Cat Ba & Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba Island was our next destination and we stayed there for 4 nights. The island is a gateway to the famous Ha Long Bay and its so-called little sister Lan Ha Bay with its beautiful karst islands and limestone outcrops 🏝️

Our plan was to relax and enjoy some quiet time after the exciting Ha Giang Loop. We had a hotel with a beautiful garden close to Cat Ba National Park. In the evening you could sometimes spot goats climbing around 🐐

Thanks to Instagram we learnt beforehand that there were huge constructions going on in Cat Ba Town (apparently they want to establish a sustainable, eco-tourism destination). When we arrived at Cat Ba Town we saw the immense construction side but luckily they stopped working for a week due to the 50th independence festivities. Lucky us 🤞🍀

The first day was a pool day and we explored Cat Ba Town by night. We rested, enjoyed delicious food and my mum enjoyed the best massage (well deserved after riding on the scooter for three days 😄).

The next day we decided to join a day tour to Lan Ha Bay. We chose this area instead of Ha Long Bay as it is supposed to be less busy but equally beautiful.
The trip was amazing: we were a small group of people, there were hardly any boats with us and the landscape is just beautiful. We enjoyed the sun, swam in the Gulf of Tonkin, explored a beach and jumped off our boat ⛵💦 We also spend some time kayaking around the limestone karsts and even spotted the endangered golden-headed langur 🐒

Since Cat Ba National Park was right around the corner, we decided to hike to the famous view point. It turned out to be a much harder hike than expected so when we reached the top, we were all sweaty and exhausted. After descending, we enjoyed a fresh coconut ⛰️🥥 and our pool for the rest of the day 😎

After reading about the construction we were a bit worried about going to Cat Ba. It turned out to be super nice and we really enjoyed our time on the island. Besides the beautiful scenery, we also enjoyed our first seafood hot pot and delicious coconut ice cream 🍲🍧Les mer