Stepping off of the bus in Cat Ba town, we were relieved to be taking a break from big cities, and beyond excited to rock climb!
Cat Ba town is a bit awkward. The relatively new influx of tourists has ignited the construction of hotels, improvement of infrastructure, and growth of the city, which one can easily imagine being a sleepy fishing town. But that town is no more with buildings ten stories high lining the waterfront.
The climbing situation is a bit more confusing than anywhere else we have climbed before, with two private companies controlling access to the different crags and deep water solo areas on the island. After taking two different “climbing safety tests” – a first ever for outdoor climbing, we were finally on our way to our first crag – Hidden Valley. A quick walk through a tiny village (clearly where the locals live) and a fun 15 minutes approach through the jungle brought us to a secluded valley and a beautiful limestone cliff in a quiet forest.
A soundtrack of creaking bamboo, jungle birds, and critters accompanied us while we tested out the routes. It felt great to be climbing again, this time in a different setting from the crags of Europe! We were totally alone until a guided group from Cat Ba climbing arrived just as we were too tired to climb any more.
Feeling warmed up, we booked a boat trip to try deep water solo in Lan Ha bay for the next day. On our short walk from our hotel to the Cat Ba Climbing office, Alan could barely contain his excitement – giddy about the idea of combining two of his favorite activities. My nervous smile did little to hide the fact that I didn’t feel the same.
The boat ride into the bay was incredible. Huge towering limestone cliffs rise up from the water, peppering the bay with tiny islands. Floating fishing villages are nestled among the islets. We finally reached the routes, and Alan took off excitedly, climbing an easy warm up and jumping once it felt too high. Blocking out sounds of big splashes and cheers of “just jump”, I downclimbed my route and dangled awkwardly off until I finally made the “plunge”- just feet from the water. As I swam back to the boat and was greeted by our new buddies – a Colombian couple and a French climber, I thought “this isn’t too bad”.
We had fun getting on progressively harder routes, and Alan finished the day on a super aesthetic 7a!
In serious need of a rest day, we rented a scooter from our hotel and toured the island. We hiked and explored a cave in the National Park, enjoyed beautiful views, visited a quiet beach with perfectly warm water, and saw a beautiful sunset from the cannon fort.
Our last two days of climbing took us back to Hidden Valley and also to Butterfly Valley, which is only reachable by motorbike. We had Butterfly Valley to ourselves too, and enjoyed the routes and a different style of limestone!
While Cat Ba town is not particularly charming, we came to love the chill atmosphere, gorgeous sunsets, and access to climbing in a beautiful setting! During our stay, we became regulars at a local coffee shop, the corner restaurant, and found the best Vietnamese food we’ve had yet (at a tiny place called Vietnam Soul Food). Who knows what this place will look like in the future, but hopefully we’ll be back to find out!
