Majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious: words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is HaLong Bay. Imagine 3000 or more incredible islands rising from the emerald waters of the Gulf of Tonkin and you have a vision of breathtaking beauty. Halong Bay is pure art, a priceless collection of unfinished sculptures hewn from the hand of nature. In 1994 it was designated a World Heritage site. Visitors can’t help but compare the magical, mystical landscape of limestone islets to Guilin in China and Krabi in southern Thailand, but in reality Halong Bay is more spectacular. These tiny islands are dotted with and waves, and have sparsely forested slopes ringing with birdsong.
Beyond the breathtaking vistas on
a
boat cruise through the bay, visitors to Halong come to
explore the caves –some of which are beautifully illuminated for
the benefit of tourists and to hike in
Cat Ba National Park.
There are few real beaches in Halong Bay, but Lan Ha Bay (off the
coast of
Cat Ba Island) has more than 100 sandy dtrips.
Halong
city is the gateway to Halong Bay but not the ideal introduction
to this incredible World Heritage site. Developers have not been
kind to the city and most visitors sensibly opt for tours that
include sleeping on a boat in the bay. In short, Halong Bay is
the attraction; Halong City is not. For more on
tours in and
around the bay, see the boxed text. As the number–one
tourist
attraction in the northeast, Halong Bay draws a steady stream of
visitors years round. From February to April the weather in this
region is often cool and drizzly. The ensuing fog can make
cisibility low, but this adds an ethereal air to the place and
the temperature rarely falls bellow 10 degree C. During the
summer months tropical storms are frequent, and tourist boats
may have to alter their itinerant's, depending on the weather.
Halong Bay is the stuff of myths and naturally the Vietnamese
have concocted one. Halong translates as 'where the dragon
descends into the sea'. Legend has it that the islands of Halong
Bay were created by a great dragon that lived in the mountains.
As it charged towards the coast,Swiss Replica Watches its flailing tail gouged out
valleys and crevasses. When it finally plunged into the sea, the
area filled with water, leaving only the pinnacles visible.
Dragons aside, the biggest threat to the bay may be from
souvenir-hunting tourists. Rare corals and seashells are rapidly
being stripped from the sea floor, and stalactites and
stalagmites are being broken off from the caves. These items get
turned into key rings, paperweights and ashtrays, which are on
sale in the local souvenir shops. Obviously the fewer people
buy, the less the local people will take to sell, so don't
encourage the trade.
Sights & Activities
CAVES
Halong Bay's limestone islands are peppered with caves of all
shapes and sixes. Many of these are accessible only by charter
boat, but some can easily be visited on a tour.
Hang Dau Go (Cave of Wooden
Stakes). known to the French as the Grotte des Merveilles (Cave
of Marvels), is a huge cave consisting of three chambers, which
you reach via 90 steps. Among the stalactites of the first hall,
scores of gnomes appear to be holding a meeting. The walls of
the second chamber sparkle if bright light is shone on them. The
cave derives its Vietnamese name from the third chamber. This
chamber is said So have been used during the 13th century to
store the sharp bamboo stakes that Vietnamese folk hero and war
general Tran Hung Dao planted in the bed of the Bach Dang River
to impale Mongolian general Kublai Khan's invasion fleet. It's
the closest cave site to the mainland. Part of the same system,
the nearby Hang Thien Cung has
'cauliflower' limestone growths as well as stalactites and
stalagmites.
Hang Sung Sot is a popular cave to
visit. It too has three vast and beautiful chambers, in the
second of which there's an astonishing pink-lit rock phallus,
which is regarded as a fertility symbol. ‘Penis rock' is the
only way to describe it. It, too, requires a hike up steps to
reach it, and a loop walk through the cool interior takes you
back to the bay. Hang Bo Nau
another impressive cave, can be visited nearby.
Hang Trong (Drum Grotto) is so
named because when the wind blows through its many stalactites
and stalagmites, visitors think they can hear the sound of
distant drumbeats. Exactly which of the caves you visit will
probably be decided on the day you travel. It depends on several
factors, including the weather, number of other boats in the
vicinity, and the number of people putting environ¬mental
pressure on the caves.
ISLANDS
Dao Tuan Chau (Tuan Chau Island),
just 5km west of Bai Chay (western Ha long City), is one of the
few islands in Ha long Bay that has seen any development. For
many years the only accommodation was in Ho Chi Minh's former
summer residence, an elegant but decaying structure. However,
all this changed as the island rebranded itself
Tuan Chau International Recreation Complex, complete with aquarium. Circus, golf course and
private villas There are more than 300 rooms in this vast
complex', The beachside rooms are task-fill and the top rate
includes steam baths and saunas in the rooms.
Dao Titop (Titop Island) is a small
island in the middle of the bay with a small, somewhat scruffy
beach. Ignore its dubious charms and make for the summit of the
island, which offers one of the best panorama views of Ha long
Bay. It's cheaper than a chopper. Cat Ba Island is the best
known and most developed of Ha long Bay's islands.
CAT BA ISLAND
Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba. the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, Omega Replica Watches off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offers numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay's islands are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town. Except for a few fertile pockets, the terrain is too rocky for serious agriculture; most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba residents joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and '80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, overseas Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the island, fuelling the hotel boom of the past decade.
Cat Ba is still relatively laid-back, despite about a
20-fold increase in hotel rooms (and karaoke machines!) since
1996, Almost half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of
354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent waters were declared a
national park in 1986 to protect the island's diverse
eco-systems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the
hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills,
coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater takes and coral
reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs. but there
are a few sandy beaches hidden away in small coves. There are
numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular
limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level
The largest permanent body of water on the island is
Ech Lake, which covers an area of 3
hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most
of the island's rainwater Hows into caves and follows
underground streams to the sea, which creates a shortage of
fresh water during the dry season. The waters off Cat Ba Island
are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of mollusc and 400
species of arthropod. Larger marine animals in the area include
seals and three species of dolphin. Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to
Cat Ba Island on 1 April 1951 and there is a large annual
festival on the island to commemorate the event. A
monument to Uncle Ho stands on
Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite the pier in Cat Ba town.
The best weather on Cat Ba Island is from late September to
November, particularly the latter, when the air and water
temperature if mild and skies are mostly clear. December to
February is cooler, but still pleasant. From February to April
rain is common, while the summer months, from June through
August, are hot and humid. This is also peak season and the
island is overrun with Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi and
beyond.
Cat Ba National Park
This accessible national park
is home to 32 types of mammals - including langurs,
wild boar, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs and more than 70
species of birds have been sighted, including hawks, hornbills
and cuckoos. The golden-headed langur is officially the world's
most endangered primate with just 60 left in the park. Cat Ba
lies on a major migration route for waterfowl, which feed and
roost on the beaches in the mangrove forests. There are 745
species of plants recorded on Cat Ba, including 118 timber
species and 160 plants with medicinal value. The park is also
home to a species of tree called Cay Kim Gao. In ancient days,
kings and nobles would eat only with chopsticks made from this
timber, as anything poisonous it touches is reputed to turn the
light-colored wood to black. A guide is not mandatory, but is
definitely recommended if you want to go walking; otherwise, all
you are likely to see is a canopy of trees. Two caves in and
around the national park are open to visitors.
Hospital Cave oozes historical
significance, as it served as a secret, bomb-proof hospital
during the American War. This cave is actually just outside the
park and the entrance is located about 2 kilometers along the
road to Cat Ba town. Hang Trung Trang
(Trung Trang Cave) is easily accessible, but you will need to
contact a ranger to make sure it is open. Bring a torch
(flashlight) as it is gloomy inside. There is a challenging 18km
hike through the park and up to one of the mountain summits.
Arrange a guide for this six-hour hike and organize a bus or
boat transport to the trailhead and a boat to get back to town.
All of this can be easily organized with rangers at the national
park headquarters or at the
hotels in Cat Ba if you're
travelling independently. Many hikes end at Viet Flat, a remote
minority village just outside the park boundary, from where
boats shuttle back to Cat Ba town (about 250,000d per boat).
Don't get stranded or you'll get stiffed. Take proper hiking
shoes, a raincoat and a generous supply of water for this hike.
Independent hikers can buy basic snacks at the kiosks in Viet
Hai, which is where many hiking groups stop for lunch. This is
not an easy walk, and is much harder and more slippery after
rain. There are shorter hiking options that are less hard core.
If you're planning to join an
organized tour from Hanoi, check
the trekking options before you book, as many of the cheaper
trips don't actually hike through the park at all. To reach the
national park headquarters at Trung Trang, lake a minibus from
one of the hotels in Cat Ba town (15.OOOd, 30 minutes). Another
option is to hire a motorbike (one way 30.000d).
Beaches
The white-sand Cat Co beaches (simply called Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2
and Cat Co 3) used to be great places to lounge around for the
day. However, 1 and 3 have been taken over by new resorts,
leaving Cat Co 2 as the only sane and safe haven. There is also
simple accommodation here. It is accessible via a wooden
Cliffside walkway around the mountain from Cat Co 1. On weekends
the beaches fill up with Vietnamese tourists and litter becomes
a real blight, but during the week the crowds diminish. The
beaches are about 1 km southeast from Cat Ba town over a steep
headland, and can be reached on toot or by motorbike
Other beaches include Cai Vieng, Hong Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon.
Cat Ba Town
A sleepy fishing village just a decade ago, it is now the Costa
del Cat Ba! Since being 'discovered' by Hanoi residents. Cat Ba
has turned into a highly popular summer getaway, filling up on
weekends and holidays, when the town is jumping. This has been a
boon for the range of amenities available, from hotels to
restaurants, but the downside is a boom in karaoke joints and
the tuneless wailing they often emit. During the summer the town
also fills up with cars, as Hanoi residents use the car ferries
to come via Cat Hai. Weekdays are saner, as is just before or
just after the peak summer season.
MONKEY BUSINESS
Monkey Island is also part of Cat Ba National Park and many
visitors make a boat trip here. However, we do not recommend
this trip as the troop of monkeys on this island is pretty
aggressive and many travelers have been bitten. The bite itself
can be painful and shocking, but worse are the rabies shots that
follow. Save the monkey business for somewhere more interesting
like
Cuc Phuong National Park.
Source: lonely planet