Review Author: Pauline

Review Date: 19 Jan 2025

Review Body: Cat Ba is a very nice alternative to Ha Long Bay. With beautiful nature (you can also trek in this national park). Very nice guide. Good schedule with bicycle, swimming, kayaking, lunch and everything in a chill mood. Good and big lunch on the boat. Small boat and not too big group. Well done. We did not meet the locals in the village (but they might not want to be bothered). They made all efforts possible for us to be back on time for the last bus to Hanoi (at 5 pm).

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Kathryn

Review Date: 22 Dec 2023

Review Body: Great tour! Our tour guide was upbeat and engaging, and shared a lot with us throughout the tour. The activities were great - even though it was quite cold (in December), we had a great time on the boat, kayaking and cycling around the fishing village. Tour was extremely well organised - everything was on time, pickup/dropoff was seamless. Highly recommend!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nadine

Review Date: 09 Aug 2025

Review Body: We did the day tour from Cat Ba island and it was an awesome experience! Our guide was very informative and attentive, and included various activities for us to do! The landscapes and the scenery were amazing! I highly recommend this tour.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Rafi S.

Review Date: 14 Oct 2024

Review Body: The owner and staff are amazing. They are very friendly and accommodating. Always checking on us (guests), food are always serve warm and on time, guide was courteous and attentive.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Zuzana

Review Date: 22 Jan 2026

Review Body: We really enjoyed the trip, there was a great organisation, also tasty food on the boat and we just loved the nature

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Mia Laidlaw

Review Date: 08 May 2025

Review Body: B was a great guide, thank you! :)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Odei

Review Date: 11 Dec 2025

Review Body: Overall the experience was good, but we were quite disapointed because we didn’t go kayaking. Instead, we took a bamboo boat with 5 passengers in each boat to explore the caves and lagoon that didn’t feel as free and adventurous as doing it with a kayak. We don’t understand why we were the only ones in a bamboo boat, since all the rest of ships were doing the activity with kayak. The surprise was even greater because the activity schedule shared by Seek Sophie clearly states that we would have 1.5 hours to kayak and explore the caves and the lagoon. The rest of the day was great, but it’s overshadowed by not having done the kayaking activity.

Review rating: 3

Review Author: Clarinda

Review Date: 09 Mar 2024

Review Body: We had a good time on the tour save for the fact that it was not entirely what we expected or paid for. It was not max 12 people, it was a group of about 30. We didn’t hike, go through the caves and there weren’t enough kayaks for everyone so we unfortunately missed out on all that. The tour certainly rests on its laurels, that being the scenic location. I will say the bike ride to the small village was certainly a highlight, and you will be well fed!

Review rating: 3

Review Author: Louise Tibiletti

Review Date: 26 Mar 2024

Review Body: There were 35 people on the boat. The tour was nice but we wanted a small group tour and that is why we accepted to pay more, but we were really disappointed on the boat because there was no place for everyone to have a nice seat.

Review rating: 1

Review Author: Britt S

Review Date: 20 Oct 2019

Review Body: Today we went with Cat Ba Smile Tour on a boat trip through lan ha bay and halong bay and it was amazing. We were promised a small group of maximum 10 persons but we got even more lucky as it was only the 2 of us. The weather was great and on the deck we could enjoy the beautiful landscape and islands around us. Because we left earlier than the other boats at 7.30 am, it was like we were the only ones on the water! The first activity was kayaking which was amazing because we didn't have to wait on a large group like others who were already on the platform. The guide Tar is very friendly showing us around the caves and telling us about the islands. After that we could swim in the water around halong bay and everything feels very easy. The staff is very enthusiastic to take pictures and the meal with seafood was super tasty and varied ! Tried some new things we didn't have before in Vietnam and it tasted very fresh. The next stop was monkey island and Tar showed us the best way to climb the mountain ending with some beautiful scenery! We also stopped in a fishing village and the staff was very patient. We were not in a rush at all making it a perfect and relaxing day with a lot of new experiences. Definitely recommended and thank you so much for everything !

Review rating: 5

Review Author: brayatans

Review Date: 29 Nov 2019

Review Body: I had a wonderful experience with Cat Ba Smile Tours on the one day boat tour. Our guide Tar lead us all the way during the whole day. Lots of the credits go to him. It also helps a lot that they only take small groups. We were 7 in a boat for probably 20 or more. Te day started by visiting the sea village just after departing from the harbour in Cat Ba, then went for some canoeing through some tunnels and reaching isolated lagoons in the middle of the islands, to later stop in the middle of the small typical Ha Long Bay islands for lunch which was an experience for itself. Incredible food and lunch. Really well cooked (credits to the cooker and capitan of the boat. In the same place we could dive to the sea from the boat which was a big fun. We ended travelling back to monkey island where we did some climbing to reach an awesome viewing spot of the islands. Unreal experience and totally recommend you take this tour with them, you won’t regret.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: dreamcometrue4u

Review Date: 18 Nov 2019

Review Body: I want to say big thank you to our tour guide Johnny :) Before choose this tour .i compared all different tour program about price and activities . Cheaper than other agent . And specially Johnny was amazing !:) Highly recommend this place .no need to waste time to research any more . This in the one :) And ship captain trung was amazing too. He always try to help us. Food was amazing as well!!:) Smile tour run accommodation as well in cat ba. The name is The Ireland hotel. It’s cheap price and great location . Everything do together in one place made our trip so easy n smooth . Plus Moto bike rent and bus tickets organized with good price as well. I want to thank you to Ireland hotel staffs as well. Warm Welcome from TAR and TEP. Lovely staffs ,they try to help anything to you. We didn’t want to leave at all this place. I think Owner has good philosophy that make all customer SMIlE when they leave . They truly make that happen!:)

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Muellkriicha

Review Date: 01 Dec 2019

Review Body: We started at 7:30 and were brought to the boat by bus. Then went past an old fishing village to a place to Kayak, it was beautiful and you even had the chance to go through a few small caves. After Kayaking you get to swim a little in the water but it was pretty exhausting cause you had to constantly swim against the stream. Food was freshly cooked on the boat and was ready to be eaten shortly after, also very delicious. Last but not least we visited the Monkey Island where you, indeed, are able to see some monkeys and feed them and especially hyke up the path. (good shoes recommended) The path can sometimes be pretty hard the further you get but it's worth it and if you can't do it you can always go down again. You arrive home at around 5pm and even get one free beer (which is what I'm doing right now) so all in all great experience, can recommend. Price: 500k

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Mika2410mika2410

Review Date: 29 Oct 2019

Review Body: We wanted to do a boat tour in cat ba and as we arrived there, we found out that there are many companies, which provide more or less the same tour. A few friends, that visited cat ba 2 weekes bevor us recomanded us Smile Tour and we gave it a try. BEST decision ever. It was even better then described. Like noted, there where a lot of tourist who wanted to do the same tour. A huge advantage of the Smile Tour was that we started early (so bevor the others) and in a small group (up to 12). We where able to enjoy the awesome tour in a relaxed atmosphere. Tar, our guide, took very good care of us. Actually the hole crew was really, really nice. Honestly, I do not have any tips on how the tour can be improved. It was just great. All in all, the view was amazing, the crew awesome, the food very good and the atmosphere could not have been better.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Nomad687744

Review Date: 01 Nov 2019

Review Body: My favourite thing about this tour is the fact that it was a small group (only 11 people), while other tours had as many as 30 people. You really got to enjoy and relax all the activities without them being too noisy or busy. It was also amazing that we got to the kayak section before any other group, due to the earlier start of the tour. You get to enjoy all the magnificent views without having to struggle with all the other tourist groups for space and quiet. Finally the tour guide Tar was amazing! So helpful answering any of our questions and making sure everyone was well accommodated (he attended to my shrimp allergy and another girl's dietary restrictions by providing a special lunch). He also was super friendly and always smiling. Cannot recommend this tour enough!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Ulo92

Review Date: 20 Oct 2019

Review Body: My girlfriend and I ,we did a day trip with them, kayaking , swimming and monkey island.The price is on the average in the area but the kindness of the crew was impressive.We begin early in the morning to don't be in the crowd of the kayaks and actually was the best choice cus on the way back it was really busy and probably the other groups get anoyed by the long lines to pass through the caves.The boat really nice with grass on the roof top, members of the crew always smiling and our guide Tar was always taking care of of all of us.At the end of the trip we come back in the agency and the owner offered us beers and we stayed for a while talking about the trip like in family meeting ,it was so nice.I would recommend this agency to everyone.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: Paul_Kavla

Review Date: 10 Nov 2019

Review Body: My Girlfriend and me booked the 2 Days and 1 Night Tour in November 2019. We had a really good time with Cat Ba Smile Tours. The size of the group's is very small (under 12 people). In fact at the first day we were 9 people and at the second day it was only the two of us. Which was pretty great and in my opinion pretty uncommon. We also saw ships with around 30 people on it. The lunch on the boat was also really good and tasty. And the guides are quiet interested in showing you the bays. We did spontaneously Kayaking tours at the evening and in the morning and the guides were giving us company and Info about the area. We even saw luminescent plankton in the water. All in all it was a great trip. Thanks a lot again.

Review rating: 5

Review Author: juicyjuth

Review Date: 29 Oct 2019

Review Body: The tour provides everything to spend a perfect day to discover the region around cat ba and the halong bay. The whole crew (the guide tar, the captain and the chef) took really good care of us and did everything to make this day for the whole group a nice and relaxing experience. We started earlier than a lot of other tours so that we could enjoy kayaking without anyone around - when we got back to the place where we got the kayaks it was very crowded. On board of the boat we had a good time enjoying the beautiful view, very delicious food and later on also jumping and swimming next to it. Especially the small group made this experience very comfortable. I would definitely recommend this tour!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: 343teriw

Review Date: 22 Nov 2019

Review Body: We had a tour with our tourguide Tar around the Halong Bay. He showed us the beautiful Halong Bay early in the morning with the beautiful floating village. Good that we get up so early for the trip, the silent was incredible! To boat was really small, just a maximum of 12 person can join the tour. On the sundec you can enjoy this nature with the thousands of rocks in the sea. We had a great and super delicious lunch, cooked by themself! We also made a stop in a quite place to jump from the boat in the sea. Last stop was the monkey island, also worth for a visit with a fantastic view and to observe the monkeys. Tar takes care of us and introduced us in the different places! Great job!!!

Review rating: 5

Review Author: llw19, New Zealand

Review Date: 15 Nov 2019

Review Body: Look no further for your day trip, such a great tour! Our guide Jonny was fantastic and looked after us so well, as did the other guys on the boat. I’m a vegetarian and had plenty of yummy food. Because we started early we were ahead of the crowds for most of the day, it was so beautiful. Some of the other boats can have close to 40people packed on whereas this tour has a max of 10-12, for us it was smaller! Jonny also asked us to be respectful of the monkeys and take photos from a distance which I was really happy about (some tourists get far too close to them). Jonny took heaps of great pictures of us too. thanks again Cat Ba smile tours :) :) :)

Review rating: 5

Itinerary Day 1

Itinerary Summary: Cruise to Lan Ha Bay & Halong Bay, kayak to hidden caves, cycle on Cat Ba island

Itinerary Description: 8.00: Our bus will pick you up at our office (210,1/4 street, Cat Ba Town) and then transfer you to BEO Harbour, about 1 km 8.15- 11.30: Our trip starts cruising through Floating Fishing Village (one of the oldest villages in Viet Nam). Our tour guide will tell you many things different about the life of fishermen and their families. Visiting and enjoying hundreds of different and amazing landscapes of limestone islands such as turtle islets, toad islets, and candle islets … on Lan Ha Bay. Keep cruising to the border between Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, where you enjoy kayaking (1.5 hours) through BRIGHT CAVE -DARK CAVE - BAT CAVE to explore the beauty of nature in hidden lagoons. Moving to a private swimming zone in the middle of Ha Long Bay named Cam Lagoon where there is a tranquil area and you can swim for half an hour in blue, clear water and jump from the deck of the boat. 12.00 - 13.00: Having lunch with Vietnamese cuisine, seafood, and vegetarian food on the boat. 13.00 - 14.30: You can blow off some steam by sleeping in the boat or sitting on the deck of the boat to enjoy sunbathing and taking photos while we come back by another route to take you to VIET HAI harbor 14.30 – 16.30: From Viet Hai harbor, cycling to cross rice fields to Viet Hai village (fascinating experience). Stroll around the village to meet some friendly locals, and learn about their life and culture there. Farm with them if you like (seasonal). You can experience the feeling of being massaged by many fish. 16.30 - 17.00: Get on the boat and return to Cat Ba Town. Our bus will bring you back to our office or your hotel, ending a full-day cruise trip.