After a rich breakfast buffet including noodle soup and toast with jam, we decided to hotel Waiting for our driver for the boat tour through Halong Bay. It's either the very low season or Ha Long City is always so dreary. We already walked around a bit yesterday and were very disappointed. When we couldn't even find a decent meal, we decided to search for restaurants online. We came across the following quote: “If Halong Bay is heaven, Halong City can be hell.”.
This made us even more hopeful about the boat tour. Full of anticipation, we made our way to the dock. Our tour guide greeted us immediately and gave us a voucher for the tour. Then came the first surprise – suddenly, there was no mention of included drinks anymore. These could now be purchased on the ship for a few dollars (but still several times more expensive than usual). The second surprise came right on the boat. Our exclusively Japanese fellow travelers told us they had only booked a 4-hour trip – but we had booked a 6-hour one. When we asked our guide, the only reply was: "Don't worry about time."
Well, there wasn't anything else we could do now anyway. So off we went to a truly unique landscape. Halong Bay consists of hundreds of small islands that rise up to 150 meters out of the water. The smaller ones are uninhabited and covered only with bushes and small trees. Eagles nest on the larger ones, and with a bit of luck, you might even spot monkeys.
Fishing village in Halong Bay
After a good three-quarters of an hour, we arrived at a fishing village in the middle of the islands. The locals live here in floating, self-built houses. They're actually a self-sufficient group that lives exclusively from fishing, but tourism now also contributes to their livelihood. So we were able to rent a kayak and explore a few picturesque bays.
Thien Cung stalactite cave
We continued along the edge of the islands to a small bay with a stalactite cave. It was beautifully landscaped and brightly lit. The tour guides were happy to explain which animal or mythical creature the rock formation resembled. The whole place is very busy, even during the off-season, but it's still worth a visit.
Finally, we took a 45-minute drive back to the port of Halong City.
