Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Ti Top Island Tour from Hanoi: Your Own Car, Your Own Boat
The car comes to your Hanoi hotel and your own boat is ready at the pier. Luon Cave and Sung Sot first, then Ti Top as the midday peak eases, ahead of the afternoon boats from Hanoi. Every entry fee is paid before you travel.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it, on the road or on the boat
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains how the island got its name and how the caves formed — to your group alone, not a boatload of strangers
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in central Hanoi. No marina to reach on your own, and no shared minibus collecting other hotels
Every entry fee prepaid
Your route ticket and port fee are bought for you. Nothing is collected from you at any gate
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a souvenir showroom that pays to have you delivered
Ti Top as the midday peak eases
You land at about 14:15, as the morning boats thin out and ahead of the boats from Hanoi that often arrive nearer 15:45. Quieter, though never empty
Duration
about 12 hours
Departure
07:30 from your Hanoi hotel
Pickup
Any central Hanoi hotel
from · $168 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$530 BOOK →2 guests$580 BOOK →3 guests$625 BOOK →4 guests$670 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The day, hour by hour
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. Times are a guide, because traffic, tides and other boats can move them a little.
Hotel pickup · 07:30 · anywhere in central Hanoi
The drive to Ha Long · about two and a half hours by expressway, with a short break if you want one
Onto your boat · about 10:15 at Tuan Chau pier · about an hour across the bay
Luon Cave
About 11:15 · about 40 minutes · by kayak or rowed boat
Kayak or rowed boat included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
A limestone tunnel about 100 metres long opens into a still lagoon ringed by cliffs. Paddle it yourself or sit in a bamboo boat rowed by a local, and your guide will tell you which suits the tide, since the arch rises and falls with it. Wild golden monkeys live on the cliffs; seeing them is a matter of luck, and we do not feed them.
Lunch on board
About 12:00 · about an hour · on deck
Lunch included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
Seafood, vegetables, rice and fruit, cooked on the boat and eaten on deck among the islands. Tell us about allergies or a vegetarian diet when you book.
Sung Sot Cave
About 13:00 · about 50 minutes · 100 or more steps, then a long path
Entry fee included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
The largest cave on this route: 100 or more stone steps up from the jetty (guides differ on the count), then a path of roughly 800 metres through chambers with ceilings up to 30 metres high. It can be busy at this hour, so your guide paces you through and shows you the formations people walk straight past. A French explorer reached it in 1901 and called it the Grotte des Surprises.
Ti Top Island
About 14:15 · about 75 minutes · roughly 400 to 450 steps
Included in your route ticket
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The stone steps zigzag up to the lookout in about 15 minutes, with railings and a rest point, and the same narrow path brings you back down. You land as the midday peak eases and ahead of the boats from Hanoi, so you have a fair chance of space, though it is never empty. Swim from about May to September, then hear about Gherman Titov, the Soviet cosmonaut who came here with Ho Chi Minh in January 1962 and gave the island its name.
Back to the pier · about 16:30 · then the drive back to Hanoi
Back at your hotel · around 19:15 · or dropped at a Ha Long hotel if you are staying on, at no extra cost
Twelve hours, one car, one boat, one group
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$530 BOOK →2 guests$580 BOOK →3 guests$625 BOOK →4 guests$670 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car and driver from your Hanoi hotel and back
- Private day boat on Route 2 for your group alone
- Licensed local guide who speaks fluent English
- Route ticket and port fee for Luon, Sung Sot and Ti Top
- Kayak or rowed bamboo boat at Luon Cave
- Lunch cooked on board
- Drinking water
Not included
− Drinks beyond the water we provide
− Anything you buy at the beach stalls, and showers or lockers if they charge for them
− A tip for your guide, driver and crew — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You are based in Hanoi and have one day for the bay.
You want the climb on Ti Top as the midday boats thin out, not at the hour a shared boat lands.
You want the car, the boat and the guide to be yours alone from door to door.
You want one number that covers everything, with nothing to settle at any gate.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget.
Five hours on the road in a day is too much. Sleeping in Ha Long makes for a far easier day.
Stairs are a problem. Ti Top means roughly 400 to 450 stone steps, and Sung Sot 100 or more; you can skip the climbs, but they are much of the day.
You have a flight or train that evening. We are back around 19:15, and traffic can add to that.
Staying a night in Ha Long? The morning tour reaches Ti Top at about 09:00 and has you back by mid-afternoon. See the morning from Ha Long. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
It runs about 12 hours door to door, departing at 07:30 from your Hanoi hotel. About five of those hours are on the road, split between the morning and the evening.
Where do you pick us up, and can you drop us in Ha Long?
At your own hotel anywhere in central Hanoi, with no shared minibus. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes. If you are staying on in Ha Long, we drop you at your hotel there instead, at no extra cost.
How much walking is there?
Roughly 400 to 450 stone steps at Ti Top and 100 or more at Sung Sot, plus a path of about 800 metres inside the cave, wet in places. If stairs are hard for anyone, your guide keeps them on the beach or on the boat and adds time on the water.
Can we swim at Ti Top?
Yes, at the beach below the lookout, from about May to September when the water is warm. Bring swimwear and a towel; there are basic changing rooms and showers by the beach. In the cooler months the stop is mainly about the climb and the view.
Do we have to kayak at Luon Cave?
No. You can paddle through or sit in a rowed bamboo boat; both are included. Children under 8 go in the rowed boat with a parent, and from 8 to 15 they share a double kayak with an adult or the guide. Life jackets are provided.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted: add a stop, skip one, or spend longer on Ti Top. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the customs and the story behind each island and cave as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: the boat and the car cost the same whether they carry one of you or four, so four people pay less each than two. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. For groups of five or more, message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes - free cancellation up to 3 days before departure, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the boat, car and guide are already committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
Shoes with grip for the stairway and the wet cave paths, a hat, sunscreen, and swimwear in season. You do not need cash at any gate, since the tickets are bought for you, but a little is handy for drinks at the beach stalls; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.
What about food allergies?
Lunch is seafood, vegetables, rice and fruit cooked on the boat. Tell us about allergies or a vegetarian diet when you book and the crew will cook for it.
What happens if the weather turns?
Light rain does not stop the boats. If the port authority closes the bay, we move your tour to a new date free of charge or refund you in full. If a storm or rough sea arrives on the day itself, your guide drops the swim or the kayak, switches to the rowed boat if it is running, and keeps the rest of the day; that is not refunded in part.
Book your day from Hanoi
Private car, private boat and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$530 BOOK →2 guests$580 BOOK →3 guests$625 BOOK →4 guests$670 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›