KayakCatba.com

Rugged, craggy and jungle-clad Cat Ba, the largest island in Halong Bay, is straight out of Jurassic Park. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offers numerous beaches to explore. While the vast majority of Halong Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks. Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town.

Fishing village in Catba

Except for a few fertile pockets, the terrain is too rocky for serious agriculture, most residents earn their living from the sea, while others cater to the tourist trade. Life has always been hard here and many Cat Ba residents joined the exodus of Vietnamese boat people in the 1970s and ’80s. Although the island lost much of its fishing fleet this way, oversea of Vietnamese have sent back large amounts of money to relatives on the island, fuelling the hotel boom of the past decade. Cat Ba is still relatively laid-back, despite about a 20-fold increase in hotel rooms (and karaoke machines!) since 1996.

Almost half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent waters were declared a national park in 1986 to protect the island’s diverse eco-systems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and coral reefs. Most of the coastline consists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches hidden away in small coves.

There are numerous lakes, waterfalls am grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech lake, which covers an area of 3 hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the island’s rainwater flow into caves and follows underground stream to the sea, which creates a shortage of fresh water during the dry season.

The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of mollusc and 400 species of arthropod. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphin.

Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to Cat Ba Island on 1 April 1951 and there is a large annual festival on the island to commemorate the event. A monument to Uncle Ho stands on Mountain No 1, the hillock opposite the pier in Cat Ba town.

The best weather on Cat Ba Island is from late September to November, particularly the latter, when the air and water temperature is mild and skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler, but still pleasant. From February to April rain is common, while the summer months, from June through August, are hot and humid. This is also peak season and the island is overrun with Vietnamese tourists from Hanoi and beyond.

INFORMATION

Internet Access
There are now several internet cafes in Cat Ba. Prices tend ti be higher than the mainland, and the connection is quite slow. There are a couple of places to the southest of boat pier, plus one or two on “hotel alley”.
Money
Remarkably, there are still no banks on Cat Ba Island, but Vu Binh Jewellers (Tel: 88641) can change cheques at 3% commission and does credit car cash advances at 5%. The nearest ATMs are in Haiphong or Halong City.
Post
The main post office (Đ 1-4), is a one-stop-shop for postal needs and telephone calls.
Tourist lnformation
There is now an official Tourist Information & Development Centre (Tel: 688 215; Add: Đ 1-4), located almost opposite the boat pier in Cat Ba town. The staff here can bring you up to speed on transport options in and around Cat Ba, plus it has Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve maps available. Most guesthouses and hotels can ‘help’ with tourist information (booking you on their trips, in other words).

Cat Ba National Park

Tel: 216350 - Admission: 15,000 - Guide fee per day: US$5 - Open: Dawn – Dusk.
This accessible national park is home to 32 types of mammals - including langurs, wild boar, deer, squirrels and hedgehogs - and more than 70 species of birds have been sited, including hawks, hornbills and cuckoos. The golden-headed langur is officially the world’s most endangered primate with just 60 left in the park. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for waterfowl, which feed and roost on the beaches in the mangrove forests. There are 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba, including 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. The park is also home to a species of tree called Cay Kim Giao. In ancient days, kings and nobles would eat only with chopsticks made from this timber, as anything poisonous it touches is reputed to turn the light-coloured wood to black

Cat Ba Langur

A guide is not mandatory, but is definitely recommended if you want to go walking; otherwise, all you are likely to see is a canopy of trees.
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EATING
Sumptuous seafood is the smart choice in Cat Ba town and there are plenty of restaurants to choose from along the seafront strip.

Huu Dung Restaurant
Add: Đ Nui Ngoc – Dishes: 10,000- 50.000d
This place has always served up whole- some food, but it’s best to eat early, as the Lan Song Xanh Disco is right across the road and cranks up the volume from 8pm or so. The house special is whole steamed fish with lashings of garlic and soy sauce.

Hoang Y
Add: Đ 1-4 - Dishes 15,000-50,000d
If you are in the market for fresh grilled shrimp or squid with garlic, this little seafront place is a popular option. As well as a solid selection of seafood dishes, there are also good vegetarian dishes on offer.

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Getting there & Away
Cat Ba Island is 45km east of Haiphong and 20km south of Halong City. Be aware that there are several piers on Cat Ba Island. Most handy is the jetty directly in front of Cat Ba town from where the hydrofoils to Haiphong depart. A second popular one is at Ben Beo, about 2km from Cat Ba town where most of the tourist boats berth. The other pier is at Phu Long, 30km from Cat Ba, where boats from Cat Hai arrive. At Phu Long, motorbike drivers wait to whisk passengers from the ferries to town (or the 15km to Cat Ba National Park) for about 50,000d. There is also a public bus that meets the boats, but this takes longer to get across the island.

Cat Ba town

The best option for independent travelers is the hydrofoils linking Cat Ba directly to Haiphong. These air-con rockets reduce the journey to just 45 minutes. There are several companies running the route, with three departures a day in the high summer season and just once a day the rest of the year. Summer season services depart between 10am and 5pm.
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