Ha Long Bay - Surprising Cave and Kayaking

By Jennie Mckie

One of the most famous areas in Vietnam is Ha Long Bay situated in the North East of Vietnam 4 hours away from Hanoi. All around Hanoi you will find loads of different Halong bay tours which will take you around the area. 

We were picked up early in the morning and driven to Ha Long Bay to board our boat and where we would be sleeping that night. Straight away you could see the famous limestone cliffs every way you turned however once we set sail the sheer size of them was incredible! Our guide explained that Ha Long actually means ‘descending dragon’ and legends told of how the dragons protected the country from invasion until they finally laid to rest in the sea and the jagged cliffs you see are actually the dragons that had fallen down!

Ha Long Bay consists of 1969 islands and the scale of it was way bigger than I first thought! The pictures do not do the place justice and it’s hard to explain just how beautiful the scenery is. We had lunch on board the boat of chicken, spring rolls and seafood all while watching the beautiful scenery pass us by!

We stopped off at Sung Sot Cave one of the ‘most beautiful’ caves in the area and also known as the “cave to heaven” or “surprising cave”, it was only discovered in 1993 by a fisherman and not opened to tourists until 1998. The caves reminded me of the Nigili Caves in Australia but with much higher ceilings!

It was lit up in all different coloured lights and the effects were staggering! We walked through as our guide pointed out all the rock formations in the shape of all different animals and people such as the dolphin, the lion, dragon, Buddha and our favourite… the giant boob! Some of these require a LOT of imagination but it makes you think about the first people down the caves who would have been down here before all the lights and must have seen all the rocks like ‘WAA there is a lion!!!’ Half way round the cave we reached the point where the fisherman first came through to find the cave and where the cave gets its nickname as high up there is an opening, and when the sun shines it sends a beam of light down into the cave as though it is coming from heaven.

My favourite area of the cave was ‘Romeo and Juliet’, again you need an imagination for this however as you look into the rock the shadow looks like a man (all be it a man with a beer gut!!) and he is looking up to another shadow that looks like a girl. It is quite sweet despite ‘Juliet’ looking in the opposite direction! The caves are ridiculously humid and everyone in our group had sweat pouring down their face by the end!

We got back onto our boat and headed off for our next area. We stopped at a tiny floating village and started our kayaking Halong trip, taking them out to explore the area around Luon Cave.

Kayaking around going under the massive cliffs it really does feel like you are in some sort of dream or movie. It is exactly like scene in Avatar where they fly through the floating cliffs except that obviously the cliffs are in the water!! We kayaked around the area for about an hour in what was literally breathtaking scenery, heading back to the boat we took our kayak around the village with tiny kids shouting hello and guard dogs barking away. The dogs are there to protect the fish farms and the whole thing seemed so weird as the closest land to village is about 2 hours away by boat!!

Setting sail again we had time to chill out on the deck of the boat, lying on sun loungers as giant cliffs sailed past us. Dinner was on the boat where we made our own fresh spring rolls and had amazing fish and honey chicken all while listening to what I think must have been a 90s power ballad CD including some Titanic classics! It was a hectic day and after dinner Andy and I decided to head to our room on the boat and get showered and changed for bed ready for day two on the majestic Ha Long Bay…

Kayaking Halong Bay - Secret Lakes and Fish Farms

By Kit and Melenie

Today was to be a momentous day - the very first day to ever embark on an 'adventure' holiday - well, as adventurous as a 2 day kayaking Halong Bay on flat water can be considered. Yes, we were off to Halong Bay, Vietnam's most famous natural attraction, to explore underwater caves, hidden lagoons and secluded beaches, all while surrounded by spectacular water-submerged karst splendors. Karst, for those uneducated individual out there, since everybody knows what karst is, is a fancy name for big gray moutains of limestone that have lots of caverns, streams and sinkholes running through them.

Kayaking Halong Bay

But first off, we had to enjoy a completely unscenic 4 hour drive to Haiphong, an industrial city that also served as the port to the Halong bay area. We then hopped onto a ferry that whizzed us across to Cat Ba Island. 5.5 hours on clock so far, and we disembark to discover that we still had to catch one more boat. But this boat was cool - a beautiful 50 seater wooden carved barge with a passenger list of 2 - just us.

We started off drifting slowly amongst the huge karst islands. There is something magical about those islands - perhaps its the complete silence, and ambiance that is non existent back home. Each island had its distinct shape, which gave us hours of 'what animal does that look like' games. Many had large low overhanging cliffs, which meant we could glide underneath those rocks, pretending we were in underground caves.

Each island had its distict shape

After an hour of paddling we came to our first stop - a floating fish farm. Out here, there are numerous of these - little floating piers about the size of 6 car park spaces, on which the farmers have built a house. They live out here, on their tiny little man-made island, rearing fish, together with their families. We saw little kids, and even dogs living on the floating farms. 

A Fish Farm

Next up we went to a 'secret lake'. Not quite as secret as it was meant to be though, since there were two other boats there when we arrived. What made this place secret is that you can only access it at low tide, when the water level drops below a mountain ridge revealing a very short little cave that lets you past. On the other side awaits a lake, secluded from the outside world by the surrounding monoliths. 

We then headed over to a little beach for some paddling and sun baking. The water here is reasonably clean, but smells and tastes fishy - I guess that's why they have so many fish farms around. So after a quick dip, we emerged from the water exuding odours akin to the local fish market. 

The next day we headed out in the kayaks for a second day of exploring. By now, we were kind of sick of Karst scenery, so our guide said he would take us underground caving. Alas, when we arrived at the cave, the tide was too high, and hence we were blocked from caving. But not to fear - the back up plan was just us fun - though a heck of a lot more tiring. Duc took us out into the open ocean - across big waves (I'd like to say 2 meter waves, but they probably weren't). Just when we were at the point of exhaustion, we pulled into a quiet little bay - the home of a private pristine little beach. Now this is the kind of adventuring we love - secret little spots at every corner!! This was a gorgeous little place, so we camped out here for a few hours, just enjoying the solitude and a blue blue waters.

Emerging from the"Secret Lake"

We did a bit more kayaking afterwards, seeing a few more sights, before heading back sadly for the trip back to Hanoi. Our boat back to the main island this time was not quiet as elaborate as the one we had arrived on. But a heck of a lot cooler. It was a little diesel tug boat made of random pieces of wood shoved together. We rode sitting on the back on some plank, with the engine puffing right below us. It was a fun experience - felt very 'back to grass roots'.

So ended our Halong Bay tour. We're glad we decided to the do the kayak trek, because although the scenery of Halong is beautiful, its much more of a place to be 'experienced' that to be gawked at.

Five Reasons to Visit Vietnam

Written by Ellie

Having spent some time travelling in Thailand, I’m eager to visit more of south-east Asia, and visiting Vietnam is next on my list!

After researching the country and jealously listening to recommendations given by other travellers, I’ve come up with a list of my top reasons why I want to travel to Vietnam.

1. Delicious Food

Despite the huge focus on other Asian cuisines such as Thai, Chinese and Indian food, I’ve heard great things about Vietnamese food and some of the dishes sound divine. Vietnamese food is also considered as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world which is always a plus!

Many Vietnamese recipes include fresh ingredients such as lemongrass, ginger, lime and basil which all contribute distinct flavours to a recipe. Some dishes I’ve been recommended are Cha ca Thang Long which is fish marinated in turmeric topped with dill, Phở, a herby noodle soup served with either beef or chicken and the strange-sounding elephant ear fish, which is crispy, salted and served with herbs and vegetables. They all sound delicious and I plan on trying as many as possible on my Vietnam trip!

Phở

2. Halong Bay

No Vietnam travel experience is complete without a visit to the stunning Halong Bay, and winding round the limestone islands and visiting the ancient caves sounds like something special.

I’ve heard the sunsets and sunrises are incredible to watch so it would be amazing to see these – I'm planning to stay overnight on one of the traditional Halong Bay junk boats so hopefully it will be easy enough to see both.

Halong Bay

3. Tropical Beaches

Again, it seems that Vietnamese beaches are underrated with more focus given to the famous Thai beaches. I'd take advantage of this by spending some time on the deserted white sands before other tourists catch on...

With white sands, towering palm trees and aqua blue waters some of the Vietnamese beaches such as this one on the tropical paradise island of Phu Quoc  below looks heavenly. Perfect for catching some rays and lounging with a cold beer...

 Tropical Vietnam Beaches

4. Atmospheric Cities

Vietnam is home to cities full of character and there are several that I would love to visit. Hanoi, the lively capital is full of classic Vietnamese architecture, food and things to do, such as visiting the preserved body of the former president Ho Chin Minh – something a bit different!

Not forgetting the smaller city of Hoi An where you can wonder round the narrow streets, lounge on the city’s nearby beaches or shop in Hoi An’s world-famous Vietnamese tailors.

Lastly Ho Chi Minh City (the largest in Vietnam) is packed with museums, shops, bars and restaurants so there is plenty to do!

 Bustling Hanoi

5. Local People

Finally, the people of a country can really complete your experience and I’ve only heard great things about the people of Vietnam – that they love to smile and are friendly and genuinely interested in getting to know the travellers that visit their country.

Meet local people at Sapa

I hope to meet them as soon as I can so I’d better get saving!

ACTIVETRAVEL ASIA would like recommend Kayaking Halong Bay 3 days tour.

This tour offers you a great chance to discover Halong Bay, the wonderland of karst topography with 3,000 limestone and dolomite islets sprinkled over an area of 1,500 square km. The calm sea provides an ideal location for sea kayaking as we paddle through a maze of islets amid dramatic natural scenery. With our modern kayaking equipment, we are able to maximize on speed and maneuverability as we explore the open sea and the many hidden lagoons and stalagmite caves that are difficult to access by any other means. As with our other kayak tours, this tour offers flexibility in activity levels while still combining the best of sea kayaking. Designed with this in mind it is a good tour for both novice and experienced kayaker alike with a little more time to spare.

Highlights:

• Amazing limestone formations
• Inclusive junk for overnight
• Beautiful and different kayaking route
• Support boat all the time
• All meals included