Magical islands and hill hikes - Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island

During this module, you will float dreamily about Halong Bay, an enchanting archipelago of 3000 limestone islands. Most of the islands are uninhabited, some are covered in tropical forest, and others are bare rock. Drifting among the islands by boat, you will get stunning views of the scenery and a glimpse into the daily lives of the locals. You'll spend two nights on Cat Ba Island, a national park overgrown with virgin countryside. A guide will take you hiking through the dense, tropical jungle on the island, past Frog Lake, and down to the dragon rocks that rise from the rice paddies. There will also be ample opportunities for swimming and relaxing on the shore. You can also choose to do the module as a completely individual trip, with a chauffeur-driven car and a private boat in Halong Bay. See below for details.

After breakfast, you'll head out with a guide to explore Cat Ba National Park. The park is situated on the largest island of the Cat Ba archipelago, with a limestone ridge towering at a height of 150 metres. The highest point on the island is Cao Vong, reaching an impressive 322 metres. There is a huge diversity of flora and fauna in the park- 745 different plants belonging to 123 families, including 300 kinds of medicinal plants. There are also 32 different species of mammals, 69 species of birds and 20 types of reptiles. The hike is the perfect opportunity to see some of this exotic plant and animal life.

You'll trek over the island, climbing a (pretty steep) hill. This is totally worth the effort. At the top, you'll be rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view across the countryside below. Two guides will lead the way, allowing you to choose either a short or a long hike. The short hike (3km) is suitable for all levels of fitness and heads for the tiny village of Viet Hai. After the walk, you'll take a dive into the salty water of the lagoon to cool off and refresh your energy. On the longer hike, you'll cover more ground and there are a number of steep climbs along the way. An excellent way to work off all those spring rolls.

Following your morning treks, you'll be taken back to the hotel, where a well-earned lunch will be served. In the afternoon, you'll be free to explore the island on your own or head for the quiet beach to snooze in the sun. You'll then spend another night at the comfortable hotel on Cat Ba Island.

You'll leave Cat Ba in the morning for your return trip to Hanoi. Firstly, you'll sail lazily from Cat Ba Island back to the mainland, absorbing the spectacular views for the last time. After lunch in a restaurant on shore, you'll travel back to Hanoi by bus (approx. 2-3 hours), arriving in the afternoon.

After this module you can choose from all sorts of options. We consider a hill tribe trek in the north west as a must, so we can highly recommend the Hill Tribes of Sapa module. Alternatively, if you're a little strapped for time, you can head south via Classic Hoi An.

Halong Bay legend

Ha Long literally means ‘descending dragons’, and legend has it that this is precisely what happened at Halong Bay. A long, long time ago when the ancestors were fighting invaders from the north, the gods decided to send help. They sent a family of dragons from heaven to help the local people defend their land. The dragons descended into Halong Bay and began to spew jewels and jade. As soon as these gems touched the water they turned into islands, forming a barrier to keep the invaders away. This allowed the ancestors to keep their land and form Vietnam. The dragons liked Earth so much that they decided to stay. Legend has it that the mother dragon still lies in Halong and her children lie in Bai Tu Long. The tails of the dragons form the Bach Long Vi area.