Excursions to visit the famous Halong Bay in Vietnam, tips to visit this natural beauty in one, two and three days of travel and the agencies to rely on.
There are places in the collective imagination that evoke myths and legends, and the Halong Bay is one of these: with beyond 2000 islands that dot the Gulf of Tonkin, in the north of Vietnam, the Bay is a real spectacle of nature that takes your breath away.
Declared Unesco World Heritage Site in 1994 it is a place to visit at least once in a lifetime. In the Vietnamese language the term Halong means "where the dragon descends into the sea" and the legend it tells of a dragon who, coming down from the adjacent mountains, created this bay and with its tail dug valleys and crevasses to then plunge into the sea. The areas he dug filled with water and only the highest peaks remained visible.
For visit the bay of Halong you can find accommodation at Halong City or stay overnight ad Hanoi and reach it by bus in a couple of hours. In both cases, the most comfortable way to take an excursion to Halong is to rely on atravel agency, scattered throughout the capital. You can also ask in the hotel where you are staying and they will call the agency they rely on directly, organizing everything according to your needs. Usually you can choose between three stay options, based on the time you have available: one, two or three days.
In a day
Visiting Halong Bay in just one day, they will simply make you navigate the beautiful rocks that come out of the water and create a unique and suggestive landscape.
In two days
Visiting Halong Bay in two days, which is what I recommend doing, they will take you to visit a cave, go kayaking at sunset, and spend the night on a boat with a great Vietnamese dinner. The second day we will sail around the Bay making a stop in one of the many islets that dot this magical place. Then a small cooking class will be waiting for you and at lunch you will eat what has been prepared and then return to land.
In three days
In three days, in addition to the activities described above, they will make you spend a night on the island of Cat Bat, where you can visit the small town and enjoy suggestive views over the harbor and the bay.
The only discordant note is that being a very popular destination you have to deal with a lot of boats and people who all make the same tour at the same times.
Apart from this small inconvenience, which can be easily overlooked, Halong Bay is a must-see destination and a must-see within a tour of Vietnam. A place full of charm and mystery, where nature has done its magic, giving us another heritage that once seen will remain in the eyes and in the heart!
