Boat Trip on Hạ Long Bay

Hello and xin chào!

Winter has finally descended upon Hanoi: it's been in the low 60s, and a few days have seen highs as low as 58°F! I'm actually using a space heater in my apartment, and the wind that comes from riding my motorbike is not pleasant. Otherwise, I'm really liking the lack of sweat! And I feel a lot less disoriented about what time of year it is! Anyways, fresh off my first-ever bout with food poisoning and working through an ear infection (this country is trying to kill me), I bring to you a post about a lovely day trip I took to Hạ Long Bay two weeks ago.

Karst, karst, karst as far as the eye can see.

Roughly three hours by bus from Hanoi, Hạ Long Bay is easily one of Vietnam's most famous sights. The large bay consists of thousands of karst islands jutting straight up out of the sea.

A boat nearly identical to mine.

Trying to save some money, I opted for a day trip. (Most guides recommend a one- or two-night cruise, but I can easily come back.) That meant my boat was… not great. Like the boat pictured above, there was no outdoor seating except for some immoveable metal benches, which was disappointing given the sun and temperatures in the upper 70s. Nonetheless, it's hard to complain about the scenery we passed.

Other boats touring the bay.

A stop-off point for kayaking.

While the size and steepness alone were amazing, I was not expecting how endlessly the karst scenery punctuated the bay. Likely for conservation reasons, however, most of the boats follow the same route through the bay, including stops at a few islands for kayaking and sightseeing.

View before entering Surprise Cave.

Our first stop was a crowded, humid visit to the absolutely massive Surprise Cave, which required hundreds of steps to get in and out.

Giving new meaning to the word cavernous.

After exploring the cave, we stopped at a floating dock for kayaks. Also totally packed with people, this stop didn't seem worth the time and energy for how little time on the water I would've gotten, so I opted to stay on the boat and take in the scenery.

Sun setting over the hordes of kayakers.

Since our tour had been running an hour late, the sun was beginning to set by the time we set off for the next stop, Đảo Ti Tốp (Titop Island).

Heading towards Đảo Ti Tốp.

Just in time to catch the sunset, we reached Titop Island, named for the Soviet cosmonaut second to orbit the Earth.

Sunset on the bay.

Conveniently, the main attraction on Titop Island (save for a small, overcrowded beach) was a scenic overlook, which of course required yet another long climb. Nonetheless, the view was totally worth it.

A quieter section of the bay.

As it became totally dark, we made our way back to the marina after about 5 blissful hours sailing.

Yes, those are my feet in the video! It was the perfect way to end a tiring but beautiful day. Check out more photos here. Anyways, keep an eye out for the post about food I keep telling myself I'll write.

Till next time,

Gray