Explore one of Wonders of Nature by Halong bay kayaking
As i mentioned before, Halong bay is one of the most beautiful places for Vietnam kayaking. In this article I want to show you some more reasons why you should try Halong bay kayaking. Also, I will give you some tips for choosing the right Halong bay cruise. Don’t skip this note, if you are really keen on kayaking in the most amazing bay of Vietnam.
1. All about Halong Bay
Halong bay is located in the Gulf of Tokin, in Quang Binh province, 165km from Hanoi. The total area of the bay is 43,400 ha including more than 1600 islands and islets. Most of them are uninhabitated and undamaged by human, which offers you a spectacular and pristine seascape with limestone pillars and karstic caves. Thanks to its tropical climate, the biological system is abundant. Therefore, with Halong bay kayaking you will enjoy this exceptional beauty in the real way.
This splendid bay was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. I would say that, you feel like this place looks like the scenery of an Oscar movie. One day, two days or more aren’t enough to see all its beauty. Only with Halong bay kayaking, you will understand why it became World Heritage Site and Wonders of Nature.
2. All about Halong bay kayaking
Every traveler visits Halong bay tends to join in this activity. Actually, most of Halong bay tours include kayaking, if not you will be charged around 10$ for 1 kayak. At spots like caves, the locales also have kayak for rent with 3$. Sometimes, they will try to overcharge you, so be aware of the price. Below are some steps for you about Vietnam kayaking Halong bay.
Before Halong bay kayaking
According to the regulations of Vietnam kayaking Halong bay and for your safety, you must be equipped with life vest. But it is not sufficient, you also need sun cream, dry bag, camera and insect repellent. I know you understand what are these things for.
You should prepare suitable clothes. With the activity like Halong bay kayaking, you can wear T-shirt and shorts, swimming suit (optional) or anything that makes you feel the most comfortable. In the winter, you ought to wear warm clothes but not too much because they can stop you from enjoying kayaking. And of course, wet shoes, hat and sunglasses are required.
Before starting your Vietnam kayaking Halong bay, you will be received a brief instructions. You should listen carefully to the instructor. And if you don’t know how to kayak or have any question, don’t hesitate to ask the instructor, he/she will show you friendly.
Don’t join Halong bay kayaking if you are drunk or you tend to celebrate something while kayaking. Alcohol will dull all your senses, which is able to lead to unfortunate accidents.
Always keep a suitable distance with others to avoid crashing and stick to the group in order not to get lost. One thing you need to pay attention is that even if you have lots of kayaking experiences, you shouldn’t come too close to caves. This is because they may suck you in, and it will take lots of time to escape. There are lots of reports about this accident when people join in Halong bay kayaking, so don’t try it.
While enjoying Halong bay kayaking
As I said above, stay focus on your guide. Listen him/ her about the route, time and rules for each destinations of Vietnam kayaking Halong bay. This is because there will be some change on the weather, tide and wind strength that make the route change too. And there will be some modification on your trip.
Remember to stay away from the places that have strong flows or against the wind. You can have some troubles with them or reduce your stamina. In addition, it’s easier if you take advantage of the flow and wind direction.
How to handle with troubles while kayaking
You might be so careful and kayaking Halong bay is less dangerous, but nothing can be predicted. You might get into troubles sometimes, so in these situations, what is your best choice?
If your kayak is sucked in a cave and capsize, you need to stay calm and swim a little bit. Then, you need your guide help you to remove all water out of your kayak. After removing all water, he will put the kayak back to the water and keep it still. Then you can be on the kayak and go on your Halong bay kayaking trip.
In case of storm, you should follow closely to the instruction of the guide, find the safest place to wait for the storm end. But in my experience, the storm always comes with predictions, so they will cancel the Halong bay kayaking if the weather forecast says there is a storm coming.
How long you can enjoy Vietnam kayaking Halong bay?
If you are on 1 day Halong bay tour, you only have 15 to 20 minutes for kayaking at some small floating villages like Ba Hang village. With the longer tour, you have chance to kayak to some famous caves in Halong bay. And of course, the longer your tour is, the more time you can spend on kayaking. With 2 nights on cruise, you will gain more than 3 hours for this activity.
3. How to choose the best cruise for your Halong bay kayaking?
There are huge number of junk on Halong bay with different quality and services. A cruise will be your companion along the trip, so to help your cruise not to be disaster, I have some useful tips for you.
Lower your expectations
If you are expecting a peaceful morning with sunrise among the karst stones and no others boats around, you should wipe it out. This is because Vietnamese authorities require every junk to drop the anchor in specific places for overnight. But you still have one night floating in the water.
Another thing you should notice is that most of day trip don’t offer swimming or kayaking. Therefore, if you are into Halong bay kayaking, you should choose the longer tour. Also, common day trip is on a double-decker junk. And if you want to relax at upper level, that’s will be a fight for a lounger.
Day trip or overnight
Definitely overnight. I always recommend 2 days or 3 days for my friends who want to try Halong bay kayaking. Firstly, this is because you will have wide range of choice of cruise. With few day tour, they offer you various kinds of cruise depending on your budget. If you want to enjoy luxurious accommodation and services, choose the junk with fewer cabins. And of course, you will have more time for aquatic activities besides kayaking like swimming or piloting a bamboo boat.
Book in advance
This action brings you lots of advantages. The first one is you can figure out how many passengers you share the junk with. The second thing is you check if the vessel is out of order or not. If you choose a boat and book at one day before the trip and the vessel is no longer run anymore, your plan will be disordered.
Finally, you can choose to book a private vessel or share it. If you go in a group of a dozen or more, you should book a private junk. But if there are only two, you are not recommended to spend money on private one.
Halong bay kayaking is a fun and worth-try activity. It’s not a difficult sport especially in the calm water of Halong bay. I hope you all enjoy this activity and have good time there.
