Review Author: Kahmy

Review Date: 12 Dec 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 Mar 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

Review Author: Emma

Review Date: 18 Oct 2025

Review Body: The boat trip around the local village was beautiful, as was swimming at sunset. Dinner was amazing. Before we even got to the kayaking part of the evening, I already thought that this trip was worth it. Kayaking with bioluminescent plankton was giving Moana in the best way. This is a really fun activity to book!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Stephanie Lines

Review Date: 28 Feb 2026

Review Body: This was the perfect evening adventure! Our guide spoke excellent English so communication was easy. The food was awesome and they made sure there was something for everyone. There was plenty of down time to enjoy the scenic views and Oceanside location before we took off to see the plankton.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Eleonor

Review Date: 03 Jan 2026

Review Body: Very well organized and there was enough time for every activity. We loved the way the guide explained everyhting. He was very kind and attentive, and his english was very good! Totally recommended

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Katie

Review Date: 19 Jul 2026

Review Body: Best afternoon of my trip. Highly recommend. With or without climbing experience, this is a must do. The climbing is so good! The guides were great.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kyla

Review Date: 14 Apr 2026

Review Body: A must see. The entire trip to Cat Ba was worth it, just for this tour! Amazing guide and experience :) :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: CJ

Review Date: 26 Dec 2025

Review Body: Our guide Linh was very knowledgeable and funny! We learnt a lot about the surrounding nature and we even managed to see bioluminescent plankton!! This was a dream coming true! Thank you Linh for the amazing evening!

Review rating: 4

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 May 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 Jul 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 Jun 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: Emma

Review Date: 17 Mar 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: Anders Munk

Review Date: 27 Jan 2026

Review Body: The boat trip was really nice with a fitting amount of people around 20. After a police inspection on the floating home our 2 day trip got canceled. Cat Ba local did all they could to help and offered another tour with our private guide Tylor. We really appreciated their effort and had a super day with Tylor. I highly recommend Cat Ba local.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Janet

Review Date: 01 May 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: Ana

Review Date: 22 Jun 2025

Review Body: We did the 2 day 1 night trip and it was amazing! Rian and Harry were SO nice and helpful and the atmosphere was always great! Also super well coordinated and the food on the boat was always delicious. Amazing landscape - would highly recommend

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Rachel

Review Date: 21 Sep 2026

Review Body: We extended our stay and also booked private transportation from the airport to our floating homestay and then to our next stay and everything was very smooth. Everyone was very communicative and all the activities were excellent!

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Cruise Cai Beo floating village, swim, kayak at night to see bioluminescence plankton.

Itinerary Description: 16:00 (winter)/16:30 (summer): Gather at the office to get on the bus, heading to Cai Beo Harbor 17:00 - 18:30: Cruise through the Cai Beo floating village, which is the last floating village in the Northern of Vietnam. Cruising through the Lan Ha Bay, we will go swimming for a bit and socializing on the boat with international friends. Dinner will be served with a lot of traditional Vietnamese dishes. After dinner, you rest for a while. Then follow the guide to kayak at night. Experiencing one of the most magical beauties of nature. The guide will take you to spots that have a thick density of plankton Bioluminescence! 20:00 - 20:30: Back to the floating platform, get on the boat to get back to Beo Harbor. 21:00 - 21:30: Arrive by the harbor, and get in a car to get back to the hotel. Finish the tour.