Halong bay full day trip: Visit Surprise cave, Titop island, kayaking & swimming

The whole trip was great value for money and everyone on board tried their best to make the trip a wonderful experience.

Although it took about an hour to get from Hanoi to Ha Long bay, the trip was worth it for the beautiful views there. We did make an obligatory stop to a pearl factory but it also provided an opportunity as a rest and refreshment stop for those who did not want to buy anything. Ben our tour guide was very friendly and funny, and he made the experience pleasurable. The cruise was enjoyable. The sit down lunch was tasty. (They did have both meat and vegetarian options.) They also served us a cake and tea in the late afternoon. The cruise gave us some nice views of the bay, and we did have an opportunity to swim in the bay if we wanted to. There was also option to use a 2 person kayak or take a larger boat with a rower. We got back into Hanoi just in time for the night markets. The only change that I would make is that I would eliminate the last rest/bathroom/refreshment stop on the way back to Hanoi. I do not feel it was needed. I would recommend walking shoes for the two places that we went climbing for views and would recommend swimming clothes for those who want to swim and kayak.

We went with a group of friends on this experience. While most of it went well with the cave exploring and swimming, the kayaking which should have been an enjoyable experience went south fast. One of the kayaks had a crack in them, which meant the two people in there eventually sunk and submerged. No member of staff came to help, they didn’t particularly care when they saw me on my own dragging a friend and their broken kayak back from the bay to the launchpad. They just stood there, despite friends telling them what had happened via Google Translate. Use the kayaks at your own risk. If you fall into issues you’re on your own.