We recommend the following itineraries that you could consider before booking:
Cruise duration
- 2 day 1 night cruise
- 3 days 2 night cruise
- Combination of 1 night on board and 1 night in Viet Hai village
2 day 1 night cruise is the most popular choice for almost travelers schedule during their trip to Vietnam. You will have about 23 hours on cruise depending on each cruise operator, plus about 8 hours transfer to and from Lan Ha Bay and Hanoi. The 2-day cruise lets you experience kayaking, swimming, cycling, admiring nature on the bay, and some more small activities on board, food served for dinner, lunch and breakfast.
- Activities: Kayaking, water cave, floating villages…
- Less than 24 hours cruising
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
3 day 2 night cruise provides another day and night to get further to the bay or a trek into the green of ancient Viet Hai fisherman village. Depending on the season and the program of a charter boat/a shared boat, we will offer a continuous cruise for 3 day 2 night excursion accordingly. While with a charter program, you will be on the same boat for 2 nights. With shared boats we will break the second day and transfer you to a small boat excursion then back to the main boat, you are free to check with the operator when making a reservation. In this longer cruise, you normally have longer time for kayaking, swimming on the beach, admiring the bay beauty or trekking in the island (Cat Ba Island) and fishing village…
- Activities: Kayaking, water cave visiting, floating villages, biking, trekking…
- Less than 48 hours cruising
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner included
More detail can be found here: https://catbaoceancruises.com/cruises-packages/
Tour itinerary
Lan Ha Bay
- Depart from Cat Ba Island (Beo Pier)
- The new itinerary with less well-known attractions as caves but great for kayaking, nature beauty and much less crowded
- The transfer from Hanoi via Hai Phong national highway to embark cruise at harbor is just 3 hours
Where to stay in Cat Ba Island
Overnight cruise on Lan Ha Bay
The best way to immerse yourself in the beauty of Lan Ha Bay is spending one night on board. Waking up to the quiet and breathtaking views right outside your window. We call it simply luxurious moments.
The cabin on the cruise is comfy, homey, and cozy, as at home, with private bathroom.
With a variety of cruises available, you can experience the legendary Lan Ha Bay at your own pace. All cruises are designed in human-sized boutique wooden boats from 2, 3, 4 cabins or more spacious of 7, 12 cabins. There is a cruise for your choice.
- Petit Prince – La Rose: 2 cabins wooden junk. Great for couples, families and friends. Suitable for charter option.
- Petit Prince – The Sky: 3 cabins wooden junk for families and friends. Suitable for charter option.
- Petit Prince – The Stars: 4 cabins wooden junk for small group, families & friends. Suitable for charter option
- Petit Prince – Le Coeur: 7 cabins with tradition bamboo design cruise for group, sharing boat
- Cozy Boutique: 12 cabins steel boat, spacious relaxing areas for groups sharing.
- Dragon’s Nest: 9 cabins steel boat, spacious relaxing areas for groups sharing.
Boat’s style
Traditional boutique wooden boat or spacious steel boat?
Wooden boat
In the beginning of cruising on the bay, wooden boats in smaller size have dominated bay cruise experience. Since 2016, there has been a new requirement from local authority to allow metal boats to be newly built only. Since then, there are existing wooden boats and newly steel ones.
We focus on small size boats and focus on the charm of wooden style boats. Both steel and wooden ones, we care about their security, boutique decoration, and their unique appearance. Some might love the charming wooden style boat rather than the steel ones.
- Traditional style
- Less than 6 cabins
- Cozy cabin, boutique style
- Less equipped
Steel boat
The new metal boat could have been equipped with modern facilities, better accommodation standards, and more space as well. The metal boat generally has more cabins than wooden boats.
- More luxurious cruise
- 7 – 12 cabins
- Spacious cabins, more people on cruise
- Spacious relaxing areas
- More equipped
So, if you prefer to be in a simple but unique and boutique style, the wooden boat could be your choice while the metal boat could provide more spacious accommodation and more modern facilities.
Activities on Lan Ha Bay cruise
Here are some of the most popular activities that could be included in a cruise tour:
- Kayaking
- Visiting floating fishing village. Not entering local floating houses regarding their privacy
- Relaxing on the beach, swimming
- Biking in a small village on the island (or taking an electric car for those who do not wish to cycle)
Kayaking
Kayaking is the most popular and always be a part of cruise itinerary, but you could choose not to do this activity. Cruising on a 3-day itinerary you will have more time for kayaking than a 2-day cruise. Lan Ha Bay is a safe place for kayaking, but you should follow the tour guide and safety instruction.
Cave visiting
Visiting water cave is also a part of itinerary to explore nature and geological values but only if the weather permitted as if the water level is high then it will cover the cave entrance.
Cai Beo floating village
On the way further into Lan Ha Bay, you will go through Beo floating village. It is a nice touch to local life. Even though many locals have been resettled in mainland, the remaining floating village is still a charming place to see.
Onboard activities
Some other activities that you might experience, depending on each cruise
- Morning Taichi: start the day in sundeck with Taichi exercise for early birds (according to desire)
- Squid fishing: try your luck with squid fishing at night (depending on the moon), there will be fishing rods and guidance of crews.
Budget for Lan Ha Bay cruise package
There are more than 200 overnight cruising boats on 3 main areas of Halong bay with many prices range. Some cruises offer very low prices for the not fulfilled experience, so it requires much consideration before booking. We recommend the price range based on values you received, not based on the lowest selection.
- 2-day cruise budget: it is easy to find some rate as low as 60 – 80 US$ per person but we recommend taking a cruise from 130 US$ up to 300US$ per person for a better experience.
- 3-day cruise budget: the price should be between 250 US$ – 400 US$ per person for a nice experience on a charming boat and comfortable accommodation
What is normally included in the cruise package and what is not?
A cruise package should include:
- Food: lunch, dinner and breakfast. The meal before checking out sometime could be arranged as brunch. Tea and coffee should be offered free for breakfast.
- Activities and entrance fee: kayaking, bay visiting fee, fishing villages
A cruise package will not include
- Drinks (soft drink, alcohol drinks, other drinks are not clearly mentioned in the program) and extra service
- Shuttle bus transfer to and from Hanoi with pick up, drop off at hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter (but cruise company can provide this service with an additional cost)
- Kayaking might not be included in some cruise package; you should check in advance.
- Tips
How about food?
Meals on the cruise could be served to you as a set menu, buffet occasionally or a la carte for both lunch and dinner in the restaurant space onboard. Most of the dishes are local seafood. It can be Vietnamese traditional food and some mix of Western food; the most popular menu is the Vietnamese food.
Vegetarian food or another special request could be well managed with a clear note in advance.
