Cat Ba Island Mostly Sport climbing 160 routes in crag

There are more than 120 sport climbing routes on 13 crags, from 4a to 8a on Cat Ba Island and the beaches of Ha Long Bay. More than 230 deep water solo lines on 24 cliffs, from 4a to 7c+ wait for you in the bay, all in a day trip distance from Cat Ba Town. If you are an independent climber you can explore the crags of the main island Cat Ba on your own, you just need a motorbike or bicycle. To explore the sport climbing potential of the bay you will need a basketboat with driver and the access passes for the beaches. Both can be easily organised at Cat Ba Climbing .

If you are interested in DWS the easiest option is to join one of the day trips organized by Cat Ba Climbing, Langur Adventures or tour agencies like Cat Ba Ventures. Going on your own or with an unlicensed basket boat driver can be potentially dangerous. First of all it is not so easy to find the right crags and secondly you cannot start climbing out of the water, since there is a notch at the base of the cliffs: you'll need a boat. Thirdly, you need intimate knowledge of the cliffs to avoid climbing at too low a tide or hitting one of the underwater rocks. If you are a group of experienced climbers Cat Ba Climbing or Langur Adventures will be happy to organise taylor made DWS trips for you.

WHEN TO GO:

There are two main factors to consider when planning a climbing trip to Ha Long Bay. First you should know, that the temperatures vary significantly in the course of a year. The winter months are ideal for sport climbing, when the temperatures are cool (10-20 degrees celcius) and there is only moderate precipitation (5-25 mm a month). The downside of the winter are the unfavorable tides, which make DWS less enjoyable and only occasionally possible. A tide of over 2 meters is necessary to safely DWS in the bay and there are much more days with high tide during the daytime in the summer than in the winter. The downside of the summer months is that the weather is very hot and humid and there is a higher percentage of rainy days. While moderate rain is not a problem for DWS, since most cliffs are overhanging, but it obviously lessens the Ha Long Bay experience.

The ideal time to have fun on Ha Long Bay's DWS and sport climbing cliffs are the spring (April - May) and autumn months (September - November). The weather is generally good and there are generally over 15 days a month where you can DWS.

WHAT TO BRING:

Since the closure of Asia Outdoors, the situation with gear rental is a little more difficult, Cat Ba Climbing have some gear to rent,but it is only a limited amount. Send an email or request prior to arrival to be sure! You can check with Langur Adventures too. In 2023 the Cat Ba Climbing rental prices were (for full day, for half day prices are halved) in VND:

300.000 Climbing shoes, 100.000 Harness, 650.000 Rope, 100.000 Sling, 200.000 Quickdraws (15), 100.000 two locking carabiners, 100.000 Belay device, 50.000 Chalk bag, Rope bag, Helmet and First aid kit are included

THE GUIDEBOOK:

See in the guidebook section in the sidebar. Cat Ba Climbing can let you look into the topo if you visit them in person.

LINKS:

Guidebook excerpt: https://issuu.com/degiorgiluca/docs/halongbay-excerpt Climbing Companies: http://catbaclimbing.com/ / http://langursadventures.com/ Amazon.com link (Also available on Amazon EU and UK): https://www.amazon.com/Vietnam-Climbing-comprehensive-country-wide-guidebook/dp/1727545125 Youtube video of dws “Streak of Lightning - 7c+”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U12qM5PZOy8