Halong Bay is one of those places that we dreamt of seeing for a long time. A bucket list trip that we finally had the chance to take and a must-see place in Vietnam. We opted for a 3-day 2-night cruise as we had read that a single day doesn’t get you into the more peaceful and more beautiful areas of the bay. In February it was a little cold for swimming, but the scenery was spectacular.
Halong Bay stretches across 75 miles (120 km) of coastline and spans over 600 sq. miles (1,553 sq. km). The ideal way to explore this area is with one of the many local tour boat operators. There are literally hundreds to choose from. Cluster after cluster of limestone monolithic islands rise up from the sea creating a spectacular panorama. When it’s hazy it looks even more magical!
Halong Bay Cruise Itinerary
Day 1 activities
Shortly after lunch, we went kayaking in Halong Bay. The scenery was breathtaking. There was a short stop on a beach where people could swim. We opted to stay dry since it was only 60°F (15°C) outside which is much too cold for a couple of Floridians to swim (our Canadian blood has thinned since we moved south!). Also, the water didn’t look that clean as we weren’t far enough yet.
The rest of the day was spent on board where we enjoyed typical Vietnamese dishes. Everything was delicious and plentiful, and this trend would continue throughout the cruise.
Day 2 activities
After breakfast we were transferred to our day boat. We were the only ones aboard since everyone else had stayed on board the bigger ship because their cruise was ending. Only those on the 3-day cruise get to participate in these activities.
However, we suspect that some activities were skipped because it was just the two of us. The guide even tried to get us to go kayaking in the same spot as the day before! Only, when he realized that I knew what the itinerary should be did he take us kayaking through a more secluded area.
Once again, we declined swimming and instead, we kayaked to a cave. It was interesting to see, and it wasn’t overcrowded with tourists like the one we would see the following day.
Then we went to a small bay where we saw a picturesque floating fishing village.
There we enjoyed a traditional rowboat tour in the village. It was so peaceful and lovely despite the rain.
We were supposed to meet some of the locals and learn about their way of life and fishing methods, but our guide said that they were all sleeping which is ridiculous as it was late morning.
Then we quickly passed through a pearl farm, which we were probably supposed to see more in depth. Following these activities, we were served lunch before returning to the larger ship.
In the afternoon there was more kayaking. Again, in the same spot as on the first day! Since it was raining heavily, we relaxed instead. After all we were on vacation!
In the evening after dinner there was time to play some traditional puzzle games as well as do some squid fishing.
Day 3 activities
The pre-breakfast tai chi session on the upper deck was cancelled because it was raining.
After breakfast we went to Ti Top (Titov) Island (along with many other visitors) where we visited a cave and saw good views of the bay.
There was also a small beach which gave us a different perspective of Halong Bay. This place was crowded as it seemed like all the boats were stopping there around the same time.
Then it was back on the boat to check out of our cabin by 9:30am before returning to port.
On the way back there was a fruit carving demonstration as well as a lesson on how to make Vietnamese rolls.
In retrospect we were happy to have seen a more peaceful and cleaner part of Halong Bay.
The 2-day 1-night cruise itinerary includes the activities of the first and third day.
When to go on a Halong Bay Cruise
The best time to visit is from October to December when it’s the dry season in Northern Vietnam. But since we were combining this trip with Ho Chi Ming City in the south, we were there in February. We had good weather on our first day and it was rainy and foggy for the remainder of our cruise. The rain put a damper on things since most of the planned activities on deck were cancelled and it didn’t leave many places from where to enjoy the sites.
How to choose your cruise
There are so many cruise lines and boats to choose from, it’s mind-boggling. We usually like planning everything ourselves but sometimes it’s best to ask for help. So, we had our Hanoi hotel organize the trip for us and they took care of our transfer as well as getting us a deluxe cabin. We were happy to get the help, but if you want to organize this yourself make sure to read reviews. Even if our luxury boat wasn’t all that luxurious, we saw boats that looked much worse.
Conclusion
Following our cruise, our plan (but these plans were modified at the last-minute) was to fly to Siem Reap the next day, so we opted to return to Hanoi for the night. But if you are moving on to a local Vietnam destination you can also consider flying out of Cat Bi International Airport in Hai Phong. It’s much closer than going back to Hanoi.
Also, the limo ride was still quite long, and we saw that there was a sea plane option which might be interesting to consider for a return to Hanoi. I bet Halong Bay looks amazing from up above too!
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