A Very Misty Halong Bay

Here are some shots from our two day cruise on Halong Bay.  As you can see it was misty which is normal for this time of year, but it did make the limestone karst scenery very atmospheric to cruise through.  We stayed overnight on the boat, there are countless cruise companies operating out of the very busy port - we used Phoenix Cruises http://www.halongphoenixcruiser.com , and I can recommend them.  Although it is incredibly beautiful here, the tour experience is fully realised.  From departing Hanoi, you join thousands of other tourists being herded through purpose built souvenir shops, an incredibly busy port, and finally sailing out through the bay on an identical course to every other tourist junk on the water to overnight in exactly the same bay.  This last I found particularly strange, although the site is a UNESCO world heritage site and there must be conservation concerns, the core bay area covers over 330km square and consists of 775 islets.  Surely, tour companies would have some flexibility to escape the crowds to better appreciate the incredible scenery in peace ?  As you can guess, i'm not much for tours, but overall I have to say this place is well worth visiting.