You know that you have traveled to the right place, when you have not left yet and you are already thinking about returning. It happened to me, when visiting Halong Bay. I fell in love with this place without knowing what it was called or where' in the world it was. Over time I discovered that it was Halong Bay and that I could find it in Vietnam.
Globetrotters are looking for different experiences, such as eating local specialties, traveling around destinations using mass transportation, and wanting to know how the locals do their daily activities. If you know this globetrotter you will know that when a destiny gets between- my eyebrows, the universe conspires to make it come true. That my globetrotters, is called visualization and years ago visiting Halong Bay was in my peephole.
Halong Bay in Vietnam is a magical place that every explorer should try to visit at least once in their life. It is about 2,000 islands of karst rock and tropical foliage that dot 1,500 square km of emerald waters.
Aboard a traditional wooden boat, our journey through Halong Bay or “Bay of the Descending Dragon” began. The lush tropical vegetation that covers these islets make them look like jade stones. Legend has it that these were spat out by the dragons that came to help the Vietnamese people from the Chinese invasion.
From our hotel boat we went on a rowing boat adventure to explore islets, caves and grottos. A delicious dinner completed the night. I could never decide which I enjoyed more between- the peaceful night or the breathtaking sunrise in Halong Bay.
An amazing place
What can I tell you? When visiting Halong Bay I was speechless … It is one of those places that you want to devour with your eyes, capturing images so that they are well tattooed in your memory.
You may just find out, but Halong Bay is Vietnam’s tourist gem. About 7 million people visited it in recent years. Not for less, it is considered one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the world and was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco.
Ha-Long Bay: history and -environmental wealth
Repeating again, Ha-Long Bay, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 in Thailand, and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world since 2011, borders the city of Ha-Long and a part from Van Put Island.
It is made up of 1,969 islands, which are divided into two classes, namely: limestone and slate rock, which are located in the southeast, in Long Bai Tu Bay, and in the southwest, in the Bay of Ha-Long. Its surface is 1,500 square meters of water, which runs about 120 kilometers of Asian coastline.
Regarding its importance to the planet, this region has a biological diversity concentrated in coral reefs, 200 species of fish, 450 different kinds of mollusks, forests flooded with seawater and tropical forests with very rich fauna and flora.
The protected area of the bay covers an area of 15,000 hectares. Its rocks are covered by vegetation that, together with the birds that fly over the region, make it an area of tranquility completely opposite to the markets and the bustle of Vietnam.
Population density, war and -environmental problems
The forests and their animal and plant species have diminished in the bay due to commercial activities and the concentration of the population. Logging is a big problem in this region. Trees are felled for different types of timber in massive quantities for export, resulting in significant forest loss and flooding in parts of the bay and in parts of Vietnam and Thailand.
The Vietnam War, which started in 1964, was another factor that had an impact on pollution. Chemical aggression during the war, caused by Americans spraying chemical defoliants, affected the food chain and the -environment.
Beauty, islands, forests and ancient and contemporary history are part of a region that we must conserve and protect. There are many regions located in places that we do not know and that we do not imagine are on the planet. The future task is to make them known, so that the human being becomes aware of the excesses that he can commit against the natural -environment and his own future as a species on the planet. Of course this is not limited to Ha-Long Bay. Environmental awareness should also apply to all natural areas of our earth.
At least one night on a boat
No matter how you travel there, make sure that your visit includes spending at least one night on a boat in Halong Bay. Nothing like enjoying the night surrounded by its capricious rocky headlands or watching the sunrise in its quiet waters. An unforgettable experience of a lifetime!
Go mentally and do not exhaust yourself trying … When you visit Halong Bay you will discover that there is no cell reception. If this is impossible for you to handle, take a portable hotspot with you. It is possible that on your ship they offer you “Wi-Fi” service for an additional charge, but don’t you think this is the perfect time and place to disconnect from the digital world.
You can find various tour levels
When it comes to hiring a tour to visit Halong Bay, there is everything in the Lord’s vineyard… You will find cheap, moderate and high-level tours that range from 40 to $ 200.
My recommendation: buy one less swimsuit and invest in a moderate tour. This is an experience that you will treasure for a lifetime and you don’t want to end up ruining yourself on a ship packed with tourists and few amenities.
In the future, I want to visit Halong Bay again and stay longer exploring these magical islets, but now my exotic tour must continue! I hope this post was informative. Thank you for reading!