Bai Tu Long Bay Cruise from Hanoi: Kayaking & Cooking Class

The Karst Landscape Gets Quieter Once You Leave Halong Behind

You get picked up from your Hanoi hotel, driven three hours to Bai Tu Long Bay, and spend two days kayaking through karst formations, exploring Thien Canh Son Cave, swimming at Hon Co Island, and learning to cook Vietnamese spring rolls on board. All meals, the guide, and transport back to Hanoi are included. The boat returns you by mid-afternoon on day two.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel and cruise in Bai Tu Long Bay

• Pickup from Hanoi meeting point
• Travel highway to Halong with break
• Welcome drink and safety briefing
• Check into cabin and lunch onboard
• Kayak at Cap La Island
• Sunset party on boat
• Dinner onboard
• Evening leisure activities

Day 2: Explore caves and cultural activities

• Morning Tai Chi and breakfast
• Visit Thien Canh Son Cave and Hon Co Island
• Freshen up and pack
• Vietnamese cooking demonstration
• Lunch onboard
• Return to harbor and disembark
• Travel back to Hanoi
• Arrive in Hanoi and trip ends

The experience

The bus ride from Hanoi takes three hours, and somewhere after the Vinh Tuy Bridge and before Haiphong Port, the highway opens up and you realize you're actually leaving the city. By the time you reach the harbor and step onto the boat, you've already crossed into a different rhythm. The Bai Tu Long Bay cruise picks you up from your Hanoi hotel in the morning, drives you northeast through the Indochina landscape, and by early afternoon you're checking into a seaview cabin with a welcome drink in hand. The bay itself (fewer boats, fewer tourists, the same limestone karsts as Halong but somehow less crowded) hits different when you're not jostling for space on a packed junk.

The first afternoon moves fast. After a Vietnamese lunch on board, you're in a kayak at Cap La Island, paddling through the formations, swimming in water so clear you can see the bottom, and then back on deck for the sunset party as the boat anchors for the night. Dinner is a set menu, and after that you can try squid fishing off the rail, play board games in the common area, or just sit with a beer and watch the bay go dark. It's the kind of evening that doesn't feel scheduled, even though it is. Morning brings Tai Chi on the sundeck if you want it, or just coffee and the view, your choice. Breakfast is Western-style, which matters if you've had enough pho.

Day two is the cave and the cooking class. Thien Canh Son Cave (the name means "Heavenly Landscape Cave") is on the bay, and the stalactites and stalagmites have been forming for thousands of years. You hike in, look around, and then there's Hon Co Island with a white sand beach where you can swim again. Back on the boat by mid-morning, you've got thirty minutes to pack, and then a Vietnamese cooking demonstration starts. You learn to make something like Nem Cuon (spring rolls) or you do a fruit and vegetable carving challenge, depending on what appeals. Lunch is traditional Vietnamese, and then the boat heads back to Ha Long Cruise Port. The shuttle bus or limousine takes you back to Hanoi, arriving around three in the afternoon.

The whole thing (pickup from Hanoi, the drive, two nights in the cabin, four meals, kayaking, the cave, the cooking class, squid fishing, the guide) is included. You don't arrange transport separately or hunt for a restaurant on the bay. The boat has an English-speaking guide on board, and the cabins are air-conditioned with seaview windows. If you're traveling solo, there's a seventy-five-dollar surcharge for the two days and one night. If you're going during Lunar New Year or Christmas Eve, add forty to thirty-eight dollars per person.

What’s included

Hotel pickup from Hanoi in an air-conditioned vehicle, three-hour drive to the harbor, deluxe seaview cabin accommodation, two Vietnamese lunches and one dinner on board, Western-style breakfast, welcome drink and cold handkerchief on arrival, kayaking at Cap La Island, swimming, exploration of Thien Canh Son Cave and Hon Co Island beach, sunset party, squid fishing, board games, Vietnamese cooking demonstration or fruit and vegetable carving challenge, Tai Chi session, English-speaking guide, and return transport to Hanoi.

Options for this experience

2 options

Departs from Halong PortGuide in English · 12:00Deluxe sea-view cabin on the Renea: a stylish room with windows giving sweeping panoramic views of Halong Bay. Onboard activities for relaxation and fun include board games, karaoke, squid fishing and tai chi. Excursions cover kayaking, swimming, hiking and sightseeing. Duration is one day: you spend 24 hours on the cruise, exploring Halong Bay, unwinding, and enjoying both sunset and sunrise. Full board is included: lunch and dinner on the first day, breakfast and brunch on the second. Halong Bay to Bai Tu Long Bay: exploring Halong Bay and adventuring in Bai Tu Long Bay, including Cap La Island and Thien Canh Son Cave; pickup is included.

Fully inclusive Halong and Bai Tu Long tourGuide in English · 07:30 and 08:30Halong to Bai Tu Long: kayaking and swimming, with all meals; pickup is included

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 07:30, 08:30 and 12:00

Book up to2h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (5 to 11 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Renea Cruises Halong

Is this one for you?Right for travelers leaving Hanoi who want the Halong Bay experience without the crowds and prefer not to arrange transport, meals, or activities separately: the fixed itinerary and all-inclusive format means you show up at your hotel in the morning and the rest is handled.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 11 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How long is the drive from Hanoi to Bai Tu Long Bay?

Approximately three hours on the highway, with a 15–20 minute break during the journey.

What meals are provided on the cruise?

Two Vietnamese lunches, one dinner, and one Western-style breakfast. A welcome drink is served on arrival.

Is the cooking class mandatory?

No. You can choose between a Vietnamese cooking demonstration (learning to make spring rolls) or a fruit and vegetable carving challenge.

What activities are included?

Kayaking at Cap La Island, swimming, exploring Thien Canh Son Cave and Hon Co Island beach, squid fishing, board games, and a sunset party. Tai Chi is offered on the sundeck in the morning.

Is hotel pickup from Hanoi included?

Yes. The tour includes air-conditioned vehicle pickup from your Hanoi location and return transport to the city.

What is the cabin like?

Deluxe seaview cabins with air conditioning. You check in on arrival and have time to freshen up before activities.

Is there a surcharge for solo travelers?

Yes. Solo travelers pay a seventy-five-dollar surcharge for the two-day, one-night trip.

Are there surcharges for holidays?

Yes. Lunar New Year adds forty dollars per person. Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve Gala Dinner adds thirty-eight dollars per person.

What language is the guide?

English-speaking guide is on board throughout the cruise.