Best Kayaking Trips in Cat Ba — Our Top 6

1.Lan Ha, HaLong bay full day- biking, kayaking, lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,166 reviews · 1 day · from $22Our pick

From Cat Ba, cruise Lan Ha and Ha Long bays, visit a floating fishing village, ride a bamboo boat through caves, swim, eat a Vietnamese lunch, then cycle through Viet Hai village. Guides such as Tony, Kai, and B are praised for clear English and warm service.

“A great trip, the guide was excellently prepared and gave very interesting stories. The views were breathtaking, and the bike ride was a great idea.”

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2.Lan Ha Bay Bioluminescent Plankton Kayak Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 316 reviews · from $36

Spend an afternoon and evening cruising Lan Ha Bay, visiting the Floating Fisherman Village and Monkey Island, swimming, jumping from limestone rocks, and kayaking with bioluminescent plankton. Guide Ba leads the trip, which ends with dinner at his family restaurant and hotel transport.

“This was an amazing experience from feeding the monkeys and climbing to the top of monkey island to see a breathtaking view of lan ha bay. While it rained a little kayaking to the planktons, this also was such an amazing experience to witness the planktons, it was so beautiful and kayaking back was very serene. Ba, our tour guide was terrific and we finished the tour with a nice warm dinner! I highly recommend this tour, it rivals the ha giang loop for me as the highlight of my visit to Vietnam.”

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3.From Lan Ha Bay: 3-Day 2-Night Cruise with Meals & Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 131 reviews · from $272

Spend two nights aboard V’Spirit Cruises between Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay. You’ll kayak at Tra Bau, visit Viet Hai village, see Bright Cave by boat, swim near Ba Trai Dao, and enjoy balcony-cabin comfort. Guides such as Victor, Andy, Tony, and Dan are known for clear, friendly service.

“In this tour, there are many staff, tour guides, some of them are very experienced and new but they were all very good. They were smiling and pleasant all the time. It was a fun and memorable experience for me so far! Highly recommended! Transportation was very good. Stress free. For the 1st day, it was Bobbi. He was very funny smiley and organized. He kept on reminding us about the itinerary for the next few hours which is really important so that we are aware about what’s happening. I enjoyed the boat ride. Cooking lesson was fun. The vodka prawn cooking show was also interesting. Delicious too! Taichi lesson…”

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4.Sunset & Bioluminescent Plankton Kayaking Lan Ha bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 93 reviews · from $43Top rated

From Cat Ba, you’ll cruise through Cai Beo floating village to Van Boi Beach for sunset and a BBQ, then kayak after dark to see bioluminescent plankton. Guides including Tom, Lin, and Ryan have led the trip. Swimming is optional.

“Lin is a great tour guide and made this experience truly memorable! The bioluminescence here is very strong and you will experience swimming in bioluminescent plankton for the first time. Best time to see them! We will definitely be back!”

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5.Lan Ha Bay: Sunset & Plankton Bioluminescent Night Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 58 reviews · from $37

From Cat Ba, follow guides such as Tim, Hana, Taylor, or Thanh past a floating fishing village and limestone islets. After dinner on a boat or floating homestay, paddle into Lan Ha Bay at night to see bioluminescent plankton sparkle around your kayak. Warm water and a dark moon give the best chance.

“Excellent trip! Very well organised. Tim was a great guide: informative and entertaining without being too annoying. Plankton is definitely the highlight of the trip. It’s just magical! Floating amongst these little shiny creatures feels surreal as if you are in the middle of the starry sky itself. Monkey island in the evening is less crowded and you practically get the whole thing to yourself. Overall, I’d recommend this tour over the full day one as you get to see pretty much the same thing + the wonderful plankton experience.”

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6.Sunset & Bioluminescent Kayaking on Lan Ha Bay

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $43

Spend an afternoon and evening on Lan Ha Bay with Cat Ba Panorama, cruising past Cai Beo Floating Fishing Village, swimming, kayaking, and eating local dishes aboard ship. The highlight is night kayaking for bioluminescent plankton. Guide Minh has earned praise for his friendly help.

“So cool to see the bioluminescent plankton!! Apparently there wasn’t much plankton on our night but even with that I thought it was amazing, little sparkles around your paddles!! And the islands are beautiful. Nice boat, good food for dinner”

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