Cat Ba is the largest island in the vicinity of Halong Bay . The island has a few fishing and farming villages as well as a fast growing town. Lan Ha Bay, off the eastern side of the island, is especially scenic and offers numerous beaches to explore. About 1km southeast from Cat Ba, two white sand beaches named Cat Co 1 and 2 are also attractive to make a great pace to lounge around for the day.
What to do?
Highlights of visits at Cat Ba are boat trips to outlying islands and enjoy deserted beach set in turquoise-blue sea water, swimming at nice beaches within walking distance from the town and hiking at Cat Ba National Park or visiting Hospital Cave.
When to go?
The best weather to visit Cat Ba is from late September until November, when the air and temperature is mild and skies are mostly clear. December to February is cooler but still pleasant. The period from March to April, rain is common while from June through August, it is hot and humid.
Travel Tips
Normally, tours to Cat Ba Island are combined with Halong Bay with different scale of prices. Frequent questions to ask before making a booking are the group size on boat and on car, cabin type (with or without A/C), Hotel levels in Cat Ba , included and excluded services in the package so that you know what to expect in advance. During summer vacation (from April to September), early bookings are recommended as it is very difficult to find an accommodation in Cat Ba .