Rimmed by limestone peaks which swoop down to the shoreline, Ba Be (meaning Three Bays) is in fact three linked lakes, with a total length of 8km and a width of about 400m.
Most boat excursions around the lakes visit the An Ma Pagoda , on an islet in the middle of the lake, and the 300m-long tunnel-like Hang Puong (Puong Cave), full of stalactites and stalagmites and home to as many as 7000 bats (belonging to 18 species).
Other Ba Be Lake stops can include the pretty Tay village of Cam Ha (where every timber house has a satellite dish) and the startling, circular, jungle-rimmed lagoon of Ao Tien .
More than a hundred species of freshwater fish inhabit the lake and plentiful birdlife is easily spotted – keep an eye out for kingfishers and raptors. Two of the lakes are separated by a 100m-wide strip of water called Be Kam, sandwiched between high walls of chalk rock.
