The remarkable beauty of Halong Bay in Northern Vietnam
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Important information about Sightseeing and Cruising Spectacular Halong Bay
About: Halong Bay is a mainstream tourist destination, in the north of Vietnam, which is normally on most people’s bucket list of must see attractions. Because of its popularity, and the inevitable crowding, it’s best to visit during the months which aren’t the Vietnamese School Holidays. That time of the year is normaly June, July, and August. The off season months of March, April, and May are the ideal time to visit. The weather is generally clear and less humid. The following trip report covers locations in HALONG BAY and the nearby CAT BA Island.
Click on this LINK to download a travel guide, with instructions, for touring Ha Long Bay
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Megaworld Asia uses and recommends the following equipment for safe hiking and caving activities:
SALOMON HIKING BOOTS CASCADE HIKING POLES EARTH PAK WATERPROOF BACK PACKS
INTRAFIT HIKING GLOVES TURNONSPORTS HIKING COMPASS FENIX RECHARGEABLE HEADLAMPS
PETZL SAFETY HELMETS FENIX HIGH POWERED FLASHLIGHTS SURVIVE FIRST AID KITS
How To Get To Halong Bay – Booking a tour with a Travel Agent
Getting there: For those wanting to do an independent tour of Halong Bay, there are buses which run there from Hanoi. However, to avoid the hassles involved with arranging transportation, booking hotels, and organizing a boat tour out to the islands, the easiest way to get there is to book a tour through a travel agent in Hanoi. They then provide transportation from Hanoi to the port where the tour boats depart from. Note: A good company for doing an organised tour, from Hanoi, is VIT TRAVEL
Accommodation in Ha Long City – Staying in a Hotel and Making Day Tours
Staying in Halong City: If you don’t want to be on a boat all the time, you can take the option of staying in a hotel, in HALONG CITY, and make day trips. An excellent choice of hotel in Halong City is the THE GRAND FLEUVE BOUTIQUE.
Overnighting on a tour boat – Liveaboard Cruises around Ha Long Bay
Liveaboard tours: Many people doing a tour of Halong bay will take the option of going on a liveaboard vessel. Many of these offer one, two, and three night tours. These tours do a circuit around all the popular sightseeing attractions: caves, viewpoints, beaches, and kayaking excursions. The liveaboard tours normally include all meals, accommodation, and tour guides. Note: A good company for booking this type of tour, is VIT TRAVEL
A standard tour boat of Halong Bay
The Departure Point for the Boat Tours Around Ha Long Bay
Tuan Chau Port: This is the DEPARTURE POINT for all boat tours out to the islands. It’s located approximately 150 km east of Hanoi. If you’re staying at a Hotel in Halong City, it’s a 15 minute run (in a taxi) back along the coastline (towards Hanoi)
Cruising the spectacular islands of Halong Bay by boat is a fantastic sightseeing experience
Cruising and Exploring Spectacular Ha Long Bay
Geography: According online information sources, there are 1869 islands and islets in Halong Bay. The terrain is sedimentary Karst, meaning there are many islands with vertical cliff faces, and caves. If you’re lucky enough to be there on a clear day, the scenery is spectacular.
The spectacular karst terrain of Halong Bay
Visiting Halong Bay – A Tour Journal
The following is a report of my 4 day/3 night tour to Ha Long Bay and CAT BA ISLAND. After driving from Hanoi to Halong City, I checked into my hotel at around 11:00 am, on day one. In the afternoon I had my first sightseeing tour to a location which was near to Tuan Chau Port. Note: This was day one of a short two day tour of the Halong Bay area, and each day featured some amazing places to visit. Here’s how the tour went:
Day One – Vietnam Island Exploration – Dau Go Island
Dau Go Island: My primary destination for the afternoon was a couple of cave sites on DAU GO ISLAND. Prior to arriving there, the boat did a circuit out through some spectacular karst peaks and a by-pass of the national symbol for Ha Long Bay – THE FIGHTING CHICKEN ROCKS. After an hour of cruising, and enjoying a great Vietnamese lunch, we arrived at Dau Go Harbor.
The route to Dau Go Island
The Fighting Chicken Rocks, the national Symbol of Halong Bay
Day One – Amazing Vietnam Cave Exploration – Thien Cung Cave
The First Cave: There are two cave sites here, side by side. The first and most impressive is THIEN CUNG CAVE. After a short walk up a flight of stairs, I arrived at the cave entrance. The cave has been set up for safe sightseeing and has a cement pathway and internal lighting throughout. A nice feature of the cave is a hole in the ceiling which allows shafts of sunlight to stream through in the afternoon. The walk through this cave takes about 30 minutes to complete.
Shafts of sunlight stream into Thien Cung Cave
Day One – Hidden Caves Of Vietnam – Dau Go Cave
The second cave: After exiting Thien Cung Cave, a pathway takes sightseers around the cliff to the entrance of DAU GO CAVE. This cave tends to get less visitors, possibly because of the number of stairs to climb inside. This cave is bigger than Thien Cung and an excursion includes ducking under some low hanging rocks. The main feature is the large entrance room where local artists have placed artwork around a boarded platform. A tour through this cave will take about 45 minutes.
The main chamber of Dau Go cave features a display of local artwork
Day Two – More Boat Tours of Spectacular Halong Bay
A full day’s excursion: This was planned as a full days excursion which would include a visit to SUNG SOT CAVE, and TI TOP ISLAND. The travel time from Tuan Chau port was 1.5 hours and, as with the previous day, the route went through some magnificent karst scenery.
The spectacular scenery enroute to Sung Sot Cave
Day Two – Unique Cave Sites In Vietnam – Sung Sot Cave
The largest cave: This impressive cave is located in a beautiful horseshoe bay and is recognized as being the largest cave in the Halong Bay area. Access to the cave entrance is by way of a properly constructed stairway, with a couple of viewing platforms on the ascent. These platforms provide fantastic views out over the surrounding bay and also offer a respite for anyone wanting to catch their breath.
The Biggest Cave in Ha Long Bay – Exploring Sung Sot Cave
Impressive sightseeing: As with the other cave sites in the area, this one has steps and handrails, for a safe sightseeing experience. The main feature of the cave is a massive main chamber which, from the back end, provides views back to the light streaming in from the entrance. This is an excellent sightseeing experience, and well worth the effort of getting there.
The main chamber of Sung Sot Cave
Day Two – Exploring Islands In Vietnam – Ti Top Island
Ti Top Peak: The second stop on my day two in Halong Bay was an interesting location called TI TOP ISLAND. After another excellent Vietnamese luncht, my guide and I disembarked and made our way to the start point for the hike up to Ti Top peak. For anyone who’s interested, it’s 425 steps up to the lookout. It’s a bit of a slog in the afternoon sun, but well worth the effort. The views from the top are fantastic.
The Russian general: On our return to the boat we stopped at the large statue, along the beach front, from which the island gets its name. According to my guide, the island was named after a Russian general, who visited the island with Ho Chi Minh, back in the 1960’s. The statue definitely has the appearance of a Russian Military personnel.
The statue of the Russian General on Ti Top Island.
Click this link to check out CAT BA ISLAND
Safe travels,
Mega.
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