Ask us the awkward ones.

Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and how many of you there are, or send the form on any trip page. A person, not a bot, confirms seats and the final price in writing before anything is paid.

Once you accept the plan, we send a secure card link for a 50% deposit. That locks your seats with the operator. The rest is settled after your trip, so you never pay in full for a day you have not had yet.

Prices on this site are in US dollars. The deposit link charges in USD and your bank handles the conversion. The balance after the trip can be paid in cash or by card, whichever is easier for you.

Licensed local partners run the boats, trails and climbs. We choose them, ride their trips ourselves before we sell a seat, and host you around the experience. The operator's name is on your written confirmation.

Two or three days is usually enough outside the summer peak, and about a week for private boats and overnight trips. In June, July and August, earlier is safer. Message us and we will tell you honestly what is still open.

October, November, April and May are the months we recommend first: warm water, clear air, fewer boats. June to August is swimming season but also storm season. We run trips all year, and the month-by-month chart is on the destination page.

A grey day is still a good day on the water, and light rain rarely stops anything. If the captain or the harbourmaster cancels for weather, you get a full refund or a free new date, your choice. We never argue with the sky.

Storm risk peaks in July and August. Tours are cancelled only when authorities close the harbour, which is rare and announced a day or two ahead. If your dates fall here, keep one spare day in your plan. We will help you watch the forecast.

From December to February the air sits around 19 to 22 degrees and the water is cool. Most guests kayak rather than swim, and the bay is at its quietest. Bring a light jacket for the boat and the views are often at their clearest.

Comfortable shoes, swimwear, sunscreen, sunglasses and a light rain jacket. We provide life jackets, kayaking gear and lunch on the boat days. If you are trekking, bring trainers you do not mind getting muddy after rain.

Guests staying in Cat Ba Town start at our house at 70 Tung Dinh: tea, the route on a hand-drawn map, and ten quiet minutes before the pier. If you are staying further out, we agree a pickup point the evening before.

Small on purpose, and the cap is written on every trip page: from 8 on the treks and climbing days to 16 on the big boat day, and private versions of most trips for just your group. We would rather turn a booking away than fill a boat.

We ask. A short message at midday, once: is the day as we promised? If something is off, we take it up with the operator that evening, privately, before we ever ask you for a review. You can read the full routine on our story page.

Yes, and we will tell you honestly which days fit their ages. Boat days and village cycling suit children from around six, while the treks and climbing days ask more. Send us their ages and we will say which trips we would take our own family on.

Most of them. The boat days involve stepping in and out of a kayak if you want to, and staying on deck if you do not. Trekking and climbing days are the demanding ones. Tell us where your limits are and we will point you at the right day.

Yes. Our guests range from their twenties to their seventies. Deck chairs, shaded cabins and short kayak options keep the boat days comfortable, and a private trip lets the whole day move at your family's pace rather than a schedule.

Tell us when you book and the message reaches the kitchen before you do. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and seafood allergies are all normal requests here, and lunch on the boat days is prepared fresh on the island, not packed in a box.

A combined bus and ferry gets you door to door from Hanoi in around 3 to 3.5 hours, for roughly 11 to 17 US dollars per person. A private car is faster and we arrange both, timed around your trip. The transfer listings are on the trips page.

It depends on the crossing. The Tuan Chau to Gia Luan ferry from the Ha Long side stops at 15:00 and runs only a few times a day, fewer in winter. Timetables shift with the season, so message us the day before and we will send the current one.

Yes. We time buses, ferries and private cars from all of those to connect with your trip dates, which is often the fiddliest part of a northern Vietnam loop. Tell us where you are coming from and we will plan the legs for you.