Cat Ba Island Halong Bay, Cat Ba Tour, Halong Bay Cat Ba Tour, Catba island in Vietnam

Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay. While the vast majority of Halong Bay's islands are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba actually has

a few tiny fishing villages. The terrain is too rocky for agriculture and residents earn their living from the sea. Life has always been hard

here and, not surprisingly, many Cat Ba residents joined the exodus of Vietnamese 'boat people' in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the island

lest much of its fishing fleet this way, the Overseas Vietnamese haves( nt back large amounts of money to relatives on the ssiand, thus finmcing the new hotels anci restaurants that you'tl see There is very little motorised traffic and, indeed, very few roads, Compared with the tourist carnival at Bai Chay, Cat Ba is still very laid back, despite about a ten-fold increase in hotel rooms since 1996. About half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent inshore waters were declared a nation-

al park in 1986 in order to protect the island's diverse ecosystems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater

swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and offshore coral reefs. Most of the coastline con-

sists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches tucked into small coves. The main beaches are Cai Vieng, Honp, Xoai Be and Hong Xoai

Lon. There are numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacu|ar limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level. The growth of the vegetation is stunted near the summits because of high winds. The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech Lake, . which covers an area of three hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the Cat Ba's rainwater flows into caves

and follows underground streams to the sea, creating a shortage of fresh water during the dry season. Although parts of the interior of the

island are below sea level, most of the island is between 50 and 200m in elevation. The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of molluscs and 400 species of arthropods. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphins.

* Stone tools and bones left by humans who lived between 6000 and 7000 years ago have been found at 17 sites on the island. The most

thoroughly studied site is Cai Beo Cave, discovered by a French archaeologist in 1938, which is 1,5km from Cat Ba village. Trung Trang cave is easily accessible, however you will need a torch if you want to see anything. The cave is just south of the park entrance along the main drag. Entry costs US$1. Today, the island's human population of 12,000 is concentrated in the southern part of the island, including the fishing village of Cat Ba. During February, March and April, Cat Ba's weather is often cold and drizzly, although the temperature rarely falls below lO-C. During the - summer months, tropical storms are frequent. Cat Ba National Park Cat Ba National Park is home to 20 types of mammals - including Francois monkeys, wild boar. deer, squirrels and hedgehogs - and 69 species of birds have been sighted, including hawks, hornbills and cuckoos. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for .waterfowl (ducks, geese and shorebirds) who feed and roost in the mangrove forests and on the beaches. The 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba include (.1" 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. There are currently around 45 park rangers stationed here to protect the flora and fauna.

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	Cat Ba Island Cat Ba is the largest island in Halong Bay. While the vast majority of Halong Bay's islands are uninhabited vertical rocks, Cat Ba actually has a few tiny fishing villages. The terrain is too rocky for agriculture and residents earn their living from the sea. Life has always been hard here and, not surprisingly, many Cat Ba residents joined the exodus of Vietnamese 'boat people' in the 1970s and 1980s. Although the island lest much of its fishing fleet this way, the Overseas Vietnamese haves( nt back large amounts of money to relatives on the ssiand, thus finmcing the new hotels anci restaurants that you'tl see There is very little motorised traffic and, indeed, very few roads, Compared with the tourist carnival at Bai Chay, Cat Ba is still very laid back, despite about a ten-fold increase in hotel rooms since 1996. About half of Cat Ba Island (which has a total area of 354 sq km) and 90 sq km of the adjacent inshore waters were declared a nation- al park in 1986 in order to protect the island's diverse ecosystems. These include subtropical evergreen forests on the hills, freshwater swamp forests at the base of the hills, coastal mangrove forests, small freshwater lakes and offshore coral reefs. Most of the coastline con- sists of rocky cliffs, but there are a few sandy beaches tucked into small coves. The main beaches are Cai Vieng, Honp, Xoai Be and Hong Xoai Lon. There are numerous lakes, waterfalls and grottoes in the spectacu\|ar limestone hills, the highest of which rises 331m above sea level. The growth of the vegetation is stunted near the summits because of high winds. The largest permanent body of water on the island is Ech Lake, . which covers an area of three hectares. Almost all of the surface streams are seasonal; most of the Cat Ba's rainwater flows into caves and follows underground streams to the sea, creating a shortage of fresh water during the dry season. Although parts of the interior of the island are below sea level, most of the island is between 50 and 200m in elevation. The waters off Cat Ba Island are home to 200 species of fish, 500 species of molluscs and 400 species of arthropods. Larger marine animals in the area include seals and three species of dolphins. * Stone tools and bones left by humans who lived between 6000 and 7000 years ago have been found at 17 sites on the island. The most thoroughly studied site is Cai Beo Cave, discovered by a French archaeologist in 1938, which is 1,5km from Cat Ba village. Trung Trang cave is easily accessible, however you will need a torch if you want to see anything. The cave is just south of the park entrance along the main drag. Entry costs US$1. Today, the island's human population of 12,000 is concentrated in the southern part of the island, including the fishing village of Cat Ba. During February, March and April, Cat Ba's weather is often cold and drizzly, although the temperature rarely falls below lO-C. During the - summer months, tropical storms are frequent. Cat Ba National Park Cat Ba National Park is home to 20 types of mammals - including Francois monkeys, wild boar. deer, squirrels and hedgehogs - and 69 species of birds have been sighted, including hawks, hornbills and cuckoos. Cat Ba lies on a major migration route for .waterfowl (ducks, geese and shorebirds) who feed and roost in the mangrove forests and on the beaches. The 745 species of plants recorded on Cat Ba include (.1" 118 timber species and 160 plants with medicinal value. There are currently around 45 park rangers stationed here to protect the flora and fauna.