Day Tour: Kayak & Snorkel Boat Tour of Ha Long Bay

Night outing in Lan Ha Bay. Magnificent, very friendly and attentive guide. Authentic experience far from the crowds.

I’m travelling solo around Vietnam and decided to join the full day Lan Ha Bay tour from Cat Ba — honestly such a good decision. It was super easy to book and they picked me up from my hostel in town. The scenery in Lan Ha Bay is unreal. We kayaked through quiet areas with limestone cliffs all around and had time to swim in really clear water. I was a bit worried it would be overcrowded like some Ha Long Bay tours, but it actually felt relaxed and well organised. Lunch on the boat was delicious and plenty, and as a solo traveller it was also a great way to meet other people. The group had a really good vibe and the guide made sure everyone felt included. If you’re travelling alone in Cat Ba and looking for a fun and good value Lan Ha Bay day tour, I’d definitely recommend this one.

After the evening tour I decided to go on the day tour with Alibaba's tour. It was a fun day. We swam and crawled through a cave on an island and came into a small piece of forest, this was really nice to me. We kayaked through some caves, which was a funny experience as neither me or the person in my kayak had good kayaking skills. After we had lunch and could see a medusa swimming past our boat. We ended the day heading back to monkey island. The hike is beautiful, but can be difficult if you didn't bring good shoes. A very good and local, more intimate experience, I would really recommend it!