ITINERARY Catba 3 days 2 nights (1 night on cruise + 1 night at homestay in Catba National Park)
Day 1 : Hanoi – Haiphong (Beo Harbour) – Halong Bay – Lan Ha Bay (Lunch + Dinner)
07:00 : You will be collected from Hanoi Old Quarter to take the highway to Beo Harbour (in Catba town, Haiphong), where we arrive at around 11:30.
11:45: Transfer by tender to the Venezia cruises.
12:15: We welcome our guests onboard the cruise and then check in, enjoy Welcome Drink, receive cruise brief and safety instruction by crew member and Cruise Manager.
12:30: We have lunch before continuing our journey via the islets. These amazing limestone karst formations rise up out of the sea in an impressive manner. This area is untouched, as not many cruise ships use the route via the Cat Ba Island – Coc Ngoi islet – through Cua Dong to Ba Trai Dao area.
14:30: The Cruise sails through Lan Ha Bay. The area is surrounding of extraordinary limestone karsts landscapes. You can start your journey to visit Ba Trai Dao beach and islets by kayaking which is a wild and mysterious beauty in the middle of the World Heritage, enjoy swimming in the crystal clear waters of the Bay.
15:20: Just enjoy a swim. This is a great experience, immersed in the crystal clear waters of the bay.
17:45: Returning your Venezia Cruises boat you can watch the magnificent sunset over the Gulf of Tonkin. Onboard you may join a traditional cooking class. Our chef will instruct you in the making of some Vietnam dishes. In the early evening the boat has it’s Happy Hour deal.
19:00: Dinner is served. Enjoy delicious local food prepared and served for you by our wonderful onboard catering staff. This is a delightful meal in an intimate romantic setting.
21:00: Enjoy the landscape of the bay at night up on the top deck. Relax whilst enjoying drinks from the bar. Try your hand at night squid fishing, enjoy the funny Karaoke time with friends and family. Overnight on Venezia Cruises.
23:00: End of Day One program.
Day 2: Viet Hai Village (Breakfast)
06:00 Begin your new day with a Cup of coffee, taking photos, or enjoy the sunrise from your cabin window.
Enjoy a light breakfast in the delighted and peaceful beauty of the bay.
After breakfast, you will check out your cabin, settle your drink bills. Please carefully check your belongings before leaving the boat.
08:00 Transfer to a tender to visit Viet Hai Village on Cat Ba Island and hop on a bicycle ride (electric car also available) through a rainforest tunnel that leads to a village nestled in a valley deep in a national park. Meet, visit a traditional house, and greet local
inhabitants doing their daily work, see their homes and the village school.
09:30 You leave the group and our tour guide will lead you to our partner hometstay in Viet Hai village. You can leave your bags down and you have free time to explore local area by yourself.
The check in time is from 13:00 pm. However, our partner homestay will let you do early check - in if the room is ready and available.
Attractions near the homestay
The homestay area is enough for you to relax, rest as well as take some nice photos. In addition, there are many other attractions that are also extremely attractive to tourists.
Trekking up Hai Quan hill and in Tien Duc cave
Hai Quan Peak is one of the highest peaks in Cat Ba with a view of the entire Cat Ba National Park, Lan Ha Bay, and Ha Long Bay. On clear days, you can see Ha Long city from here. The climb time is about 45 minutes.
Tien Duc Cave is a very little-known destination, only 1.5km from the homestay. The road is completely flat, there may be many bats in the cave in the summer. Going to the cave, you need to prepare a flashlight to observe every corner of the cave.
Important notes:
+ Viet Hai village is in an isolated remote area of Catba island, a small area of about 90 families (300 people). There are only 2 ways to go to this village (go trekking through Catba national park 9 km or ride bicycle/motorbike 4 km from Viet Hai harbour to village)
After 16:00 pm, when all the cruise tourists leave, it will be very quiet. So you may feel very boring if you love the activities and noise.
If you are a fan of nature, it will be a good place to stay.
+ Please inform and ask carefully the host/ receptionist of the homestay if you plan to visit Catba national park or go trekking.
It is required and compulsory to have a tour guide in case you get lost or see wild animals.
+ The lunch, dinner at the homestay is not included in the price. But no worries, you can check with the host to reserve.
+ The phone signal in village is very poor (Only Viettel sim card is working). Wifi is available at the homestay area.
Day 3: Back to Venezia cruise – Ha Noi (Breakfast + Lunch)
07:00 Let's have breakfast at the homestay then make a walk to visit the life of local people.
09:10 Our tour guide will pick you up at the meeting point (homestay). You go back the big cruise for the brunch.
10:45 Whilst cruising back you can enjoy a delightful brunch on board.
11:45 We return to the quay side in the south of the bay, where our visitors disembark.
12:00 We bid farewell at the port, this is the end of the program. We hope you have enjoyed your time with us and wish you a safe onward journey.
16:15 Back to your drop-off point in Hanoi. The tour ends.
Note:
+ The price is per person.
+ If you need a bus to Ninh Binh after cruise trip, please contact us to customize (Jan: +84 98 1926 108)
Included:
1) At homestay in Viet Hai village:
- Double/ Twin room at our partner homestay in Catba town + breakfast
2) On board (Venezia cruises):
- Deluxe Cabins with A/C and en-suite Bathrooms
- All meals on board
- Complimentary bottled water in the cabin
- Welcome drink
- Entrance and sightseeing fees
- Kayaking.
- Cooking demonstration
- Squid Fishing
- English speaking guide
Tour Excluded
- Beverages
- Bus Hanoi - Catba (10 USD /person/ 1 way)
- Bus Catba - Hanoi (10 USD /person/ 1 way)
- Tips & Others Personal Expenses
- All other services not clearly mentioned in Inclusions
Important notes:
The program may be subject to change depending on weather conditions or specific tides without announcing to visitors in advance.
Time in the schedule is only relative. The specific time will be announced by our tour guide on the day of departure.
All activities are included in the program. Guests can choose to relax themselves and enjoy the scenery on board, without having to fully participate in activities above.