Rock climbing and deep water soloing on Cat Ba and in Lan Ha Bay

Cat Ba Island and the limestone towers of Lan Ha Bay (vịnh Lan Hạ) form a well-documented climbing area. Mountain Project lists about 200 sport routes, around 30 trad routes and 18 crags across Cat Ba and the Ha Long area, plus more than 230 deep water solo lines on 24 sea cliffs, graded 4a to 7c+, all within a day trip of Cat Ba town.

Deep water soloing means climbing a sea cliff without a rope; when you fall or let go, you drop into the water. It is the reason most climbers come here. This page covers how the tides shape every trip, who runs tours now that the best-known name has closed, prices direct and online, and how to reach the crags.

Deep water soloing in Lan Ha Bay: tides first

Lan Ha has one high tide and one low tide a day, with a range of up to about 3 meters. Many cliffs are too shallow to fall into at low tide, and the rock is undercut at the waterline, so you start from a boat and need enough water below you. No suitable tide, no DWS.

That makes the calendar important:

• June to November has the most good DWS tides.
• April–May and September–November are the best compromise, with more than 15 DWS days a month and less heat or rain than midsummer.
• Winter is the best time for sport climbing on land, but few days have DWS tides.

Operators plan around this. Cat Ba Climbing swaps morning and afternoon sessions to follow the tide and uses a cliff it calls "Sea Face" that works at low water. Cat Ba Ventures climbs at high tide and cruises or kayaks at low tide. When you book, ask what time the tide allows climbing on your date.

Who runs climbing tours on Cat Ba now

Two climbing companies in Cat Ba town publish their programmes and prices.

Cat Ba Climbing

Cat Ba Climbing (120 Nui Ngoc St, Cat Ba town) says it has more than ten years of experience and was named in 2019 by Mountain Project as one of the two main local climbing operators. It runs half-day DWS for "beginners to experienced" on routes from 4+ to 7c+, top-rope and lead climbing on the main island, beach crags at Tiger Beach and Moody Beach, multi-pitch, and combinations with kayaking, cliff jumping or a plankton evening. Its tours include insurance of up to 100,000,000 VND per case. It also sells the "Vietnam Climbing" guidebook for 600,000 VND. Site: catbaclimbing.com.

Cat Ba Ventures

Cat Ba Ventures (223 Mot Thang Tu St, Cat Ba town) runs full-day (08:00–17:00) and half-day DWS and kayak trips on grades 5a to 7b+, plus multi-day climbing boat trips with meals, accommodation, kayaks and DWS shoes included. It does not provide sport-climbing gear on these trips, so bring your own rope and quickdraws if you plan to lead. Site: catbaventures.com.

Prices: half-day, full-day and multi-day

Cat Ba Climbing publishes its prices in VND per person:

Cat Ba Ventures prices its multi-day climbing boat trips in USD per person, cheaper per head in bigger groups: 2D1N from USD 391 for two people (USD 202 if you join a boat that is already cruising) down to USD 168 for six to eight; 3D2N from USD 676 for two (USD 486 joining) down to USD 324; 4D3N from USD 984 down to USD 546.

On GetYourGuide, DWS and climbing half-days start at $52–58, and the cliff-jumping boat day is $73. Online listings here have few reviews so far, so read the provider and inclusions carefully.

GetYourGuide4 hours

Lan Ha Bay: Deep-water Soloing

5.0 (4)

from $58Check dates

GetYourGuide6 hours

Lan Ha Bay: Half-Day Rock Climbing Adventure

No reviews yet

from $52Check dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Klook →Prices checked on October 16, 2026

Our climbing picks

1

First deep water solo

Half-day DWS in Lan Ha Bay with a perfect score from a handful of reviews. Ask which tide window the trip uses on your date.

GetYourGuide4 hours

Lan Ha Bay: Deep-water Soloing

5.0 (4)

from $58Check dates

2

Confident climbers who also want to jump

A boat day mixing harder climbing with cliff jumping. Check the provider name on the page before you book.

GetYourGuideDay trip

Cat Ba: Advanced Rock Climbing & Cliff Jumping Boat Tour

5.0 (8)

from $73Check dates

3

Rope climbing before or instead of DWS

Half-day on the main island's crags, the better choice in winter when DWS tides are rare.

GetYourGuide1 day

Half Day Rock Climbing on Cat Ba island

5.0 (5)

from $58Check dates

Butterfly Valley and the island crags

The best-known land crag is Butterfly Valley, with 53 sport routes and a boulder problem on the topo site thetopo.com. Cat Ba's crags sit in an area regulated by the military and the national park authority. Access works in three ways, depending on the crag: a pass bought from a climbing company, a cash fee to the landowner, or the national park fee.

Older notes about buying a Butterfly Valley pass for USD 1–3 at the Asia Outdoors shop are out of date. Small local fees of 30,000–50,000 VND at the crag have been reported but could not be confirmed. Ask your operator, or the shop when you rent gear, what is charged now.

The 2018 guidebook "Vietnam Climbing" by Luca De Giorgi and Gavi Piper lists 72 sport routes at three Cat Ba crags and 239 DWS routes at 24 crags. It is still the reference most climbers carry.

Safety: what to check before you climb

• Experience. Half-day DWS is sold for beginners, but you need to be comfortable with heights and with falling into deep water. No official minimum age exists; ask the operator directly if you are bringing teenagers.
• The boat. You reach the cliffs by boat. Since June 2026, Cat Hai Special Zone (đặc khu Cát Hải, the local authority) requires every passenger on Lan Ha boats to wear a certified life jacket from boarding (Tiền Phong).
• Kayaking on combo trips. Kayaking in the Cat Ba bays has been under an official suspension since Nov 2024, re-confirmed in late 2025. Some ships offer it only in a designated area or replace it with a bamboo boat, tender or swim. Ask the operator in writing. Climbing itself is not affected; see kayaking in Lan Ha.
• Insurance. Cat Ba Climbing includes cover of up to 100,000,000 VND per case. Check that your own travel insurance covers climbing.
• Storms. From June to November the authorities can stop all boats at short notice when a storm approaches.

Getting to Cat Ba and moving around

Climbing trips start in Cat Ba town, so plan at least one night on the island. The combined bus and ferry ticket from Hanoi takes 3–3.5 hours and costs from USD 11 (USD 15 by limousine van). Cat Ba Climbing also runs a one-day DWS trip from Hanoi, which makes for a very long day. Details on getting to Lan Ha Bay.

On the island, a bicycle costs 150,000 VND a day and an e-bike 300,000 VND a day from Cat Ba Climbing. Riding a motorbike legally in Vietnam needs a 1968-convention International Driving Permit plus your home licence; never leave your passport as a rental deposit. Our Cat Ba Island guide covers where to stay.

Pair climbing with other Lan Ha activities

Climbers usually spend three or four days on Cat Ba. Good additions:

• A plankton evening after an afternoon DWS session, on a dark night in the warm months.
• A hike in Cat Ba National Park: the 120,000 VND route covers Kim Giao forest, Ngu Lam peak and Trung Trang cave.
• A Lan Ha day cruise from Ben Beo on a rest day.

All the island's options are on the activities page.

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