Booking Terms
Last updated: November 4, 2026
These terms apply to every tour booked on halongbaykayaking.com.
1. What you are booking
A private tour for your group of 1–4 guests, at one price for the group. The price covers a private car with driver, a whole tourist boat for your group, your own licensed local guide, hotel pickup and drop-off in the pickup area of the tour, the bay sightseeing ticket, port fee and cave entry on the route, double kayaks and life jackets, the bamboo rowing boat in place of the kayak whenever you want it and it is running, drinking water, and the meal listed on the tour. It does not cover drinks beyond water, personal shopping, optional tips or travel insurance.
The tours on this site are sample itineraries, and every tour can be tailored on request. There are no shop stops on any tour.
2. Who runs the tour
Your contract is with us, and we are your single point of contact. We operate each day with licensed local partners. Your guide is a licensed local, fluent in English, who explains the caves, the customs of the old fishing villages and the rules of the bay.
The day boats we use have about 48 seats, so a small group has a large boat to itself. Small yachts are a separate product: ask us first if you want one.
3. Payment
Two ways. You can pay the full price online by card or PayPal, at checkout or through a payment link sent on WhatsApp. Or you can pay a 30% deposit online and the remaining 70% in cash to your guide on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. Your confirmation states the balance. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through.
4. Cancellation and refunds
Free cancellation up to 3 days, meaning 72 hours, before your pickup time, with a full refund to the original payment method, usually within 5–10 working days.
Within 3 days of pickup, including if you do not show up, 30% of the tour price is charged. If you paid in full you receive 70% back. If you paid a 30% deposit, the deposit covers this charge and nothing more is due.
You can reschedule free of charge up to 3 days before, subject to availability.
5. Tailor-made tours
Any tour can be changed on request, within the route, ticket and boat-hour rules of the bay. We send an all-inclusive quote in writing before you book, and the price may differ from the sample itinerary. On the day, your guide can change the order and pace of stops within the booked hours.
6. Weather, closures and changes
The harbour authority decides when boats may sail. If it 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. Your guide has the final say on safety on the water.
If something changes from our side we tell you first and offer an equivalent or a refund. We never quietly downgrade a day.
7. Your part
Please be in your hotel lobby at the pickup time. Your guide waits for 20 minutes before treating it as a no-show. We recommend travel insurance. Tell us in advance about dietary needs, mobility limits or any medical condition that affects paddling or climbing steps. Everyone must wear a life jacket the whole time on the water.
8. Children and access
Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. Children under 8 ride in the bamboo rowing boat with a parent, and stay on board with a parent if those boats are not running. From 8 to 15 a child shares a double kayak with an adult or the guide. From 16 guests paddle as adults.
Caves and Ti Top involve steps: about 100 to 130 at Thien Cung, about 90 at Dau Go, about 60 at Sung Sot and about 400 at Ti Top. Boarding a boat and a kayak needs some balance. Ask us if anyone in your group uses a wheelchair or walks with difficulty.
9. Liability
To the extent the law allows, our liability is limited to the amount you paid for the booking. Nothing here limits rights that cannot be limited by law.
10. Contact
WhatsApp +84 368 938 081 or email [email protected]. Ha Long Bay Kayaking, Tuan Chau Ward, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam.