Travel Tips
Travelling by boat: tourists can go to Ha Long Bay to view the landscape, visit the caves and grottoes and relax and go swimming on the sandy beaches of the limestone islands.
Kayaking: a romantic and adventurous kind of tourism. A large boat carries small inflatable canoes or “kayaks” to deserted, almost unknown areas of the Bay. Visitors can paddle by themselves to explore remote wild islands and caves.
I. Hanoi - Halong
Tourists can arrive in Halong by:
- High-class minibus from Hanoi to Baichay bus station, departs from Gia Lam bus station, Hanoi every 20 minutes. The bus journey takes about three and a half hours.
Travelling on the Bay
The most interesting part of a Hạ Long tour is the boat cruise around the bay to admire hundreds of stone islets that seem to move and change as the boat passes, first seen from a distance, then hidden below the waves. The boat moors on some islands to allow tourists to visit caves and grottoes, and at sandy beaches for a rest, sunbathing and swimming.
Without advance knowledge, tourists may miss many beautiful stone islets, as there is so much to explore. Reading the introduction to the islands and the routes on the bay is good preparation, especially if you take a map of Hạ Long Bay to know where the boat is and which islands it is going to pass. You can also ask the captain to take the best route for the most picturesque scenery, and what to expect. You can also ask to reduce speed and cruise closer to the bases of spectacular and scenery.
