Ha Long Bay & Lan Ha: Luxury Day Cruise with Kayaking & Lunch
Seven hours on a 199-seat luxury ship through limestone karsts, bamboo caves and hidden lagoons
You board a 199-seat luxury ship at Halong City's Tuan Chau Marina and spend 7.5 hours exploring Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay with a local guide. The day includes Vietnamese lunch with a bay view, a bamboo boat ride through Bright Cave, time to kayak or swim in the Ao Ech area, a spring roll cooking demo, and a sunset party on deck. Hotel pickup from the Halong area is available. Otherwise, you make your own way to the marina by 9:45 AM.
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Step-by-step itinerary
Halong Bay and Lan Ha Bay cruise
- Pick up guests in Halong area
- Guests arrive at Taliya Cruise check-in
- Welcome onboard and safety briefing
- Cruise through Halong Bay
- Enjoy Vietnamese fusion lunch
- Rowing boat at Bright Cave
- Kayaking and swimming at Ao Ech
- Cooking demonstration of spring rolls
- Sunset party on sundeck
- Return to Tuan Chau Harbor
- Transfer back to Halong area
- Ha Long Bay 3h
- Lan Ha Bay 3h
What’s included
Your day includes hotel pickup from the Halong area (if booked), check-in and welcome drinks onboard, Vietnamese fusion lunch served during the cruise, entrance and sightseeing fees for Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, a bamboo boat ride through Bright Cave with a local rower, kayaking or swimming time in the Ao Ech area, a short cooking demonstration on how to make traditional Vietnamese spring rolls, a sunset party on the open-air top deck, and an English-speaking guide throughout. If you book the transfer option, a private car returns you to your hotel after the cruise ends at the harbor around 5:30 PM.
Times
- Every day 06:45 07:00 09:15 09:45
Before you book
Operated by Authentic Travel VIETNAM
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
Traveler reviews
The experience
"The water is so clear you can see the bottom," our guide told us before we stepped aboard the Taliya. That's the kind of detail that sticks with you when you're standing on the open-air top deck watching limestone mountains rise straight out of jade-green water. The day cruise runs 7.5 hours total, starting with a 10 AM check-in at Tuan Chau International Marina in Halong City, or if you book the transfer option, a pickup from your hotel in the Halong area at 9:15 AM. Either way, you're on the water by mid-morning, and the ship itself is built for this: air-conditioned restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows, enough deck space that you're not crowded, and a crew that knows the bay's hidden corners.
The itinerary moves at a pace that actually lets you breathe. Around 11:15, Vietnamese fusion lunch arrives while you're cruising through the maze of karsts, not rushed, not a buffet line, just food and a view. Then comes the Bright Cave stop, where you trade the ship for a bamboo rowing boat and a local fisherfolk who poles you through stalagmite passages and into lagoons you'd never find on your own. The water is so still in there that the reflections look photoshopped. After that, you get time in the Ao Ech area for kayaking or swimming in water that's actually swimmable, not just photographable. Around 4 PM there's a short cooking demo where the chef walks you through making Vietnamese spring rolls. Nothing fancy, but it's the kind of thing that makes the day feel less like tourism and more like you actually learned something.
The sunset party on the sundeck is the last stop before heading back to the harbor around 5:30 PM. It's the obvious moment to make conversation with other travelers or just stand there and watch the light change on the water. If you booked a transfer from Hanoi or the Halong area, your driver meets you at the dock and takes you back. If you arranged your own way to the marina, you're done when the ship docks. The whole day (cruise, lunch, activities, drinks) is included in one price, which means you're not nickel-and-dimed for the bamboo boat or the kayak or the cooking class.
Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay highlights in one day without arranging separate transport, entry fees, lunch and activities: the fixed itinerary and included guide handle all of that, leaving you to focus on the water and the limestone.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.
What time does the Taliya Day Cruise depart?
Check-in is at 10 AM at Tuan Chau International Marina. If you book the hotel pickup option, the driver collects you at 9:15 AM from your Halong area hotel.
How long is the cruise?
The full day cruise is 7.5 hours on the water, with a total itinerary from 10 AM to around 5:30 PM.
Is lunch included?
Yes. Vietnamese fusion lunch is served onboard around 11:15 AM while the ship cruises through Ha Long Bay.
Can I kayak or swim?
Yes. The Ao Ech area stop includes time for kayaking or swimming in the bay. Kayaks are available onboard.
What's included in the price?
Lunch, entrance and sightseeing fees, the bamboo boat ride, kayaking, the cooking demonstration, the sunset party, an English-speaking guide, and hotel pickup (if you book that option).
Do I need to arrange my own transport to the marina?
Only if you don't book the pickup option. If you book without transfer, you arrange your own way to Block 36 Tuan Chau International Marina and arrive by 9:45 AM for check-in.
Can the cruise accommodate dietary restrictions?
Yes. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and other dietary needs can be accommodated if you note them in the special requirements field when booking.
Is the ship air-conditioned?
Yes. The restaurant area is fully air-conditioned. There's also an open-air top deck for sightseeing and photos.
What is the Bright Cave stop?
A cove with dramatic limestone scenery where you board a bamboo rowing boat and are poled through stalagmite caves and hidden lagoons by a local fisherfolk.
Is there a sunset party?
Yes. Around 4 PM, guests gather on the sundeck for a sunset party with drinks and views over Ha Long Bay before returning to the harbor.
Ha Long Bay & Lan Ha: Luxury Day Cruise with Kayaking & Lunch
7h–8h · EN
from US$ 89 per person
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