Magical Sunset and Evening with glowing plankton by Cat Ba Local
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Cat Ba, Vietnam
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Marvel at Vietnam's incredible natural world during this kayaking adventure around Cat Ba Island. Paddle around the bay at sunset to observe local fishers at work and enjoy their dinner break. Guided by locals with over four years of experience, travel to the home of bioluminescent plankton. Swim or kayak among the stunning glowing masses during this unique and memorable experience, without the inconvenience of an overnight trip.
- Kayak among glowing plankton in its natural environment
- Enjoy a relaxing experience to unwind after a long day
- Admire a stunning sunset over the glorious Cat Ba Island
- Dinner is included for comfort and convenience
What's Included
- DinnerTraditional Vietnamese dinner on boat
- Kayak, Dry-bag, Head lamp
- All Fees and Taxes
- Experienced English speaking guide
- Pick up from your hotel in the town center
- Personal expense, Tip
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Cat Ba Local229 Một Tháng Tư, street, Cát Hải, Hải Phòng 187300, Vietnam
Cat Ba Local Head Office
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Start time.4:00 pm
What To Expect
1
Lan Ha Bay
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
It was a magical experience. It was very misty the day we went which added to the magical and fairy-like feel to the location. We planned the tour on a new moon night and the bioluminescent experience was at its peak. We felt we were in avatar!!
Luu, our guide, was great. Very knowledgeable and fun. His passion & enthusiasm are contagious :)
Also dealing with the team was very smooth. They helped us book our bus tickets and advised on accommodation while at the island.
Definitely recommend this tour!
Reviews
4.9
based on 132 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
The guide was not responsible and didn't care for the safety of the group. He took us to a hiidden beach while coming down from the radio tower..That hike was not for everyone and he didn't give clear indication what we are getting into.
In the Plankton tour as well, he didn't give clear instructions. I had done kayaking before bot not in the dark. He didn't keep the group together. I almost went with another group as I couldn't understand where i was going in the dark. The vegan food option was just ok.
The good things were the good views at the top of radio tower and we did see some planktons which was amazing
Honestly, this was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had while traveling.
We started by hiking up to Radio Peak in the town center and stayed there until around 5:45 PM to watch the sunset. We were so lucky that day—the sunset was absolutely beautiful. From the top, you can see the sun slowly going down over the bay, with the fishing village behind it. It felt super peaceful and just incredibly scenic.
Later, we had dinner at a floating house in the fishing village. What I really appreciated was that they contacted me in advance to ask about my diet. As a vegetarian, that made things so easy and stress-free. The food was great and everything was well prepared.
After dinner, we went out to the middle of Lan Ha Bay for bioluminescent kayaking—and this was definitely the highlight for me. Even on the boat, we could already see the water glowing a little bit. But once we got into the kayak, it was just… wow. Every time we moved the paddle or touched the water, it lit up like magic—seriously like something out of Life of Pi. I couldn’t stop smiling the whole time.
Our guide spoke really good English and explained that we were actually quite lucky, because the water doesn’t always glow that brightly. That made the experience feel even more special. And kayaking in the dark, under a sky full of stars, was just unreal.
If you’re coming to Cat Ba, especially around March or April, I 100% recommend trying this with Cat Ba Local. It’s something you really shouldn’t miss.
Our tour guide Ryan gave this excursion the hype it deserved. He showed as much enthusiasm as someone doing it the first time. He knew exactly where to go to see the Cat Ba Langar, how to position our kayak to see the bioluminescence the best, and to have fun. If you are looking for something to do, this is an experience you’ll never forget.
It was well organised and a wonderful experience. Although it rained ithe end, it was great. Thank you
A truly magical experience and well worth it! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Vietnam.
Great tour! Tour guide Ryan was excellent and made the experience very enjoyable. We really enjoyed the kayak trip looking at the bioluminescence.
Really enjoyable and well organised, we had a lot of fun. The plankton was very cool to see, and the dinner was really tasty as well.
This tour was amazing! We saw so much of the bioluminescent plankton, it was beautiful and blue like stars in the water! Great tour guide Ryan, and great dinner on a lovely boat too - thank you!
It was a magical experience. It was very misty the day we went which added to the magical and fairy-like feel to the location. We planned the tour on a new moon night and the bioluminescent experience was at its peak. We felt we were in avatar!!
Luu, our guide, was great. Very knowledgeable and fun. His passion & enthusiasm are contagious :)
Also dealing with the team was very smooth. They helped us book our bus tickets and advised on accommodation while at the island.
Definitely recommend this tour!
Such a great experience! Seeing the bioluminescent water spark kayaking and swimming was one of the highlights of the trip
The most perfect experience of the bay from Cat ba! Loved the kayaking and getting to experience how beautiful nature is in Vietnam. Our tour guide was perfect and he catered to everyone’s needs.
Kayaking was amazing, the plankton were beautiful and we could see them clearly. The tour guide Ryan was knowledgeable and friendly!
Glowing was magical…. The 2 hours before (fish farm) a bit boring…. But the plankton made definitely up for it!!!!
The tour guide, actual kayaking portion, and dinner on the boat were all excellent. The activity didn’t actually start until 7-7:30 PM, but we were picked up from the hotel in Cat Ba at 3:45 PM, with a 30 minute boat ride to the house boat. We then sat on the houseboat 2.5-3 hours with nothing to do. We were originally supposed to get picked up around 5 PM when we booked this tour. This took away from exploring more of Cat Ba.
Incredible trip and guides. Very knowledgeable and incredibly accommodating. The entire team made the trip seamless, and our entire family greatly enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone.
Easily the best thing we did on our Ha Long adventure. I will never, ever forget kayaking out into the sea in the pitch black of night then swimming with glowing plankton under a beautiful starry night. Worth every penny. One tip - don't expect to see them glowing underwater from the boat, like the northern lights in water. They only glow when you put your hand (or body!) in the water. But swimming with them was so special. The guide, Linh, was hilarious and he arranged a birthday cake for my wife too which was so sweet! Towels are provided, as is dinner with plenty for vegetarians and vegans. Take some bug spray in case of mosquitos, some swimming gear and some cash for drinks.
A great curated experience brought by Dan. The dinner was good but it would have been nice to have also included a few more vegetables. Dan's enthusiasm was the highlight of the trip - taking us on a gentle kayak to see the plankton (although they don't 'glow' as vividly as you might think). Being in the water at night with the full moon shining was a unique experience and one I would recommend!
An absolutely unique experience that I will always recommend to do at least once in a lifetime...but I know already that I want to live it again
The tour was great! Lam showed us viewpoints and a hidden beach and was always motivating and full of knowledge. After dinner we went to plankton, which was just magical! A great experience with the whole group.
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Experiencia especial que le da un toque diferente al típico barco y kayak en la isla. Muy recomendable.
Ha sido, sin duda, la mejor experiencia que hemos podido tener en Cat Ba! RYAN y su equipo fueron geniales! Hubo muy buen ambiente, gente joven con ganas de disfrutar de un buen rato y conocer el lugar! Ryan nos dio muy buenas explicaciones de la vida del poblado flotante i los intereses de i cuidados de los islotes de Cat Ba. Ademas tuvimos la suerte de ver una familia de monos Langur durante la excursión, suele ser muy dificil! La cena fue exquisita y hacer kayak de noche con el placton fue la guinda del pastel. Se lo recomiendo a todo el mundo! 100%!
Sin duda de la smejores actividades para hacer en Cat Ba. Nos recogieron en nuestro hotel. Tomamos un barco por la bahía de Lan Ha, era todo precioso. Llegamos a un pequeño hostal flotante donde estaban los kayaks, primero nos dieron una cena que estaba buenísima y era muy abundante, había arroz blanco, ternera salteada, pescado frito etc. Muy bueno y fresco todo. Luego tomamos el kayak, era la primera vez que hacía kayak y el guía Ryan nos enseñó un poco antes de ponernos a buscar el plancton fluroescente. Vimos muchisimo plancton fluorescente era impresionante! Una de las mejores experiencias. Ryan era muy simpático habla super bien el inglés y nos explico muchisimas cosas curiosas de la zona. La recomiendo al 100% calidad precio genial
Geweldige ervaring. Leuke gids en hij wist goed de plekken waar je het plankton kon spotten! Alles was top georganiseerd en ik zou het zo weer doen! Zeker een aanrader
Fantastische en bijzondere ervaring! In totaal waren we met zn zessen, dus een gezellig clubje en niet zo over-toeristisch. Onze tourguide Hoang (ofwel Ryan) was super enthousiast, sprak erg goed engels, wist heel veel te vertellen over alles en kon al onze vragen beantwoorden. We begonnen op een bootje waar we de prachtige zonsondergang konden zien, aten daarna heerlijk op een floating house een paar km verderop op het water tussen de rotsen en gingen daarna in het donker in de kayak naar de plankton! Hoang bracht ons naar meerdere verschillende plekjes waar we de lichtgevende plankton konden zien, er was verder niemand behalve wij. Je kon het lichtgevende plankton super mooi met zowel met je peddel in het water zien maar ook als je je hand in het water deed (we kregen hier speciale handschoentjes voor aan). Mega bijzonder!
Mijn vriend was deze dag ook jarig, dus ik had van te voren gevraagd of ze wellicht daar iets voor konden regelen (slingers of een klein stukje taart bijvoorbeeld).. ze kwamen met een enorme taart aanzetten!! Echt geweldig, mega lief. Dankjulliewel voor deze fantastische ervaring!!
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$42.75
per personWas $45.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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