Apparently, we aren’t the only travelers that have heard of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam. Oh, you have too? exactly. As one of the most jaw-dropping, unique natural landscapes on earth, its kind of a big deal.
With thousands of jungle-covered limestone karst towers jutting right out of a tropical sea, it’s easy to understand why so many tourists flock here.That’s why we were pumped to hear about Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay. It was a tip we were given from a couple we shared a table with at the night market dinner buffet in Luang Prabang, Laos. It proved to be the right way of us to experience this stunning and over-popular area in northern Vietnam.
While boats carry hundreds of tourists daily through Ha Long Bay, Cat Ba island is relatively secluded from the traffic. Its like the less popular cute sister who is just as rad as her popular counterpart.
It turns out, the clouds weren’t just stuck in Sapa. Cat Ba was just as cloudy and wet as its northern neighbor. So, it turned out to be a bit too rainy during our visit to explore the national park that takes up most of the island’s real estate. But, we decided if we were going to get wet anyway, we might as well go hit the waves.
We signed up for a day of kayaking with Asia Outdoors, feeling like pros after our three-day trip down the Ou Nang in Laos. The tour operator also offered rock climbing tours, and although Lan Ha Bay is a dream come true for climbers, we decided $80 was a little too steep for a day of toproping. I mean, we couldn’t live with ourselves for that kinda cash-drop. So, we declined.
About two dozen people piled into vans in the morning and we were shuttled to a dock where we all boarded a junk boat. Junk boats are like the eighteen wheelers of Vietnam’s waters. They are big, boxy, top-heavy, and reluctant to get out of anyone’s way. Ours was basically a floating restaurant.
The interior junk.
Leisurely touring through the bay was just as jaw dropping as I always imagined Ha Long Bay, except instead of countless tourist boats full of white people, there were floating fishing villages full of locals and vicious looking guard dogs. Don’t get too close, or you will lose your paddle/hand/arm/good feeling about dogs.
About half the group boarded another boat to go do some climbing and, forgetting the price tag of their tour, I was a little jealous. The limestone formations could easily provide a lifetime of climbing opportunities. Hundred foot walls soared over small beaches and rose up right out of the water. Similar to the climbing we did in Thailand, the best looking climbs would require a boat to explore.About a dozen of us teamed up, and jumped into six kayaks. The fiberglass boats were made locally on island and they felt sturdy and seemed nearly impossible to tip over. They also had the odd quirk of constantly tracking to the right. All the practice and technique we perfected on our three-day trip went out the window as we tried not to paddle around in circles.
We maneuvered our kayaks through shallow waters, trying to spot fish and sea anemones on the coral below us. Our guide brought us into a small cove that is enclosed by the national park. We learned about the bay’s geology and informed about the endangered species of monkeys that inhabit the park. We waited quietly and scanned the cliffs hoping in vain to catch a glimpse of them. Maybe they know that they were written about in Lonely Planet and now it cost more to see them.However, we did see some blue-eyed anemone which were more frightening than most living things we’ve encountered on this trip.
Terror lurking.
We continued our little tour and after a couple of hours of paddling we still only saw a tiny little corner of the bay. The limestone towers create a maze that make exploring the water a dizzying adventure.
We rounded a corner to find ourselves out in some pretty open water, and the wind that had picked up created a swell of waves that made us feel pretty small in our little kayaks. We ventured out through the five foot rollers, feeling like our sturdy boats might get tested.The pin drop of adrenaline was all you needed to feel like you were riding the swells of the open, rolling ocean. Perhaps that is an exaggeration, but we felt badass either way. When our guide shouted out instructions to us in a panicky tone, the thrill bumped up a notch. We pointed our boats towards a cave at the base of a cliff. When we approached the rock opening, the waves picked us up and we surfed through the arch An excellent way to punctuate our morning out on the water.
It was a wave pool of kayak heaven.
Our guide took us to a small beach where we got out of our boats and ducked into the low mouth of a cave. After crawling through to sand we popped out on the other side of the rock in a forest concealed within the interior of the island. We took a little break on a hidden beach there before retracing our path back to our boats.
We got back to the junk boat and enjoyed a huge group lunch prepared by the crew. We got to know some other people who took the climbing tour, and watched as others jump off the roof deck into the water. Although our full bellies made it harder to get back into the kayak, we were motivated by the fun attitudes of our new friends.
Entering the tunnel of love.
Our guide for the afternoon full of excitement and promised to take us to a new cave he recently discovered. He named it after himself, but only referred to it as “the tunnel of love.”
About an hour of paddling brought us there, and although it was underwhelming, the silly energy that had permeated the group made everything fun.
Just when you’re busy goofing off, the landscape creeps up on you.
By the end of the tour, we had made plans with our new friends to meet up for dinner. Dinner turned into beers as we swapped stories about travel and life at home. Beers turned into more beers and eventually we all turned into YouTube karaoke shit show at the last open dive bar. Family dinner!
We left Cat Ba island with some slightly fuzzy memories of a great time but we will never forget seeing and exploring this dreamy mountain water wonderland.
