A memorable experience made possible by a friendly, knowledgable and engaging guide in Robert (Hai). It wouldn’t have been the same without his interaction - he truly wanted us to enjoy his beautiful and welcoming country with him! Highly recommended
Booked through Klook.
The trip was enjoyable. The tour operator and our guide, Harry, did a great job organising and running the group tour.
After picking participants from various places, we set off towards the cruise harbour. Harry explained to us the itinerary for the day and what to expect.
Each participant received a bottle of water and filled up our particulars as requested by Harry.
For both bus journeys between the harbour and Hanoi, we stopped for a quick toilet break at a rest stop.
We waited for a short while at the harbour before boarding the cruise. Harry distributed the paper tickets and explained to us to keep them safe. We will need them throughout the tour.
Also, no single-used plastics were allowed at Ha Long Bay, which Harry pointed out to us.
We had lunch at the start of the ride. It was decent, mostly seafood, though the operator did cater to other particapants with various dietary needs. Note that drinks are not included in the tour fee, and has to be purchased on board separately.
It was a great cruise ride, under great weather, thankfully. Some areas of interest were highlighted, like the Kissing/Fighting Chickens and the Ding Huong islet featured in the 200k dong note.
We got off at a place where we had the option of a Bamboo boat ride or the kayak for 45 mins.
If you're feeling adventureous, you can choose the kayak. But note that your things can get wet, or you may lose your items in the water. And that you might be tired after kayaking a while, especially under hot weather. So prepare in advance with change of clothes, sunblock, waterproof bags and something to secure your phones. Keep your paper ticket dry by putting in a ziplock or something.
For the bamboo boat ride, the ladies will row the boats. They provided umbrellas for you, and even took pictures for us with our own smartphones. But they can be very persistent with requesting tips from us, and might appear unhappy with low tips. Whatever your inclination towards tipping, bear it in mind when you take the bamboo boats.
Afterwards, we went to the Thien Cung cave. It was spectacular. Harry also shared interesting formations inside the cave.
We boarded the cruise and returned to the harbour for our ride back to Hanoi.
TL;DR great tour, no plastic bottles in the bay, drinks paid onboard, keep safe your paper tickets, bring change of clothes and waterproof bags if kayaking, note the tipping for boat ladies.