Cat Ba Island

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Cat Ba is the largest island in the Halong bay vicinity. Lan Ha bay, off the east side of the island, is especially scenic and offers numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba has a few tiny fishing villages and a fast-growing town. About half of Cat Ba island ( which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sp km of the adjacent waters were declared a national park in 1986 to protect the island’s diverse ecosystems. These include sub-tropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches tucked into small coves. The main beaches are Cai Vieng, Hong Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon.

Cat Ba Island

There are numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m about the sea level. The growth of the vegetation is stunted near the summits because of high wind. The largest body of water on the island is Ech Lake, which covers an area of 3 hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal, most of the island’s rainwater flows into caves and follows underground streams to the sea, creating a shortage of fresh water during the dry season. The waters off Cat Ba island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of molluscs and 400 species of arthropods. Larger marine aninals in the sea include seals and 3 species of dolphins.

Stone tools and bones left by humans who lived here between 6000 and 7000 years ago have been found at 17 sites on the island. The most thoroughly studied site is Cai Beo cave, discovered by a French archaeologist in 1938, which is 1.5 km from Cat Ba town. Trung Trang cave is easily accessible, however you will need a torch if you want to see anything. The cave is just of the park entrance along the main drag. The best weather on Cat Ba island is from late September to November, particularly the latter, when the air and water temperature is mild and skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler, but still pleasant. From February to April rain is common. The summer months from June through August are hot and wet.

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba National Park

is home to 32 types of mammals-including Francois monkeys, will boar, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs and over 70 species of birds have been sighted, including of hawks, hornbills and cuckoos. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for waterfowl such as ducks, geese and shore birds) who feed and roost in the mangrove forest and on the beaches. The 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba include 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. There are 45 park rangers stationed here to protect the flora and fauna. The most interesting part of the activities is a walk through a cave, then onto a mountain peak.

There is a very challenging 18km hike through the park that many enjoy. You need a guide, transport to the trailhead and a boat to return. All of this can be easily arranged in Cat Ba. The hike includes a visit to Viet Hai, a remote minority village. If you are planning on doing this hike, equip yourself with proper hiking shoes, a raincoat and a generous supply of water plus some food. 2 caves in the park are open to visitors. One has been preserved in its natural state while the other has historical significance – it served as a secret, bomb-proof hospital during American War. The park is home to an unique species of tree called Kim Giao. In ancient days kings and nobles would eat only chopsticks made from this timber, anything poisonous it touches turns the light colored wood to black.

Cat Ba Island

Beaches

The white sand Cat Co beaches make a great place to lounge around for the day. They are about 1 km from Cat Ba town and can be reached on foot or by motorbike. The 2 beaches are separated by a small hillock that can be climbed over in about 20 minutes. Most, however, take the easier route along a new, 700m, wooden seaside walkaway. Cat Co 2 is the less busy and more attractive of the two, and also offers simple accommodation and camping.

Tours We Recommend

Charming Sapa

$275 $255

Explore the Charm of Sapa with the trekking road down to valleys, terraced paddy fields till remote villages to enjoy the best view about Sapa landscape and experience interestingly at homestay of the ethnic.

Fansipan Adventure Hiking

$100 $80

One day tour to Fansipan peak is only suitable to a few people who are speacially good in health fitness, who do not have much time in Sapa but still love to be the winner of Indochina roof.

Discount 20%

Muong Hoa Valley Medium Trek

$205 $165

In this trip, you will trek along Muong Hoa River sneaking through the valley nearby Sapa town, which is surrounded by huge rice paddy terraces. The trip offers you the best view of Sapa landscape and you will have opportunities to explore the life of different ethnic minorities.

Sapa Trekking With Love Waterfall

$185 $165

This lovely journey will definitely bring you the great view to Muong Hoa valley and one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Sapa. The trip is the combination with trekking and visiting for you to explore and to enjoy the stunning view of Sapa landscape.

      Excellent rating  
 Based on 34 reviews 
    
  
 
 
      Verified Rolling with the (weather) punches
Planning: John was such a delight to work with. He really listened to what I was wanting out of my family’s short visit and was open to feedback and easily made changes to the itinerary to make it perfect for us. I was worried about the weather and John reassured me that everything would be ok and was always in communication with updates, which was comforting. The trip itself: Leo was our guide and was so friendly and knowledgeable! During our drive from the airport in Han Oi to Ninh Binh, he shared stories about the area, history, cultural tidbits and even stories about his life and how he grew up. Unfortunately, the weather was quite nasty so our plans had to shift a bit, but Leo and John were very communicative and made adjustments so that we were able to do some of what we had planned. Leo was a trooper! The resort we stayed at was beautiful and comfortable, and would be idyllic under better conditions. Oh! Leo’s enthusiasm about the local cuisine was contagious enough to even have my picky children trying the lunch that was prepared at the restaurant we stopped at on our day tour. I appreciated that because it’s sometimes difficult to get them to open up to new experiences. I would definitely recommend going through Sapa to organize a trip to Vietnam. They made everything so easy and it was great to have someone looking out for us when we had no clue what to do.
     
   Whitney B 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Chuyến đi Sapa tuyệt vời. Sapa Sunshine Travel rất chuyên nghiệp
Sapa luôn là điểm du lịch của gia đình chúng tôi hàng năm. Năm nay chúng tôi chọ đặt tour qua Sapa Sunshine Travel. Bên tour thât chuyên nghiệp, họ sẵn sàng bỏ cả buổi tối để tư vấn cho chúng tôi nên đi nơi nào, nên đi giờ nào và đi đâu. Họ đã đặt vé tầu đêm cho gia đình chúng tôi đi từ Ga Hàng Cỏ lên Sapa, chúng tôi được trải nghiệm một đêm trên tàu, lũ trẻ cực kỳ thích thú khi được đi tầu. Đến Sapa rất sớm bên Sapa Sunshine travel đã hỗ trợ chúng tôi được gửi đồ ở khách sạn, đi foot tour quanh khách sạn buổi sáng, sau ăn trưa bản Cát Cát là điểm du lịch tiếp theo vào buổi chiều. Về nhận phòng khách sạn, chúng tôi có một bữa tối tại Sapa với lẩu cá tầm, cá hồi nướng và món gà bản tuyệt ngon. Tối chúng tôi có chương trình tour tự do. Sáng hôm sau chúng tôi tiếp tục đi thăm đỉnh Fansipan tuyệt đẹp. Cảm ơn Spa Sunshine Travel và Mr John Ng đã giúp đỡ tôi trong chuyến đi này.
     
   Mina Hanoi H 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Kambodža a Laos s jógou
Během 11 dnů jsme projeli tyto krásné země a díky CK SapaSunshine Travel jsme všechno měli naprosto skvěle zorganizované. Od ubytováni přes výlety a transfery všechno klaplo a my jsme tento trip zhodnotili jako nejlepší! Naprosto doporučujeme!
     
   Karolína Tou-Jou 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Poděkování
Moc rádi bychom poděkovali sympatické Lucce, která nám pomohla nejen s vytvořením itineráře naší cesty, ale hlavně trpělivě odpovídala na všechny naše dotazy, před cestou i během pobytu ve Vietnamu. Poskytla rady, kde se v Hanoji nejlépe najíst, kde ubytovat, jak na dopravu, na co si dávat pozor, čili díky ní proběhla naše návštěva bez zmatků a starostí :).Výlety, které pro nás tato CK zprostředkovala, byly úžasné. Průvodci sympatičtí, jídlo a ubytování skvělé.V Mai Chau jsme si nejvíce užili výlet na kolech. Balzám na duši,projíždět se nádhernou přírodou a vnímat jen ticho a klid kolem sebe.Dalším výletem byl pobyt na lodi a proplouvání úchvatnou zátokou Ha Long. Jsme rádi, že jsme vyzkoušeli trochu jiný styl dovolené, i když na pouhé 2 dny. Nejvíce nás bavil kurz vaření a ranní lekce Tai-či.Určitě jsme do Vietnamu nezavítali naposledy a při příští návštěvě se opět obrátíme na tuto CK. S klidným svědomím ji tedy doporučujeme, jelikož veškeré služby byly takové, jaké jsme si je představovali:). Ještě jednou moc děkujeme!
     
   Diana E 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Great friend rice and noodles
Nice place to eat, the restaurant is located on open balcony/terrace a nové the street. Food was very good - especially sprint rolls with sweet&your sauce. Very reasonable prices (noodles about 55Kvdn, beer 30Kvdn).
     
   Martina H 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Rodinná dovoléná Vietnam 2018-2019
Původně jsme chtěli měsíc cestovat po Vietnamu bez jasného, předem připraveného plánu. Zpětně musíme uznat, že jsme udělali velmi dobře, že jsme se obrátili na cestovní kancelář Sapa Sunshine Travel, která nám připravila velmi pestrý plán cesty, který byl do posledního detailu skvěle připraven. Každý den jsme měli zajištěné perfektní ubytování, každý den jsme měli individuální program jen pro naši rodinu s anglicky hovořícími průvodci, mezi jednotlivými destinacemi byla zajištěna doprava. Všechno klaplo naprosto dokonale. Vůbec o nic jsme se nemuseli starat a mohli jsme si naplno užívat měsíční dovolenou. Tuto cestovní kancelář vřele doporučujeme všem cestovatelům. Pro každého jsou ochotni a schopni zajistit a naplánovat zcela individuální program. Honza a Eva Kocourkovi
     
   Jan K 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified 3 day amazing trip to Sapa
John is amazing in terms of replying our emails and questions and even checked on us during our stay in Hanoi. Van is always prompt and on time. Our tour guide for 3 days (Ha), is just amazing. He is very knowledgeable and recommends good places to eat. Love the hot pot that he recommended.
     
   zeeyeng 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Sapa trek
We spent 3 days exploring beauty of Sapa in November. Sapa is a lovely and fascinating place to visit. We had an amazing time on our Sapa trek with a great local guide. Fansipan Mountain, Love Waterfall, homestay, trekking, terraced rice fields, the breathtaking view are totally worth seeing.We booked our trip with Sapa Sunshine Travel. Thanks Sapa Sunshine Travel team for a great trip! If you are planning to go Sapa, I highly recommend them.
     
   N.Q.Huy 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified Excellent & reliable!
The agency was amazing. John (the manager) was really patient answering all our many Qs about Sapa, and Thuy was our wonderful local Sapa guide. I cannot recommend these guys highly enough. They are safe, reliable, patient, knowledgeable and trustworthy. I was travelling with two other ladies, and we felt well looked after & safe every step of the way. If you're looking for an excellent & knowledgeable tour guide in Vietnam - look no further. This is it!
     
   Kate2809 
 
 
 
 
 
    Verified A fun-packed trip
The trip started with pick ip from our hotel - on time, comfortable van. The overnight train ride was OK (expected to be bumpy and noisy - probably an issue if you’re a light sleeper), we had a 2-berth cabin, toilet was rather small. Reached Lao Cai and driver was ready to drive us to Sapa. A little bit confusion over which hotel we’ll be staying at but it was all sorted out. Happy that the hotel provided breakfast even we have not checked in (we arrived early morning), luggage storage was available and there were clean shower rooms with towels provided. Left the luggage at the hotel, showered and we were off to the Day 1 trekking. Nice, friendly English-speaking guide - named Mims. Easy/ low elevation trekking, beautiful padi-terraces scenery. The rice we just about to be harvested, it was perfect timing. Day 2 trekking was a little bit harder with steps to get to the two waterfalls. At the end of day 2 we were back at the hotel, showered, picked up the luggage and were sent to the train station to get back to Hanoi.Overall a superb experience! Than you Mr John and all the guide/drivers
     
   WahidahWB

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Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Tours We Recommend

Charming Sapa

Fansipan Adventure Hiking

Muong Hoa Valley Medium Trek

Sapa Trekking With Love Waterfall

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You Don’t Need Magic To Disappear, All You Need Is A Destination.

My Favorite Thing: Going I’ve Never Been.

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba Island

Tours We Recommend

Charming Sapa

Fansipan Adventure Hiking

Muong Hoa Valley Medium Trek

Sapa Trekking With Love Waterfall

You Don’t Need Magic To Disappear, All You Need Is A Destination.

My Favorite Thing: Going I’ve Never Been.

Go Where You Feel The Most Alive.

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