tu) street - Tung Dinh - Nui Ngoc. If you stay out of this area, kindly contact us for the most convenient pick-up point.

Admission included15 min

9:00 Check-in Serenity Premium Cruise, enjoy welcome drinks and friendly smiles from our crew.

Admission included40 min

9:15 The trip starts! Our captain steers the cruise slowly, and the poetic scenery of Cai Beo ancient fishing village constantly appears with floating houses lying along the mountainside. You will be surprised at the peaceful beauty of this 7,000-year-old village. It's time to learn more about the local fishers, their daily life, and the cultural values shared by our experienced guides.

Admission included60 min

The cruise moves further into the core of bay where you can't help but be amazed by the gift of Mother Nature: a large bay area, the phenomenal emerald water embracing hundreds of rocky islands of various sizes and shapes.

Admission included120 min

10:30 The boat anchors at DARK CAVE AND BRIGHT CAVE area ( Sang – Toi Cave). Located in the border region between Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay, this is surely one of the best places for kayaking. Let’s spend one and a half hour doing kayaking to discover stunning limestone structure and interesting natural habitat there. "The subject can be changed due to of the sea currents, weather conditions and tide. It can be changed to visit Viet Hai Village & Cat Ba National Park in stead of Dark & Bright Cave"

Admission included90 min

12:00 Come back to Premium Serenity Cruises and relax 12:30 Lunch served with Cat Ba fresh seafood and Vietnamese tradition food. Kindly inform us if you have speacial request for food vegetarian.

90 min

13:30 The boat moves to the Ba Trai Dao Beach erea (Three Peach Islets) where you expect to see white sandy beaches and charming mountain scenery, swim among the cleanest part of Lan Ha Bay, snorkeling (snorkeling activity depends on the tide level and weather condition).

Admission included60 min

15:00 The cruise heads back to harbour by different route wehre you can keep admiring the romantic landscape of Lan Ha Bay. 16:00 Sunset Party.

15 min

17:00 Arrive at Beo wharf, say “Goodbye Lan Ha bay”, ends up an unforgetable trip.

Pass by

18:45 The tour arrived back in Hai Phong.

200 min

20:20 The tour arrived back in Hanoi.

Pass by

21:00 The tour arrived back in Ninh Binh.

Highlights

Entrance ticket, sightseeing ticket
Lunch on cruise
Round trip transfer
Kayak, swimming
Experienced and professional tour guide, English speaking guide on boat
Comfortable cruise

What's included

Included
Entrance ticket, sightseeing ticket
Lunch on cruise
Round trip transfer
Kayak, swimming
Experienced and professional tour guide, English speaking guide on boat
Comfortable cruise
Not included
Drinks at bar

Pickup Locations & Times

5:30 AM - 5:45 AM: Pick-up at your hotel located in Hanoi Old Quarter. 6:00 AM: Pick-up at the Serenity Cruises Office (No. 214 Tran Quan Khai, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi). Pick up at Hai Phong: Công ty TNHH Vận Tải Du Lịch Cát Bà - Bến xe Vận Tải Cát Bà, No. 16 Ben Binh, Minh Khai Ward, Hong Bang District, Hai Phong at 6:30 AM. Pick up at Cat Ba Island: Cat Ba Express office, No. 191, 1/4 Street, Cat Ba Town, Hai Phong at 8:30 AM.

Traveller Ratings

4.9
495 reviews
5
482
4
6
3
3
2
2
1
2

Important Information

  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Reviews(495)

T
thomastA9840HO
July 21, 2026
A Day at Lan Ha Bay

Amazing place and an amazing tour. Peaceful and serene without any crowds. Happy, our guide, and the rest of the crew were extraordinary. Great food and drinks.

E
egora997
July 8, 2026
Great cruise

Fantastic cruise with majestic views around, some kayaking in caves, swimming and great lunch. The ship is extremely clean and comfortable, and the crew is friendly. Absolutely worth it. And thanks to Tony Stark, he was our superhero

7
74delphinef
July 4, 2026
Fairytale experience

Amazing experience during one day. The boat was very clean and secure. Meal and refreshments were incredible, tasty and generous. The crew was very attentive especially Mr Happy who was a perfect dynamic guide all the day. He was abble to bounds back inlight of the changing climate context. We were very reassured with him all day. We highly recommand the serenity cruise to discover lan ha bay.

M
mpryde
July 4, 2026
Beautiful bay and island scenry

The tour only started once we got on the boat. The 3.5hrs travelling each way wasn't guided and felt impersonal. The boat trip was fantastic, great guide, great food and lots of time to relax. Much less crowded and peaceful compared with Halong Bay. Relaxed trip around the bay, no stops for caves, hiking etch. which we liked. More time to swim kayak and relax on the boat.

1 people found this helpful
Operator response

First of all, we would like to sincerely thank you for choosing to travel with us. We are delighted to know that you experienced exactly what we promised as the highlights of this tour: a peaceful, unspoiled bay and a cruise that is not overcrowded with tourists. To make that possible, we naturally have to travel farther than most other tours. Many travelers prefer destinations that are easier and quicker to reach, such as Ha Long Bay, which is one of the main reasons why it is much busier. Unfortunately, it is simply not possible to offer both a very short journey and access to the quiet, untouched parts of the bay at the same time. We believe that no tour operator can genuinely provide both. The journey from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island covers approximately 160 km and includes hotel pick-up, transfer to the island, and transportation to the cruise pier. Thanks to our experience and careful planning, we work hard to ensure that our guests spend as little time waiting as possible—from the scheduled hotel pick-up to each transfer throughout the journey. However, we were disappointed to see a 3-star review without any acknowledgement that this entire transfer takes only around 3.5 hours, allowing you to enjoy a full day of relaxation aboard the cruise—from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (8 hours)—exploring the beautiful Lan Ha Bay, together with its peaceful scenery, friendly crew, quality meals, and comfortable boat. We truly value every piece of feedback from our guests, whether positive or negative, because it helps us continue improving. But if you ask whether we feel saddened after doing everything we could, delivering exactly what we promised, and still not meeting your expectations, then the honest answer is yes. We do feel disappointed, because your satisfaction is what shapes our future. We sincerely wish you all the very best in life. Once again, thank you for choosing to travel with us.

L
lindadvorackova
June 22, 2026
peaceful and breathtaking

the views were absolutely stunning, we were a small group (13 people), our guide was knowledgeable and so nice, they catered to our vegan diet which was amazing.

A
AK_INDIANA
May 16, 2026
The perfect tour

Because I have heard a lot of things about the HaLongBay i have decided to book this tour instead and it was the best choice ever! Well organized, we took of with comfortable busses to the speed boat pick up. Our guide "Happy" is the standard of how a guide should be! The cruise on the boat through the bay was really something special and the drinks on board were delicious and low priced. The lunch was great and the activities like kayaking, swimming, jumping off the second deck of the boat, crawling through a cave (optional) and enjoying the beauty of this not-overcrowded bay was great! If you struggle with overtouristic areas, then this tour is for you!

1
122hamishp
May 16, 2026
Great experience

Really fantastic day cruise. Went to some cool spots throughout Lan Ha Bay. The guide, Happy, was really fantastic and passionate about the area, he made the trip exception. I would highly recommend this day trip.

W
williamaN6687XC
May 13, 2026
Ideal relaxing day tour

A great premium experience. Good food. Locations never felt busy, and we had lots of time for swimming. Tony was a brilliant host. Met some other great people on board.

A
anitangmon
May 11, 2026
Experiencing Lan Ha bay - Halong bay

Despite a slightly bumpy start with the pickup, the trip was smooth sailing once we arrived at Cat Ba Island. Our guide, Tony, was excellent and truly made the experience. I loved that the tour wasn't overcrowded, allowing us to see the bays in their unspoilt beauty. The kayaking was a major highlight, and having the freedom to swim around the bays was incredible. A truly lovely and peaceful experience!

M
marleend680
May 4, 2026
Kayaking, swimming, good food in beautiful Lan Ha Bay

The Serenity Boutique cruise was really good and fun. We had a lot of joy kayaking through the bay, lots of swimming opportunities, jumping of the boat into the water, exploring the little islands around. The (vegetarian) food was excellent. Our guide Happy brought truly a lot of happiness. He made the tour and a big sparkle to the day!

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