Review Author: Elena

Review Date: 07 Apr. 2026

Review Body: I don't usually like to do tours, but this one was a 100% worth it! Thái, our guide, was truly the sweetest. Besides being a lot of fun (bonus point!), he is very knowledgeable about the area and the floating fish village. You could see the passion for his job and his hometown (he's from Hai Phong). We were about 20 people on board, but the atmosphere was very friendly, familiar, so it didn't feel like there were too many people. Thai spent every second with us, telling stories, explaining, answering questions and also just chit chatting. His English is spectacular. I was looking for a slower paste, and this tour was exactly what I needed. We visited the floating Fish Village, explored the bay and one cave by boat, had lunch, a refreshing swim and kayaked around before heading back to the pier. I had a lovely day. I would highly recommend this company. Thank you Thái!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Hannah

Review Date: 13 Mai 2026

Review Body: I really enjoy the day tour from Cat Ba. Our guide Tyler was brilliant - he spoke fantastic English and was enthusiastic from start to finish. The bus picked us up and dropped us off exactly on schedule with no waiting time. The tour itself was very pleasant. A lot more relaxed than other tours. We spent a lot of time sailing around and enjoying the scenery which I enjoyed. Some tours cram in activities one after the other but this one gave us down time to just relax. The highlight for me was the research centre at the end of the tour. It was very interesting to see all of the different fish and hear all about them.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Emile

Review Date: 17 Juli 2026

Review Body: Awesome experience from A to Z ! Not too crowded, especially compared to other cruises (we were like 20 people on the boat), obviously the landscape is insane, and you get to do so many different things for so cheap ! Kayaking among the islands feels like exploring another planet, the meal is excellent and plenty enough, then we stayed maybe 2h bathing. The fishermen's village's visit is very cool too. I felt like I lived 3 days in one 😄 On top of that the guide is very nice, speaks great English and you never feel rushed. You really take time for every activity, absolutely perfect to explore Ha Long Bay.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sella clements

Review Date: 09 Juni 2026

Review Body: We had Tom as our tour guide and he was amazing, answered all of our many questions honestly and in depth. The tour itself was great, we kayaked to a hidden lagoon, swam at a beach, learned about the culture of Catba, and visited the fish farm. Everyone was so kind and welcoming. I highly appreciated learning in this environment and totally recommend booking with this company!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Helen

Review Date: 11 Okt. 2026

Review Body: Tyler was an excellent, tour guide! He ensured the whole group are happy and is very knowledgeable about the area and sharing this with the group. You can tell he cares about what he does and this beautiful place. Food is outstanding. Overall a very smooth well run trip throughout made for a perfect trip in Lan Ha Bay. Wouldn’t hesitate to book with Cat Ba Local again

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Emma

Review Date: 17 März 2026

Review Body: Nous avons réservé la croisière 1 Day Lan Ha Bay | Secret Caves and Hidden Lagoons. Nous avons passé une super journée ! Le bateau était très agréable, le guide très sympa, le programme bien organisé et pas trop chargé ce qui permet de prendre le temps de se baigner, de se reposer, de manger… Je recommande vraiment cette croisière, on a passé un super moment

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Janet

Review Date: 01 Mai 2026

Review Body: Tai was an incredible guide! He was very friendly and very knowledgable about the area and made sure to answer all our questions. The Bay was beautiful and felt less touristy even though it was a public holiday. A positive surprise and one of my highlights was seeing the fish in the research center!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Cindy

Review Date: 15 Jan. 2026

Review Body: Tyler was an incredible guide! The whole program was incredible. We enjoyed every minute of the day. We were especially impressed that the staff made special efforts to accommodate our Kosher needs and cooked us special food.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tinca

Review Date: 07 Mai 2026

Review Body: We loved the day trip to Lan Ha Bay! Tom was a great guide and explained everything about the area very well (also great English!). The organisation was very smooth and felt very local :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Tobias

Review Date: 23 Sep. 2026

Review Body: Great value for what you get! Also the food was good and the Guide Tommy was perfect.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Margot

Review Date: 20 Okt. 2025

Review Body: this trip was amazing !! our guide was so sweet and kind, we had an amazing day :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Lucile

Review Date: 15 März 2026

Review Body: Great guide, interesting infos during the stops and beautiful landscapes !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Jane Griffiths

Review Date: 06 Okt. 2026

Review Body: Just a fantastic trip, great guide and a really well paced and fun day.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ilona

Review Date: 04 Okt. 2026

Review Body: Our guide Tommy was brilliant and the activities were great. Our family had a great adventure. The food was plentiful for 30 people in the group that day. Perhaps another guide would be good, one at the front and one at the back to get all the ducks in row. Other than that, I really recommend this trip! Glad I did not choose a cruise, we would have been bored stupid. This is much more fun!

Review rating: 4

Review Author: Manuela

Review Date: 30 Aug. 2026

Review Body: Landscape and swimming in clear waters (hard in vietnam!)

Review rating: 4

Review Author: Kahmy

Review Date: 12 Dez. 2024

Review Body: I'm really glad that Seek Sophie has experiences in Cat Ba because I think it's such a gem that people really should not miss when you're in Vietnam! We went during rainy season and a full moon night, so the bioluminescent plankton wasn't bioluminescing very strongly. So those aren't prime conditions (you should go when its deeper in winter like Jan-Feb and when it's NOT a full moon), so do your research and plan in advance if you really want to see the immense like blue colour! Nevertheless we still saw a bit of it of the plankton glow and that still was pretty :) The highlight for me was actually going onto the boat, seeing the fishing village, seeing sunset meeting new people. And kayaking surrounded by the mountain views and enjoying the beautiful like moonlit sky - I thought was already beautiful in itself. It was so surreal. Very very very peaceful and I enjoyed that a lot!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Sara R

Review Date: 20 Jan. 2026

Review Body: We loved our experience. Our guide, Ty, was an absolute delight. He was so personable and kind and very funny! He was knowledgeable about area, as he is a local. We always appreciate that insider info! We were able to see the bioluminescent plankton, as it is there year round but is only really visible without light (so days without moonlight). We heard the best time to visit is May and September. We’d love to come back to see it in its peak. Everything was well organized and professional. The dinner was tasty and family style, like those in the tours of Ha Giang. We would recommend Ty or SeekSophie / Cat Ba Local to anyone visiting Vietnam!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Veronika

Review Date: 17 Apr. 2026

Review Body: Booked through Seek Sophie website. They did a great job. I was most impressed with the dinner after. It was fantastic, with multiple food items in bowl-type entree. They accommodated both me and my partner’s food restrictions: vegan and gluten free. The setting for the dinner was wonderful, in an outside courtyard. The boat trips similarly felt safe and there were appropriate life vests on board the small boats. Notably, there weren’t quite enough life vests for the actual kayaking. I would like to see these provided. They did provide high quality dry bags for valuables. The plankton was very pretty. I would overall recommend.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Patrizio Vailati Facchini

Review Date: 23 März 2026

Review Body: It was an incredible experience… it’s so unbelievable, pure magic! Everything was perfectly aligned, clear sky full of stars, a little smily moon, and plenty of plancton under our kayaks. A starry night up in the sky, but also under water! It looks like unreal, the best experience I’ve lived in my whole life… There’s no picture that can describe the magic we had in front of our eyes… forget your phones and camera, just live the moment… you risk to waste the best memory of your life ;)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Andrea

Review Date: 13 Nov. 2024

Review Body: Really really lovely guide, spoke a perfect English and was really trying to make us enjoy the experience as much as possible. Swimming at sunset was amazing, as much as kayaking in the dark to scout the bioluminescent plankton. They even arranged a taxi to bring us back to the hostel that was not initially in their plan for the bus to come back to.

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Lan Ha Bay cruise: Boat tour, kayaking, swimming, beaches, caves, sunset viewing.

Itinerary Description: 8:00 - Gather at the office for departure 8:30 - Embark on a mesmerizing boat cruise through Lan Ha Bay, marveling at the Cai Beo Fishing Village and the myriad karst formations, each with its own unique silhouette, like chopsticks and seals. 10:30 - Navigate through hidden lagoons, tunnels, and archways via kayak, exploring K.A cave and Bats cave. 12:30 - Drop anchor at Ong Cam Islet for a delectable traditional Vietnamese lunch, Indulge in free time for relaxation, swimming, boat-jumping, sunbathing on deck, and socializing. 13:30 - Continue the journey through Southern Ha Long Bay, passing by Dau Be Island, Vung Vieng Fishing Village, Le Virgin Arch, and The Kita Arch. 14:30 - Take a refreshing dip and explore the untouched beauty of Ba Trai Dao Beach, known for its tranquility and pristine nature. Discover hidden gems like Temple Beach - Screaming Island, along with more secluded lagoons and arches. 16:00 - Delight in the enchanting sunset views as the boat makes its way back to the harbor. 17:00 - Return to the office by bus/taxi