Cat Ba National Park trekking tour: Kayaking & Frog Pond

Three peaks, a freshwater lake, and a village where you eat lunch in someone's home

A full-day trekking tour from Cat Ba Town through Cat Ba National Park to Viet Hai Village, with an English-speaking guide, hotel pickup, and a return by boat through Lan Ha Bay. The route passes three named peaks over 2.5 hours of hiking, reaches Frog Pond (the largest freshwater lake on Cat Ba Island), then descends to a traditional village where you have lunch cooked by locals, cycle through the ancient settlement, and finish with kayaking and a stop at Cai Beo Floating Village on the way back.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Cat Ba Island3h · entry included
2. Lan Ha Bay2h · entry included

Trek Cat Ba National Park and Viet Hai Village

• Pick up guests at Cat Ba Town hotel
• Travel to Cat Ba National Park
• Hike through Cat Ba National Park, visit 3 peaks
• Reach Frog Pond and enjoy nature
• Take a 30-minute break
• Trek to Viet Hai Village
• Meet locals and have home-cooked lunch
• Cycle around Viet Hai Village and try fish massage
• Cycle 5km to Viet Hai harbor
• Boat stops at floating house for kayaking in Lan Ha Bay
• Visit Cai Beo Floating Village by boat
• Boat returns to Cai Beo Wharf
• Transfer back to hotel

The experience

The trek starts with hotel pickup in Cat Ba Town and heads straight into Cat Ba National Park, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. Your guide handles the entrance tickets and leads you from the park entry through three peaks (Ang Vat, May Bau, and Ang Phay), where short breaks let you photograph the views and watch for birds moving through the primary forest. The hike to Frog Pond takes around 2.5 hours. Frog Pond is the largest freshwater lake on the island, ringed by Va Nuoc trees that grow nowhere else in Cat Ba National Park. The lake sits on the route between the park center and Viet Hai Village, so you pass it on the way down.

After a 30-minute rest, the path flattens and descends the remaining 4 km to Viet Hai Village. The village sits inside the national park and has nearly 100 houses. You arrive to meet the people who live there, then sit down to lunch cooked in a local house: home-cooked Vietnamese food, not a restaurant meal. After eating, you cycle through the village itself, and if you want, try a fish massage in the cool stream or a local pond. Then you cycle 5 km to Viet Hai Harbor on what the operator calls the most beautiful cycling road in the area.

A boat picks you up at the harbor and stops at a floating house so you can see how people live on the water. You then get a kayak and paddle through Lan Ha Bay, one of the world's most photographed bays. On the return to Cat Ba Town, the boat visits Cai Beo Floating Village, Vietnam's oldest floating settlement, with hundreds of houses built on the water. The boat drops you at Cai Beo Wharf, and your guide takes you back to your hotel.

What’s included

• National Park entrance fees.
• an experienced English-speaking guide.
• a bicycle or golf car for the cycling section.
• a delectable Vietnamese lunch cooked at a local house.
• one bottle of water per person.
• hotel pickup and drop-off in Cat Ba Town Center.
• kayaking in Lan Ha Bay.
• boat transport from Viet Hai Harbor back to Cat Ba Town with a stop at Cai Beo Floating Village.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00

Book up to9h before

AgesAdult (5 and older) · Under 5: can't be booked

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problems

Operated by Local Tours SAPA

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a full day that mixes serious hiking with village life and water time. The trek to Frog Pond is the most strenuous part, but the descent to Viet Hai is easier, and the cycling and kayaking sections let you move at a gentler pace. The 8.5-hour length means you leave early and return mid-afternoon, so it fits a single day without eating into the rest of your Cat Ba itinerary.

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Top questions

How hard is the trekking on this Cat Ba National Park tour?

The hike to Frog Pond takes around 2.5 hours with short breaks at three peaks for photos and rest. The path from Frog Pond to Viet Hai Village is easier (mostly downhill and flat with no steep climbs), so the second half is gentler than the first. The tour suits all physical fitness levels, though it is not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health or pregnant travelers.

What is Frog Pond and why is it on this route?

Frog Pond is the largest freshwater lake on Cat Ba Island, surrounded by Va Nuoc trees that grow only in Cat Ba National Park. It sits on the natural hiking route from the park center down to Viet Hai Village, so you pass it on the way to lunch. The lake is also known for about 400 small islands and 130 golden sand beaches visible from the shore.

Do I cycle the whole way from the park to the village?

No. You trek for 2.5 hours to Frog Pond, rest, then hike another hour or so downhill to Viet Hai Village. The cycling happens after lunch: you cycle through the village itself to explore it, then ride 5 km from the village to Viet Hai Harbor on a road the operator describes as the most beautiful cycling stretch in the area.

What is included in the lunch at Viet Hai Village?

Lunch is home-cooked Vietnamese food served at a local house in the village, not at a restaurant. The meal is included in the tour price. The operator can accommodate dietary needs such as vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free meals if you note them when booking.

Is kayaking included, or do I pay extra?

Kayaking in Lan Ha Bay is included in the tour. After the boat picks you up at Viet Hai Harbor, you get a kayak and paddle through the bay before the boat continues to Cai Beo Floating Village and back to Cat Ba Town.

How long is the full day from pickup to drop-off?

The tour runs 8.5 hours total, including hotel pickup in Cat Ba Town and drop-off at your hotel after the boat returns. That time covers the trek, village visit, lunch, cycling, kayaking, and the boat ride back through Lan Ha Bay and Cai Beo Floating Village.