5 Must-Do Highlights of Vietnam's Halong Bay

[Indochina Sails]

Recognized as the natural wonder of the world by UNESCO, Halong Bay is among the landscapes in Vietnam most worth visiting for those who love Mother Nature. Halong Bay is at its most beautiful during the summer, even though sometimes it has heavy rains or even storms in from the sea. In the autumn, the weather is ideal and cool for vacations, while winter temperatures are even cooler - though still usually warmer than in the northern hemisphere's winter. Perhaps least recommendable is spring, when it is often get foggy and wet.

Whatever time of year, coming to this natural wonder, you will not only be able to witness the breathtaking scenes of the nature but also enjoy numerous popular and interesting things to do in Halong Bay.

Sleeping On Board

Despite a lot of new hotels are being established on the islands, experienced tourists recommend new ones to spend at least one night on board a boat. By this way, they could admire the bay much closer up in a more special manner. There are various types of boats available in Halong Bay, from high standard cruisers to diesel-powered junks. The junks are much less expensive compared with the cruisers, but bear in mind that they are obviously small and do rock a fair bit. Thus if your budget allows, do not hesitate to book a cruiser for your trip. However, regardless of your choice, try it at least one night. Believe me, you will not regret about this experience!

Sunbathing/Swimming

With thousands of grottoes and limestone, Halong Bay offers countless places for visitors to enjoy swimming, sunbathing, snorkelling, fishing, or kayaking upon cruising around. For example, if you choose to stop at Cat Ba Island, there are different famous beaches for you to relax on, such as Cat Co 1, Cat Co 2, and Cat Co 3. According to some experienced tourists, they said that the sunning scenery of mountain cliffs rinsing out of this bay becomes an ideal backdrop for many water-based activities.

 

Practice Tai Chi on Deck

This ancient martial art has been performed for thousands of years in China in order to improve physical and mental health, through its soft, controlled movements. If you practice Tai Chi in peace, with the help of great outdoor aids, you could achieve a lot of benefits via this art form. Hence, is it a great idea of practicing Tai Chi when being surrounded by the sublime natural beauty of Halong Bay?


You can practice Tai Chi under the instructions of experienced Tai Chi Master to learn to take control of your body as well as mind. The location of practicing could be on the deck of the junk boat cruise. It will definitely bring to you a unique experience of breathing in the air, watching sun rise and practicing Tai Chi.

 

Visit Floating Villages

These villages on pontoons are an interesting feature of the daily life of many Halong Bay locals. For most of us, a cruise on the emerald clear green water of Halong Bay is a unique experience, so it might be hard to imagining living everyday life surrounded by the beauty of this well-known bay. However, for a large number of families of the traditional floating fishing villages in Halong Bay, waterworld is their entire world, rising and falling with the natural tide, these floating villages have been “warm” homes to many generations of fishermen in Halong Bay. These families earn their living from the diversified supply of the marine life. You could understand more about the real life of those fishermen on floating boats by chatting with them. Pay a visit to one of those charming villages, meet playful kids, and meet some grinning fishermen. This way, you are experiencing of the most interesting things to do in Halong Bay.

 

View Halong Bay From the Air

This might be one of the most costly things to do in Halong Bay. Halong Bay is well-known for its wonderful limestone karsts and caves that attract millions of travelers worldwide. Actually, admittedly, there is no better way to witness Halong Bay from helicopters or seaplanes. Despite cruising can help you view the bay at the horizon, yet the views from above are even more spectacular and appealing as there are many karsts as well as islands rising in the bay. The helicopter will allow you to reach the height of 300m above the water level, so you will see almost whole famous landscapes of Halong Bay, such as Dau Go Cave (Hang Ðau Go), Tuan Chau Island (Ðao Tuan Chau), and so on. More information: http://www.indochinasails.com/seaplane-experience-hanoi-halong-hanoi...