Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Ha Long Bay Kayak Tour: A Private Half Day from Your Hotel
Two caves on Route 1, then up to an hour paddling through the rock arches of Ba Hang, with a whole boat waiting for your group alone. Every entry fee is in the price, and nothing is collected from you at any gate.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains the story behind each cave and the old fishing villages — to your group alone, not a whole boatload
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in Ha Long, including Bai Chay, Tuan Chau and Hong Gai. No meeting point to reach on your own
Every entry fee in the price
Sightseeing ticket, port fee and kayaks are arranged for you. Nothing is collected from you at any gate
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a pearl farm or souvenir showroom that pays to have you delivered
A whole boat, and real time in the kayak
Your group has the deck to itself, and the lagoon gets 45 to 60 minutes rather than a quick loop
Duration
About 5.5 hours
Departure
07:45 or 13:00
Pickup
Any Ha Long hotel
from · $113 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$365 BOOK →3 guests$405 BOOK →4 guests$450 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The half day, stop by stop
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. Morning departure shown; the 13:00 start runs the same stops and ends with tea and fruit instead of lunch.
Hotel pickup · 07:45 or 13:00 · anywhere in Ha Long
Short drive and boarding · up to 30 minutes · Tuan Chau or the Ha Long port, whichever is closer
Thien Cung Cave
09:00 · about 40 minutes · about 100 to 130 steps
Entry included — no ticket booth for you
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Found only in 1993, and the showpiece of Route 1: a paved path with handrails winds through chambers of stalactites under coloured lights. Your guide tells you which shapes carry a legend, and which are simply how limestone behaves.
Dau Go Cave
09:50 · about 25 minutes · about 90 steps
Entry included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A short walk from Thien Cung, and the opposite in mood: a wide mouth with natural light. The name means wooden stakes, from the legend that Tran Hung Dao hid them here before the Bach Dang battle of 1288.
Sail on · about 30 minutes · your own boat, your own deck
Ba Hang by kayak
10:40 · 45 to 60 minutes · double kayaks, life jackets on
Kayaks and fee included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The reason for the tour. Low arches link a chain of small lagoons, walled by limestone, and only small boats get through. Fishing families lived here until they were moved ashore in 2014, and your guide explains how that life worked. If the weather rules out paddling, the bamboo rowing boat takes the same water when it is running.
Back on board · about 10 minutes · your boat picks you up at the lagoon
Lunch on board
11:50 · about 50 minutes · sailing past the Fighting Cock islet
Meal included on the morning departure
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A seafood lunch cooked on board while the boat passes the two balancing rocks of the Fighting Cock, the image on most postcards of the bay. On the afternoon departure this is tea and fruit instead, with the sun low behind the islands.
Back at your hotel · around 13:15 · or 18:15 on the afternoon departure · About 5.5 hours after pickup
Two caves, one lagoon, one group
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$365 BOOK →3 guests$405 BOOK →4 guests$450 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car and driver between your Ha Long hotel and the harbour
- Your own licensed local guide, fluent in English
- A whole tourist boat for your group on Route 1
- Bay sightseeing ticket, port fee and both caves
- Double kayaks and life jackets at Ba Hang, 45 to 60 minutes on the water
- The bamboo rowing boat in place of the kayak whenever you want it and it is running, at no extra charge
- Seafood lunch on board on the morning departure; tea and fruit on the afternoon departure
- Drinking water
Not included
− Drinks beyond the water we provide
− Anything you choose to buy on the bay
− A tip for your guide, driver and boat crew — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want to paddle the bay rather than only look at it from a deck.
You are already staying in Ha Long and would rather not spend the day on a coach.
You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group and want the day to bend around you.
You want one number that covers everything, with nothing to settle at any gate.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget. A shared boat tour costs far less and still reaches the bay.
Steps are a problem. Thien Cung is about 100 to 130 steps and Dau Go about 90, though your guide can skip either.
You want Luon Cave, Sung Sot or Ti Top. Those are on Route 2, which is the day from Hanoi.
Your only free day falls in a storm warning in typhoon season. Boats do not sail when the harbour closes.
If you are coming from Hanoi for the day, or Luon Cave is the part you most want to see, the full-day tour has its own car and boat on Route 2. See the full day from Hanoi. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
Door to door: About 5.5 hours, departing 07:45 or 13:00 from your hotel. The morning departure is back around 13:15 and the afternoon one around 18:15.
Where do you pick us up?
At your own hotel, anywhere in Ha Long: Bai Chay, Tuan Chau, Hong Gai and the rest of the city, with no meeting point to reach on your own. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.
Do we need kayaking experience?
No. The kayaks are doubles and the water inside the lagoons is sheltered. Your guide shows you how to hold the paddle before you leave the boat and stays on the water with you. Everyone wears a life jacket the whole time on the water.
How much walking is there?
About 100 to 130 steps up to Thien Cung, with a paved path and handrails inside, and about 90 to Dau Go. If the steps are not possible for anyone in the group, they can stay on the deck for that stop.
Can children come in the kayak?
Children under 8 ride in the bamboo rowing boat with a parent. If the rowing boats are not running, they stay on board with a parent. From 8 to 15 a child shares a double kayak with an adult or the guide, and from 16 guests paddle as adults. Everyone wears a life jacket the whole time on the water.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted, within the bay’s route, ticket and boat-hour rules: skip a cave, or spend longer in the lagoon. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the customs of the old fishing villages and the story behind each cave as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, on the same boat. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest; groups of five or more need a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card or PayPal, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes - free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car, boat and guide are already committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
Quick-dry clothes, shoes that can get wet, a hat and sunscreen; in winter, a light layer for the deck. Bring a dry bag if you want a phone in the kayak. You do not need cash at any gate; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.
What about lunch and food allergies?
The morning departure includes a seafood lunch cooked on board; the afternoon departure has tea and fruit instead. Tell us about allergies or vegetarian meals when you book so the crew can plan for them.
What happens if the weather turns?
If the harbour authority stops tourist boats because of a storm, you can move to another date free of charge or take a full refund. If the harbour stays open but a squall or rough water makes paddling unsafe that day, your guide cancels the kayak and swaps it for the bamboo rowing boat if those are running. If neither is running you stay on board. Either way there is no partial refund. Light rain does not stop the tour.
Book your half day on the bay
Private car, whole boat and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$320 BOOK →2 guests$365 BOOK →3 guests$405 BOOK →4 guests$450 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›