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| From Threeland Travel's Blog - October 2012 |
Cat Ba Island is situated a mere 50 km east of Hai Phong city in the north of Vietnam. The island is part of a chain of 366 islands that lie within the larger area of Ha Long Bay. At over 200km2, it is the largest island in Ha Long Bay. Its human population is concentrated on the southern part of the island, around the town of Cat Ba. The island is easily accessible and matches neighboring Ha Long Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay for stunning natural beauty. It also offers visitors the added options of relaxation, adventure and cultural exchange. In April 2005, Cat Ba was officially recognized as Cat Ba Archipelago Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
Cat Ba is well-known for its unique terrain and casual island lifestyle. While the vast majority of Ha Long Bay’s islands are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba has a few fishing villages, as well as a fast-growing town. Since being discovered by Hanoi residents, Cat Ba has turned into a highly popular summer getaway, filling up on weekends and holidays, when prices fluctuate accordingly. The island is now much sought after by both domestic and international visitors as a ready alternative to the city madness and bus tour boredom. Much of Cat Ba Island was declared a national park in 1986 in order to protect the island’s diverse ecosystems and wildlife, including the endangered golden-headed languor, the world’s rarest primate. There are many famous rugged limestone mountains, hot and cold springs, moist tropical forests, mangrove forest, coral reefs as well as deserted beaches. There are also numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacular limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level. A sleepy fishing village just a decade ago, it is now waking up as the Costa Del Cat Ba.
Today, increases in infrastructure on the Island made it easier for tourists to visit the Island. Those upgrades including the building of bigger roads, dams to build harbors and to protect Cat Ba Town from flooding, consistent electricity being brought to the island (which surprisingly happened as late as 1997) instead of having to rely on a generator, and large ferries and barges, able to transport trucks and cars to the Island from the mainland making daily trips to Cat Ba have led to a rapid increase in tourism and development in Cat Ba Town starting in 2001. Since then, the island is commonly used as an overnight hotel stop on tours to Ha Long Bay run by travel agents from Hanoi. A stop on Cat Ba Island has been included in the itinerary of many Ha Long Bay 4-star cruises and a strip of tall, thin, five story budget hotels line the seafront, receiving more than 350,000 visitors a year. Currently, over 105 hotels are listed in Cat Ba Island’s tourist directory pamphlet, from cheap budget hotels to flashier upscale resorts, and construction is underway on many more.
Cat Ba Island has become the adventure-tourism capital of Vietnam, and many of the activities advertised are nature-based. Visitors can take a Ha Long kayaking trip and a luxury travel on a 4-star cruise through Ha Long Bay and the Cat Ba Archipelago, hike through the national park, mountain bike around the Island, spend time on Monkey Island just offshore, explore the Island's many caves, swim on Cat Co 1, 2, or 3 (three sandy beaches a short walk from Cat Ba Town), or even rock climb on the limestone karsts. With its stunning scenery, its association with Ha Long Bay, its proximity to highly populous cities like Haiphong (50 km) and Hanoi (150 km), and even China (many regional visitors come to the Island in the summer, the busy season, to avoid the heat and pollution in the cities), and plenty to do, Cat Ba Island has become a major travel destination for foreign and Vietnamese visitors alike.
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