Bai Tu Long Bay: A Photo Essay

One of the classic trips from Hanoi is a cruise to Halong Bay, a majestic landscape of limestone karsts and clear green water.

I had done exhaustive research on the myriad cruising options and settled on Indochina Junk, a luxury company. Their cruises were pretty pricey but they were one of the few companies sailing to Bai Tu Long Bay, a less trafficked part of the bay.

Since I had read that Halong Bay could get pretty crowded with boats and tourists, I was hoping for some more serene scenery.

Sailing with Indochina Junk was definitely the most luxe experience I have had on this flashpacking journey. Erin and I had a darling cabin with views of the water, deluxe ten course seafood dinners, and expert service at every turn.

We had a couple kayaking excursions (beautiful, but Erin and I were awful at this), a barbecue on a private beach, a visit to a cave and small fishing village, and some opportunities for swimming as well.

But my favorite part of the trip was simply sitting on a lounge chair on the sundeck with a cold drink, watching the countless karsts speed by us as we sailed.

The landscape was unlike any I had seen before.

And we were lucky to have friendly and fun cruise guests alongside us, particularly Elly and Josh, a hilarious couple from Australia who, among other talents and exploits, ran a microbrewery with a sloth mascot, aka Erin’s dream. I’ve never been that interested in cruises, but this was a small ship with ten cabins and there was something so magical about showering with a porthole view of the sea, or walking down the rustic wooden hallway to the deck.

If every ship was like Indochina Junk, I think I could get used to the cruising life!