Lan Ha Bay

After a quick taste the day before, we were now ready for the full adventure that the limestone islands of Lan Ha Bay would bring.

The cruise started at 11 in the morning, and travelled maybe half an hour until the first excursion. We spent that time getting to know our new travel companions. There were 18 of us in total. Finally we arrived to some sort of sheltered deep water area, and were invited to go for a swim. Jump off the boat, do what you want.

The scenery here was brilliant. The landscape of dots of jungle covered limestone islands sticking out of the ocean was a scenic backdrop for the dives off the boat. Everywhere you looked there was a new unique cliff face that plunged into the water. Cam remarked that it was the most beautiful place she had ever swam, though that would be outdone by the location tomorrow.

After the dip we got served lunch. Massive platters of chicken, shrimp, and whatever else was displayed for us to engorge on. Big bowls of rice beside. Each meal on the boat was the same, a big family style meal for us all to share and enjoy. They were all quite delicious.

The boat travelled for quite the distance, leaving all the other tourist boats behind. The bay itself was quite devoid of cruises. With all of the inlets and passages, it is very easy to feel like you are the only ones on the ocean. The only ones in this fantastic landscape. We moored again, and got on kayaks, for an adventure through some caves to lagoons.

Cam and I kayaking was quite funny. She was initially in the back, and had trouble steering the craft. It’s hard to get into any major accidents on the water, so we didn’t. But it was also hard for us to go in a straight line. We ended up switching spots, and then she got really good at navigating from the front, causing all sorts of chaos for me trying to steer the ship. Good couple bonding. Communication is key.

There were 10 kayaks in total, including the one with our guide, Ben. We were in somewhat restricted territory apparently as well. Not really sure what that meant for the expedition, but for us it meant we were the only boats around. We had a nice paddle alongside some islands, before coming to a sea cave, which we would paddle through to the lagoon.

The key for going through a cave as a couple is to have one person do absolutely nothing. So that worked out for us! These caves were about 20-30 feet wide, with their ceilings 5 feet above the sea level at the max. We were in a low tide time, as well, so we could sneak through. These caves are flooded during high tide.

It was fun going through the cave. We had to dodge some stalactites on the ceiling as we weaved through. And on the other side was a quiet, private lagoon to explore.

We had half an hour to explore the lagoon. We started by exploring a bit of the sharpened shore, which dip deep into the ocean. We then beelined it for the middle for no particular reason. Gotta go fast. Cam went for a swim in the lagoon, and then we were summoned back out of the cave to the boat.

We had a lovely family style dinner, which is common for every tour, and got to watch the sunset over the ocean. A beautiful purple hue that reflected over the ocean. We had one more surprise for the night though. Squid fishing!

So the technique is simple. Put the lure 1-2m in the water, than jolt it up 3-4 times to the surface to mimic prey. We had some line attached to a small bamboo pole and gave it a go for half an hour. The boat captain caught the first one, a translucent squid about 6 inches in length. We caught one more total as a group. They weren’t biting that night.

Our second day was similar to the first. We had a big family breakfast, earlier than most, and then got in the kayaks to go explore some more caves and lagoons. We were on a common route this morning, with three caves to go through, and a couple of hidden lagoons. There were many day-trippers coming to this region, so we had to move quick.

We got distracted though, by a family of monkeys just hanging out plotting their takeover of the mainland. We watched them for 15 minutes, before being urged by Ben to get to the lagoons before everyone else.

The caves again were cool, and the lagoons serene. We crashed, not hard, into one cave wall. Steering was still an issue. The green waters were quickly infiltrated by the yellow day-tripping canoes, and their brutal drivers. There were some hard crashes into the rocky shores. I have no idea how.

There was one more excursion though. Another swim to some caves and beaches on some island shores. A squad of us swam the couple hundred meters to the first beach, a small sandy inlet shrouded by rocks. We crawled 10 or so feet under the rocks to the other side of the island, and there was the ocean once again. Another swim the next beach, another cave, and a jungle walk back to our first bay. And another swim to a third beach.

A couple from our tour took a kayak to the final beach, and we joked about hijacking it back and leaving it stranded. It got chilly out there. But the adventure felt like something from The Beach (The 1999 Leo movie), though in a fully controlled environment. It was a fun escape, and felt wild exploring these islands all alone.

That was the tour! Lan Ha Bay is a fantastic part of the world. The massive limestone islands that come out of the ocean create a maze of curiosity and beauty between the waves. It was a lot of fun, but now we are off to the land, more limestone, more caves, more water. See you there!