Where - Halong Bay Vietnam
When – 05/11/12 – 22/11/12
How Much – £780
Since completing an exploratory expedition in China and Vietnam in the Summer of 2011, we have decided it will be best to keep Vietnam as a stand-alone expedition, Please visit the China page to find what we discovered in the Guangxi province. So we have designed a fantastic expedition that will be based on a boat for the majority of the expedition exploring the limestone peaks, caves and beaches of Halong Bay. The team will be establishing sport and deep water soloing routes where ever we can.
Like all great destinations there is of course a myth behind the creation of Halong bay…
“Long long ago the gods sent a family of dragons to help defend their land from marauders. These dragons descended upon what is now Ha Long bay (Ha Long literally means descending dragons.) and began spitting out jewels and jade, which as we all know dragons like to do. Upon hitting the sea, these jewels turned into islands dotting the seascape that in turn formed a formidable fortress defending the land against the invaders. As a result the locals were able to keep their land safe and formed what is now the country of Vietnam. The Dragons too were very chuffed and fell in love with their creation. They did not want to leave the area, so lived out the last of their days there. The Mother dragon now lies on what is now Ha Long and her children lie in Bai Tu Long. The dragon’s tails formed the area of Bach Long Vi, which is known for the miles of white sandy beaches of the Tra Co peninsula.”
So there you have it. The expedition will not only climb on their choice of the best of what is claimed to be, 3,000 magnificent monolithic limestone islands. But will also be climbing on jewels spat out by dragons. If this is not good enough for you then how
about calling a junk boat home for the trip and using small basket boats and sea kayaks to explore the labyrinth of caves, hidden lakes, idyllic beaches, walls, pinnacles which are all interlaced by calm emerald seas. For this is what the expedition will do. We will scour these tropical waters for unclimbed rock to test ourselves upon. The boat will have two decks the top one will be used to spread out our sleeping bags on out under the stars. During the day this deck will be used for relaxation, playing games and talking about your latest epic new route. The boat also comes complete with captain and chef so we will not be going hungry, but also doing it with world famous SE Asian food.
Since pursuing this expedition The Expedition Consultancy has unearthed new information about copious amounts of unclimbed rock in Vietnam. So we are already searching for a time to go back to Vietnam and head off to record unclimbed rock within mainland Vietnam. Watch this space for more information on climbing in Vietnam.
Slo Pony, a climbing company based at Cat Ba Island are teaming up with The Expedition Consultancy to ensure this expedition not only has the best team and chance of success possible, but also will be one to remember. The Expedition is limited to only 12 people so if you are already keen and want to know more then you can contact us now to get the expedition information pack.
