Magical Sunset and Evening with glowing plankton by Cat Ba Local

Highlights

Inclusions

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 132 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 3The guide was not professional which soured the tour experience

  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

  Deepika_SApril 2026via Viator

• 5A once-in-a-lifetime experience I will never forget

  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.

  Cat_BMarch 2026via Viator

• 5Bioluminescent kayaking

  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.

  Svetlana_SMarch 2026via Viator

• 5Unfortunate situation handled beautifully

  Our tour was disrupted by the weather conditions that tragically hit the Philippines just the day before. The tour operators immediately offered us a full refund, an exchange or a rescheduling to the following evening. We chose to go the following night but unfortunately again, the government didn’t allow tour boats after 18:30 or late night kayaking, but didn’t inform the tour operators until after our departure. This meant that we couldn’t continue with the kayaking as planned or see the plankton, but the operator still took us on a tour of the majestic Lan Ha bay and the floating village, AND refunded us for the whole thing. Completely out of their hands, but they handled it beautifully. Such is the gamble when touring the natural world. Communication with Cat Ba Local was quick and easy, transport from our hotel was seamless and they really tried their best to make sure we got the most out of our tour. Can’t fault Cat Ba Local one bit for unfortunately weather - just one more reason for us to come back to the wonderful Cat Ba!!

  barryr526November 2025via Tripadvisor

• 5We enjoyed the tour very much. We recommend it highly. The tour guide was nice, kind and clear. The food was tasty!

  It was well organised and a wonderful experience. Although it rained ithe end, it was great. Thank you

  Irit_COctober 2025via Viator

• 5Magical glowing plankton tour

  I loved the tour, we went on a bigger boat and swam and saw the sunset over the islands, and then kayaked with the glowing plankton. It was pretty magical, the moon wasn’t up so we were lucky to have a really good view of them- you love your hand or paddle and they really sparkle, pretty special! Our tour guide was so kind and friendly, we had a great time with him. Highly recommend!

  Rebeccabee94October 2025via Tripadvisor

Know before you go

How it compares in Cat Ba

• Its from-price is 24% below the median of the 304 experiences we list in Cat Ba.
• It is shorter than most of them.
• By number of reviews it ranks 22 of 304.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Cat Ba

Cat Ba is a rugged limestone island at the edge of Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, with forest, beaches, caves, fishing villages and the rare Cat Ba langur.

Cat Ba is the largest island of the Cat Ba archipelago in northern Vietnam, at the southern edge of Ha Long Bay, a mass of limestone hills, forest and mangrove. Cat Ba town, a harbour of fishing boats and seafood restaurants, is the main settlement. Much of the island is Cat Ba National Park, home to the golden-headed langur, one of the rarest primates in the world, as well as macaques, squirrels and birds.

See all 304 experiences in Cat Ba