A Day Cruise in Ha Long Bay

We take an 8-hour cruise on Ha Long Bay, long enough to go out in the islands and explore some of the geography, caves, and beaches of this magical place.  We would like to take an overnight cruise, but are constrained for time and can only do one day.  We'll come back another time for the longer cruise deeper into the bay or into Bai Tu Long Bay a little further up the coast.

We are picked up at our hotel and taken to the pier, with one quick stop at the market to fill the trunk with fresh fish and vegetables for our lunch on the boat. 

At the pier

Our boat (for the day)

We motor out into the bay, approaching the first group is islets that we'll pass between.

Heading out

We pass the "kissing rocks," where every boat stops for pictures.

Kissing rocks

We continue down the channels between the islands, enjoying the landscape and the views.  There are many tour boats going the same route and also many commercial barges, ferries, and fishing boats.

Continuing through the islets

Soon, in the next few blogs, we'll visit caves in the limestone islands and explore other great features and activities of this area.