Cruises / Day Cruise
Ha Long Bay · Day cruise
A six-hour sunset run on the classic route
Day Cruise
Ha Long Bay
Day Cruise aboard the Aurora Cruise.
Aurora is a three-deck day boat, thirty-eight metres long, with a panoramic restaurant that seats up to a hundred and twenty and a jacuzzi on the sundeck. It sails the afternoon route - Sung Sot Cave, Luon Cave and Titop Island - and finishes with a sunset party on the way back to port.
How your day cruise unfolds.
What makes it special.
The boat
Thirty-eight metres long, with a glazed restaurant seating up to a hundred and twenty and a jacuzzi above it.
The timing
The boat sails at midday and comes back at dusk, which puts the sunset party on the water rather than on the road.
The route
Sung Sot Cave, then a bamboo boat or kayak at Luon Cave, then the beach and viewpoint on Titop Island.
Along the way
Lunch is served as the boat passes Bai Tho mountain, Turtle Island and Human Head Island.
What is on board, and what the fare includes
The rate sheet charges the Hanoi road transfer separately; drinks, corkage and tips are paid on board. Pick-up is from the Old Quarter - ask us if you are staying elsewhere.
A day on the water, or a night aboard.
Day trip
A long day out from Hanoi with a few hours of cruising, a cave and a kayak. It works when time is tight, but you miss the sunset, the quiet and the sunrise.
This is the itinerary on this page
2 days, 1 night
An afternoon and evening on the water, a night at anchor and a morning sail out. The length most travellers choose.
3 days, 2 nights
Day two is when the fleets disperse and you reach the further coves - the bay at its most peaceful.
Other boats on the same water, same length of trip.
See every boat on our Ha Long Bay cruises, or narrow by length: day cruises, 2 days, 1 night and 3 days, 2 nights.
About this boat, and about cruising the bay.
Aurora Cruise sails Ha Long Bay. If you are still deciding between the bays, our comparison of Ha Long, Lan Ha and Bai Tu Long sets out how they differ in traffic, scenery and how far you travel to reach them.
Embarkation is at Ha Long International Port. Boarding starts around 11:30-11:45. The hour-by-hour itinerary above gives the timings for the day.
The cruise runs six hours, 12:00 to 18:00; pick-up is 07:45-08:15 in the Old Quarter and the drop-off back in Hanoi is about 20:30. A day cruise is a long day out of Hanoi either way, which is why we fit it around the rest of your trip rather than sell it on its own.
Road transfer from Hanoi takes roughly two and a half to three hours each way, which is why a day cruise starts early and finishes late. We arrange the transfer with the cruise as one booking, so the pick-up matches the boarding window rather than leaving you to work the timings out.
A Ha Long day cruise normally includes lunch on board, the guided activities in the itinerary above and the bay entrance and sightseeing fees. Drinks, the kayak on some boats and the road transfer from Hanoi are the items that vary most. We confirm exactly what is and is not included for this boat in writing before you pay, because it differs by operator and by season.
Ha Long Bay closes to cruise traffic when the harbour authority says so, usually for storms. If that happens we move the date or refund the cruise - you are never held to a sailing that cannot run. Our refund policy sets out the detail.
Yes. Day boats take children of any age and price them in bands rather than as adults. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will say which boats suit and what each one charges.
Vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and allergy requirements are all workable, but they need to be given at booking rather than on the day - the boat provisions before it leaves harbour and cannot restock at sea.
October to April is the settled season, with clear air and cool mornings. May to September is warmer and better for swimming, with a higher chance of a storm closing the bay. Our guide to Ha Long Bay goes into the months in more detail.
We'll build the Aurora Cruise into a complete, private Northern Vietnam itinerary, planned and run for you, with every transfer handled.
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