After exploring Hanoi for a few days it was time for the four of us to head to Halong Bay. I first saw images of Halong Bay on an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown and it looked like something from another world. We knew it was something we could not miss.

When we got to Vietnam and started talking to other travelers a lot of people started telling us that Halong Bay wasn’t worth it; that it had been fully ‘discovered’ and was packed with boats full of tourists. But sometimes places are crowded because they are worth seeing so we decided to ignore the warnings and give it a go anyway.

There are literally thousands of tour companies operating trips to Halong Bay at a huge range of price points. We decided to book with Vega Travel, which was recommended in our guidebook. We ended up being very glad we did. The price point was reasonable, the boat was charming, and the group we went with was awesome. Best of all they made a concerted effort to avoid the most crowded spots so we could truly enjoy the splendor of the bay. Our guide was also super informative, providing information about Vietnamese culture, history and customs as well as about the bay itself.

The only negative thing about our overnight trip was the cold weather. Swimming was on our initial itinerary but we all decided to skip it in favor of extra time bundled up on the deck of our boat.

We did go kayaking which was much more pleasant than expected, given the weather.

The bay itself is simply breathtaking. It is unlike any landscape I’ve ever seen and was totally worth visiting.

I was surprised by how vast it is. It is not just a handful of dramatic rock formations as I had envisioned.

Once you are in it the rocks jut out all around in every direction for as far as the eye can see.  It was a beautiful and relaxing experience and a great little break from the city.