Halong Wonder Bay Cruise

Welcome to Travel Tuesday! We’re taking another break from Son Doong this week to check out…the Halong Wonder Bay Cruise!

Halong Wonder Bay Cruise

Price: $79 USD (~1,894,500 VND; we booked through Best Price Travel)
Duration: ~12 hrs (includes the 5 hr round trip drive from Hanoi)

We were staying in Hanoi (Old Quarter) at the time, so the limousine bus picked us up from our hotel at around 8:15am. It’s about a 2.5 hour drive on their new highway over to Tuan Chau Harbor, so our tour guide gave us a little history about Vietnam. (I also took a nap because I’m an expert at falling asleep in moving vehicles if I’m not driving.) Along the way, there was a stop for a snack/restroom break as well as a pearl factory where we got to see how they harvested pearls/made jewelry.

We boarded the Wonder Bay cruise a little past noon and enjoyed a buffet lunch of various types of meats (pork, seafood, chicken), soup, salads, rice, noodles, egg rolls, and fruit. The food was super tasty — I typically don’t eat seafood other than fish but still had plenty of options. (If you don’t like Vietnamese food, you may be less enthusiastic about the food, but everything we tried was delicious!)

Our first stop was to Titov Island (also called Titop Island). The island was named after Gherman Stepanovich Titov, a Soviet cosmonaut who was the second human to orbit the Earth. (He and Ho Chi Minh hung out here.)

You can choose to hike to the peak of Titop Island to enjoy panoramic views of the bay or swim at Crescent Beach. If you can climb up quickly enough, you can actually do both! We decided to hike first and then hang out for a bit in the water. Be aware that the hike does encompass a lot of stairs (~450) so it can be a little challenging, especially in the heat! We made it up in about 10(?) minutes.

Our boat picked us up on the other end and we headed on to the next stop. We had the option of either going kayaking (where you paddle on your own) or a bamboo boat (where someone paddles for you). Naturally, we opted for kayaking. Since we were a group of 3 and the kayaks were for 2 people, we split into 2 kayaks and paddled around the sheltered part of the bay to explore Luon Cave.

Our final stop was to the Sung Sot Cave!  Also known as Surprising Cave, it was discovered by the French in 1901, and is one of the biggest caves in Halong Bay. Unlike Son Doong, it is a show cave so there are lights, stairs, and walkways. That being said, you’ll still need to climb 50 steps to get to the entrance + walk through narrow passageways to get through the cave.

Afterward, we piled back onto the boat afterward and set for Tuan Chau harbor again. We were able to enjoy afternoon tea on the trip back to the harbor.

Coconut cake dessert, fresh fruit and herbal tea

My one and only “complaint” was that you had to pay for water/any drinks on the cruise. Single-use plastic water bottles were banned due to problems with pollution, so the change in itself is a plus. However, it would’ve been cool to have carafes of water available. (It was a pretty hot day, especially after the day’s activities. We did get water bottles on the bus both ways though.)

All in all though, this was a great experience! Included transportation to/from Halong Bay was a huge plus. Since we had limited time, this was a great way to see a lot there despite the time constraints!

• Have you ever been to Halong Bay?
• Would you have gone hiking or swimming? Kayaking or bamboo boat?