Cat Ba Island & Lan Ha Bay 2-day boat tour from Hanoi

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.50 (4 reviews)

Free cancellation

1/23

Duration1.3d

GroupUp to 45

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Limestone caves form on the water, and you paddle straight into them during the kayaking hours.

A two-day boat tour from Hanoi explores Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay with a night in a central Cat Ba hotel, meals included, and a full day cruising to Cai Beo floating village, Three Peaches beach and Castaway Island. The itinerary pairs hotel time on Cat Ba with a guided boat day that includes kayaking through natural caves, swimming at turquoise beaches and lunch cooked by local chefs on board. An English-speaking guide leads the group, and the shuttle bus picks you up in Hanoi's Old Quarter early morning, returning you the same afternoon.

1.3d

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel to Cat Ba and relax

Pick up at Hanoi hotel
Arrive at Cat Ba hotel
Lunch at hotel restaurant
Check in at hotel
Free time to explore Cat Ba
Dinner at hotel restaurant
Rest in Cat Ba

Day 2 — Lan Ha Bay cruise and return

Breakfast at hotel
Transfer to Beo Dock
Board cruise to Lan Ha Bay
Visit Cai Beo floating village
Kayaking and explore caves
Lunch on board with seafood
Visit Ba Trai Dao beach
Boat to Hoang Tu Island
Rest and explore Castaway Island
Return to Ben Beo
Transfer back to hotel

The Experience

The shuttle leaves Hanoi at 7:15 am and reaches Cat Ba town by mid-morning, giving you time to settle into the hotel in the center of town before lunch at the hotel restaurant. The afternoon is free—walk the beaches, explore Cat Ba town or rest before dinner. Day two starts with breakfast at the hotel, then a guide meets you at 8:30 to take you to Beo Dock for the boat departure into Lan Ha Bay.

The cruise first stops at Cai Beo floating village, the oldest and largest floating settlement in Northern Vietnam, home to over 400 households. From 10:30 to noon you kayak through limestone caves formed over millions of years, paddling into small lakes ringed by steep mountains. The water is clear enough to see down, and if the timing is right you might spot the Cat Ba langur, a primate found nowhere else on earth. Lunch—seafood prepared by local chefs—is served on board at 11:30.

By early afternoon the boat reaches Three Peaches beach, known for its hundreds of limestone peaks rising from turquoise water. You swim, dive to see coral, or lie on white sand for a few hours. At 2 pm the boat moves to Castaway Island, a bungalow resort with architecture that won an ARCASIA Award, where you walk the grounds and soak in the quiet before heading back to Beo Dock by 4 pm. The shuttle returns you to Hanoi the same evening.

What’s included

Two-way shuttle bus from Hanoi's Old Quarter.
one night in a Cat Ba hotel in the town center.
breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel restaurant plus lunch on the cruise boat.
boat trip through Lan Ha Bay with visits to Cai Beo floating village, Three Peaches beach and Castaway Island.
kayaking in the limestone caves.
filtered water.
travel insurance up to 30,000,000 VND per person.
English-speaking guide.

Good to know

Easy physical levelInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Best Price Tour Co.ltd

Is this one for you?The early 7:15 am pickup and full boat day on day two mean you're moving from dawn onward, so this tour suits travelers who start early and don't mind an active pace—the kayaking and swimming are optional within the day, but the schedule itself doesn't slow down.