Lan Ha Bay 2-Day Cruise: Kayaking, Biking & Cat Ba Island

Two Days Paddling Limestone Karsts & Cycling Through a National Park

You leave Hanoi early, spend two days kayaking through limestone karsts and biking through a national park village, sleep onboard a small cruise with 23 others maximum, and eat fresh seafood prepared daily. Transport, meals, activities, and accommodation are all arranged. You just show up at the Old Quarter pickup point.

Options for this experience

4 options

From US$ 108 per person, depending on the option and date you choose.See dates & book

Pickup is available at the port on Cat Ba Island. 11:30 Guide in 4 languages Pickup is included. Pick up and drop off take place at Cai Beo Port on Cat Ba Island; no transfer service is included.

One-way bus transfer between Hanoi and the Cat Ba harbour. 07:30 Guide in 4 languages Shuttle bus between Hanoi and Cat Ba, or between Cat Ba and Hanoi, via the express way. You choose either direction. Pickup is included.

Pickup from Hanoi 07:30 Guide in 4 languages Hanoi to Cat Ba and back to Hanoi: the tour starts and finishes in the Hanoi Old Quarter. Round-trip transfer between Hanoi and Cat Ba by shuttle bus via the express way is included, and pickup is included.

Pickup from Ninh Binh 07:30 Guide in 4 languages Ninh Binh to Cat Ba: you may start and finish in Ninh Binh or in Hanoi, or tailor the route to your plans. Round-trip transfer by shuttle bus via the express way is included, and pickup is included.

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Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Lan Ha Bay and cruise

• Collect from Hanoi Old Quarter
• Drive to Haiphong Port
• Arrive at Cai Beo Port
• Transfer to cruise and check in
• Enjoy welcome drink and safety briefing
• Have lunch onboard
• Visit Cat Ba Island and surrounding islets
• Kayak at Dark & Bright Cave
• Swim in Lan Ha Bay
• Watch sunset from cruise sundeck
• Join traditional cooking class
• Enjoy happy hour and dinner onboard

Day 2: Viet Hai Village visit and return

• Watch sunrise and have breakfast
• Transfer to Viet Hai Village by tender
• Bicycle ride through rainforest to village
• Visit traditional house and meet locals
• Return to cruise and check out
• Enjoy lunch while cruising back
• Disembark at quay side
• Bus drop off at Hanoi Old Quarter

What’s included

Your two days include hotel pickup from Hanoi Old Quarter, transport to and from Cai Beo Port, overnight accommodation in a deluxe cabin with air-conditioning and en-suite bathroom, all meals (welcome drink, breakfast, lunch, and dinner), kayaking through Lan Ha Bay, swimming in the bay, biking or electric car ride through Cat Ba National Park and Viet Hai Village, a traditional spring roll cooking demonstration, happy hour on the sundeck, fish massage, complimentary bottled water and tea in your cabin, and an English-speaking guide throughout.

Times

• Every day 07:30 11:30

Before you book

Group Up to 30

Live guide English, Spanish, French and German Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup Hotel pickup included.

Book up to 2h before

Ages Adult (9 and older) · Youth (7 to 8 years) · Child (5 to 6 years) · Infant (under 4)

Cancellation and refunds Free 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.

Good to know

Low physical effort Wheelchair accessible Accessible transport Stroller-friendly Infant seats available Public transport nearby Infants must sit on laps

Operated by Halong Dolphin Travel

Prices and times updated yesterday

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The experience

The pickup happens early (around 7:30 AM from Hanoi Old Quarter), and you're on a minibus heading north toward Haiphong Port with maybe a dozen other travelers. By the time you reach Cai Beo Port around 11:30 AM, you've already crossed the delta and the air feels different. The Ha Long Venezia is waiting: a steel-hulled cruise with just 10 cabins and a maximum of 23 passengers, which means the whole thing never feels crowded or rushed. You get a welcome drink, a safety briefing, and then lunch before the boat even leaves the dock.

The first afternoon is kayaking through Lan Ha Bay: the quieter southern part of Ha Long Bay where you won't see tour buses lined up on the water. Your guide paddles you past Dark and Bright Cave, through narrow channels between limestone karsts that rise straight up from the sea, and into spots where the water is so clear you can see the bottom. Swimming happens next, in water that's actually swimmable, not just something you look at. Back on the boat, there's a traditional cooking class where the chef walks you through making spring rolls, then happy hour on the sundeck as the sun drops over the Gulf of Tonkin. Dinner is fresh local seafood (fish, shrimp, squid sourced from the bay) served in the wood-paneled dining room. You sleep in your cabin that night, listening to the water.

Day two starts with sunrise or breakfast on the sun-deck, depending on how you want to spend the morning. Then you transfer by tender to Viet Hai Village on Cat Ba Island and get on a bicycle (or an electric car if you prefer) for a ride through a rainforest tunnel that opens into a valley deep inside Cat Ba National Park. You meet locals going about their day, see the village school, visit a traditional house. It's not a performance. It's just what's there. The ride back to the cruise takes you past the same karsts you paddled past yesterday, but from a different angle. Lunch is served while you're cruising back, and then the bus returns you to Hanoi Old Quarter by early evening.

The whole thing (transport from Hanoi, two nights' accommodation, all meals, kayaking, biking, the cooking class, even the fish massage that happens somewhere in there) is included. You don't arrange any of it separately. The boat holds fewer than 25 people, so conversations happen naturally between travelers, and the crew knows your name by the second morning.

Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, Spanish, French and German.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 8 years); Child (5 to 6 years); Infant (under 4).

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 the port?

Around 4 hours from Hanoi Old Quarter to Cai Beo Port in Haiphong, departing around 7:30 AM and arriving around 11:30 AM.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup from Hanoi, all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), accommodation in a deluxe cabin, kayaking, swimming, biking through Cat Ba National Park, cooking demonstration, happy hour, welcome drink, and bottled water and tea in your cabin.

How many people travel on the cruise?

Maximum 23 passengers across 10 cabins, keeping the group small and intimate.

Is there a guide?

Yes, an English-speaking guide is included throughout the tour.

Can I choose kayaking or biking, or are both required?

Both activities are part of the itinerary. On the biking day, an electric car is available as an alternative if you prefer not to cycle.

What time does the bus drop me back in Hanoi?

The bus returns to Hanoi Old Quarter in the early evening of day two, though the exact time depends on the cruise schedule and return journey.

Are the cabins air-conditioned?

Yes, all deluxe cabins have air-conditioning and en-suite bathrooms.

Is the cruise accessible for wheelchairs?

Yes, all areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible, and transportation options are wheelchair accessible.