The 15 Best Ha Long Bay Kayaking Tours

1.Ha Long Bay Cruise Day Tour – Cave, Kayaking, Swimming & Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 1,244 reviews · from $42Our pick

Spend a full day on Ha Long Bay with Hanoi pickup, a Vietnamese lunch, Sung Sot Cave, kayaking or a bamboo boat at Hang Luon, and swimming or hiking on Ti Top Island. Guides such as Alex, Hoang, Ken, Nam, and Sunny are known for keeping the day clear and well timed. An optional speedboat ride may cost extra.

“Super organized. Very impressive the minute details involved in an operation like this. Also, common, for the price you pay, you get an exceptional experience out of it. Highly recommend doing the speed boat at the 2nd batch of activities.”

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2.Overnight Luxury 5 Star Alisa Cruise with Meals, Kayak or Bamboo Boat

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 899 reviews · from $133

Spend two days and one night aboard Alisa Cruise in Ha Long Bay with a private bathroom, full meals, cave and island visits, tai chi, cooking, and a choice of kayaking or a pearl farm tour. The small group is capped at 15 people. Guides including Ian and James Bond help keep the schedule lively, while the crew can handle gluten-free and dairy-free meals with advance notice.

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3.Lan Ha & Ha Long Bay Kayak & Snorkel Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 445 reviews · 9 hours · from $30

Spend nine hours on a traditional boat from Cat Ba with guides such as Joe, T, Van, or Thai. Cruise past Cai Beo Floating Village, kayak through limestone caves, swim near Ba Trai Dao Beach, enjoy a seafood lunch, and visit Monkey Island. Snorkeling depends on conditions and may not be available.

“Amazing day! It is not really a snorkelling trip but the kayaking and swimming was great fun. Plus you get to see both Ha Long and Lan Ha bay. We needed to leave a bit earlier to catch a bus and the guide made sure we could take a boat back on time.”

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4.Afternoon Cruise with Lunch, Kayaking, and Swimming

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 114 reviews · 6 hours · from $40

Spend six hours on a shared Ha Long Bay cruise with an English-speaking guide such as Sunny, Henry, or Brian. You will eat lunch on board, visit Sung Sot Cave, kayak or ride a bamboo boat through Luon Cave, and climb Titop Island before swimming. The price includes entrance fees and kayaking, but drinks cost extra.

“It was such a great tour. I definitely recommend it. The tour guide is great.”

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5.Lan Ha and Ha Long Bay Boat Tour with Kayaking, Cave

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 72 reviews · from $32

From Cat Ba, cruise past Lan Ha Bay’s limestone karst, visit Cai Beo floating village, kayak through caves to quiet lagoons, then swim and snorkel near Ba Trai Dao Beach. Guides such as Lam, Dinh, Luan, and Tran lead the day, with lunch, equipment, hotel pickup, and an English guide included.

“Stunning spot to explore something similar to Ha Long Bay but in a complete private, pristine and immersive environment. Very much appreciated the effort that Lam and his team put into this day trip! Super recommended!”

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6.Ha Long Bay Deluxe Cruise & kayaking – 1 Day

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 39 reviews · from $40

Spend a full day on Ha Long Bay with an English-speaking guide, Vietnamese lunch, kayaking or a bamboo boat at Luon Cave, Sung Sot Cave, TiTop Island, and a sunset tea party. Choose marina pickup or hotel pickup from Hanoi Old Quarter, with return to Hanoi around 9 pm.

“It was awesome speeding through Halong Bay on a motorboat!”

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7.Half day Lan Ha Bay excursion ( 4 hours ): Kayaking, Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 37 reviews · from $64

Spend four hours exploring Lan Ha Bay from Cat Ba Town with an English-speaking guide such as Dinh, Lam, Luan or Tran. Cruise past limestone islands, kayak through Cai Beo Floating Village, swim at quiet beaches, and snorkel in sheltered water. Hotel pickup, permits, boat transport, kayaking and snorkeling are included.

“Not enough stars to value this wonderful trip! It's an wonderful place on Earth and wonderful moment with your guide! Go go go !We'll come back for sure in 2026.”

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8.Halong 6 Hours Cruise: Kayak, Cave, Lunch, Beach & Island

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 20 reviews · from $48

Spend six hours on Ha Long Bay with an English-speaking guide, traditional lunch, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat, and Titop Island. You can swim, climb for wide bay views, and finish with red wine, fries, and fruit. Guide Henry has earned praise for his friendly help on some departures.

“Kayak and speedboat great. Grotto and mountain also great. Unfortunately there are far too many people and you have to wait a long time. The boats shouldn't offer the same thing to everyone at the same time.”

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9.Kayaking at night see bioluminescent plankton

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 17 reviews · from $32

From Cat Ba Town, you’ll cruise past Cai Beo floating village and Lan Ha Bay’s limestone islands before dinner at a floating fish farm. Then guide B or A leads a night kayak to glowing plankton, with time for swimming and squid fishing. The 4.5-hour trip costs $32, plus a $4.80 entrance ticket.

“Our guide B was very friendly and really knowledgeable. Dinner on the cruise boat was very good”

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10.2-Day Halong Bay Cruise with Meals and Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 14 reviews · from $136

Spend one night aboard Crown Legend Cruise, sailing Halong Bay from Hanoi or Tuan Chau Marina. You will kayak or take a bamboo boat through Luon Cave, climb Titov Island, visit Sung Sot Cave, eat four included meals, and join sunset drinks, a cooking demonstration, Tai Chi, and squid fishing. Guide Binh and crew member Mia may be on selected departures.

“It was really great. Well Organized and an absolute highlight. The food was beyond my expectations and very Special. A 4 course high cousine, a evening buffet and an excellent Brunch. 2 boat Trips included. The crew is working non stop and makes all wishes come true.”

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11.Đảo Cát Bà : 1Day Kayaking,Swimming,Cycling,Snorkeling,Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 13 reviews · 1 day · from $21Best value

Join an English-speaking guide for a full day from Cat Ba Town to Lan Ha Bay. You will kayak through Bright, Dark, and Bat Caves, swim and jump from the boat, eat Vietnamese seafood, then cycle through rice fields to Viet Hai Village. Guide B is praised by name, though boat upkeep and group organization can vary.

“Leuk om meer te weten te komen over de verschillende eilanden”

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12.Hanoi-Ha Long 1D: Caves, Islands, Kayak, Lunch & Small Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 13 reviews · from $28

Spend a full day on Ha Long Bay with an English-speaking guide, Vietnamese lunch, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat, and Titop Island. Guides such as Chuong and Phong have led this outing. Hanoi pickup, the 310,000 VND bay fee, and some hotel transfers require careful checking before you book.

“austin is so good, the boat is amzing, the program is so perfect for couple”

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13.Lan Ha Bay Bioluminescent Plankton Kayak Boat Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 10 reviews · from $38

Set out from Cat Ba around 3:30 pm in winter or 4 pm in summer for a five-hour Lan Ha Bay trip. You will cruise past Cai Beo’s floating fishing village, visit Monkey Island, swim and jump from limestone rocks, then kayak to glowing bioluminescent plankton. Dinner, towels, pickup, and an English or Vietnamese guide are included.

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14.Ha Long 1 Day Luxury Small Group & Kayaking

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 9 reviews · from $54

This full-day Ha Long Bay trip combines a 5-star cruise, buffet lunch, Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave by kayak or bamboo boat, and Titop Island. You get hotel pickup in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, an English-speaking guide, entrance tickets, and a 2.5-hour highway transfer each way. The boat has a swimming pool and finishes with red wine, fruit, cake, and fries.

“Everything was really great. The cave and swimming in the beach in particular. Very friendly staff and quality food”

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15.Full-Day Halong Bay 5-star Cruise with Kayak & Buffet

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 9 reviews · from $56

Spend a long day on Ha Long Bay with an English-speaking guide, highway transfers from Hanoi’s Old Quarter, lunch aboard a 5-star cruise, kayaking at Luon Cave, Sung Sot Cave, Titop Island, and a sunset party with wine, fruit, and cake.

“The validity of the regular dresser. The rest pretty good. Halong bay is quite a busy place so full of tourists but this is not the fault of arcadia cruises. It is better to do this 1-day excursion than the 2-day/1-night one since at the end you see the same things and the last one is 4 times more expensive. The visit to the exceptional cave and beautiful view at the top of the Ti Top Island viewpoint. Elmgiron by boat on the lagoon, regular.”

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