Cat Ba Island and Lan Ha Bay

UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve (2004) On The Largest Island Of Ha Long Bay, With Cat Ba National Park And Lan Ha Bay, A Quieter Karst Bay Of Limestone Islands And Beaches. A Base For Kayaking, Climbing And Boat Trips That Avoids The Busiest Ha Long Cruise Routes. · Cat Ba, Hai Phong

Cat Ba is the largest island of the Ha Long archipelago, about 150 km from Hanoi, and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve since 2004. Most of it is limestone hills and forest inside Cat Ba National Park, with a harbour town of hotels and seafood restaurants on the south coast, and busy but pleasant beaches. The great draw is Lan Ha Bay to the south-east, which has the same limestone towers as Ha Long Bay but calmer water, more empty lagoons and far fewer boats, so many travellers use Cat Ba as a quieter and cheaper base than Ha Long. Trips include kayaking, swimming at hidden beaches, floating fishing villages, rock climbing and a day or overnight boat cruise. Be realistic: the town is a holiday resort, crowded in summer, and plastic rubbish and boat traffic are real problems. Weather rules the schedule, with typhoons from June to October. Allow two or three days, book boats in town with a licensed agent, and expect the quietest, clearest water on the bay, away from the harbour, ideally on a weekday outside the summer peak.

Largest island of the Ha Long archipelago, reached by ferry from Hai Phong or Ha Long about 150 km from Hanoi, with the harbour town of Cat Ba and the quieter Lan Ha Bay to the south-east, Cat Ba, Hai Phong, Vietnam

The island and bay are open all year, but boats sail only in fair weather, and cruises are stopped in storm warnings. Day trips leave the harbour in the morning and return late afternoon. The national park opens by day with a ticket, and the Hospital Cave and the fort close at dusk. Confirm times and tides locally.

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