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Ha Long Bay: 3-Day Cruise with Kayaking & Cave Exploration

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1/18

Duration3d

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Three days floating through limestone karsts, caves and fishing villages

You spend three days and two nights on a private cruise through Ha Long Bay, Bai Tu Long Bay, or Lan Ha Bay, with your choice of route determining which caves, islands and villages you visit. Each day includes kayaking, swimming, meals on board, and either cave exploration or island trekking. Hotel pickup from Hanoi is included, as are all meals, the cooking class, Tai Chi sessions, and a guide. You return to Hanoi by mid-afternoon on day three.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrival and cruising in Halong Bay

Pick up guests in Hanoi Old Quarter
Transfer to Halong Bay cruise dock
Check in and welcome drinks on cruise
Enjoy lunch while cruising Halong Bay
Visit Luon Cave or Pearl Farm by boat
Visit Titop Island for swimming or hiking
Sunset party with happy hour on sundeck
Cooking demonstration or free time
Dinner under the stars on board
Relax with spa or enjoy a cocktail

Day 2 — Exploring caves and kayaking

Morning Tai Chi on sundeck
Breakfast in the restaurant
Transfer to day boat for new destinations
Visit Tung Sau area and kayak freely
Enjoy traditional Vietnamese lunch
Visit Me Cung Cave
Relax at outdoor jacuzzi or sunbathe
Happy hour and cooking demonstration
Dinner on board
Evening activities: film, squid fishing, massage

Day 3 — Cave visit and return to Hanoi

Morning Tai Chi on sundeck
Light breakfast served
Visit Sung Sot Cave and hike viewpoint
Return on board and check out
Brunch served on cruise
Disembark at Tuan Chau Marina
Transfer back to Hanoi
Drop off at hotel in Old Quarter

The Experience

The pickup happens early—between 8 and 8:30am from Hanoi's Old Quarter—and the drive to Ha Long Bay takes about three hours. You'll arrive at the cruise dock around 11:30am, check in at the lounge, then board by 12:15pm with a welcome drink already waiting. From there, the boat doesn't stop moving. Lunch comes as you're already cruising past the limestone formations—Fighting Cock Islet, Finger Islet—and by 2:45pm you're in a bamboo boat or kayak heading into Luon Cave or the Pearl Farm area, depending on which itinerary you've booked. The whole first afternoon is designed to get you moving through the water and into the landscape before you even settle into your cabin.

Day two is where the rhythm changes. Morning starts with optional Tai Chi on the sundeck at 6:30am if you want it, then breakfast, then you transfer to a day boat to explore new areas. If you're on the Halong Bay itinerary, you'll visit Me Cung Cave (the Maze Cave) and kayak around Tung Sau. If you chose Bai Tu Long Bay, you're heading to Vung Vieng fishing village to meet locals, then kayaking at Cap La or Cong Dam with time to swim. Lan Ha Bay routes include biking or trekking on Cat Ba Island, or kayaking through Dark and Bright Cave. Lunch is always on board, and the afternoon gives you space to either stay active or sit on the sundeck with a drink during happy hour—buy one, get one free from 5:30pm to 7pm. Dinner is a set menu, cooked on board, and the evening is yours: squid fishing, karaoke, massage, or just the quiet of the bay at night.

The final morning follows the same pattern—Tai Chi, light breakfast—but the caves are different. Halong Bay guests visit Sung Sot Cave, the largest in the bay, where you walk through chambers with stalactites and stalagmites that took millions of years to form, then hike to the top for a panoramic view. Bai Tu Long Bay travelers explore Thien Canh Son Cave, then return for a cooking demonstration where you learn to make Nem Cuon (spring rolls) or try fruit carving. Lan Ha Bay routes do a final kayak through Dark and Bright Cave before heading back. By 10am you're checking out of your cabin. Brunch is served while you're heading back to the harbor, and the shuttle bus has you back in Hanoi by 3pm or 3:30pm. The whole trip—three days, two nights—is built so you're never waiting around; something is always happening, but it doesn't feel rushed.

Your cabin is private, with a window, full toiletries, and a design that doesn't feel cramped. The boat is ranked number one on Tripadvisor among 140 Ha Long Bay tours, which matters if you're spending two nights on the water. All meals are included—Vietnamese set menus, seafood, breakfast buffets—plus the cooking class, Tai Chi instruction, insurance, a tour guide, and the happy hour drinks. The shuttle from Hanoi is included both ways. What you're not arranging yourself is transport, entry fees, meals, or timing; the cruise handles all of it, which is the whole point of being on a boat for three days.

What’s included

Your three days include hotel pickup and drop-off from Hanoi's Old Quarter, a private cabin with window and full toiletries, all meals on board (breakfast buffets, Vietnamese set lunches, and dinners with seafood), a cooking class where you learn to make spring rolls or try fruit carving, daily Tai Chi sessions on the sundeck, a tour guide, happy hour drinks (buy one get one free), kayaking through caves and around islands, swimming in designated areas, visits to caves like Sung Sot or Thien Canh Son depending on your route, and optional activities like squid fishing or spa treatments in the evening.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Halong Bay Cruise Hunters

Is this one for you?Book this if you want three days on the water without arranging transport, meals, entry fees, or a daily schedule—the cruise handles all of it, which is what makes it possible to move between caves, islands and villages without stopping to plan.