NINH BINH 2 DAYS 1 NIGHT: HOA LU – TRANG AN/ TAM COC BOAT TRIP – MUA CAVE – BICH DONG – THAI VI – THUNG NHAM

07h00 – 7h50: Our tour guide and driver will pick you up from the hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter for the limousine transfer to Ninh Binh. 

09h15: You will have a short break of 15 – 20 minutes to stretch your legs, use the facilities or have a quick snack. 

10h30: Visiting Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam from years 968 to 1010. Then you will visit the Temple of Dinh King and Le King to learn more about Vietnamese history under the Dinh, Le, and Ly Dynasties.

11h15 – 11h45: It’s time to join our 30 minutes cycling activity to discover the life of the local people. Or stay behind and either relax in the restaurant for sightseeing and capture the views around the lake, and valleys.

12h00: You will have a buffet lunch with local specialties in the private area of our Trang An Eco Restaurant. The vegetarian option is also available.

13h15 – 13h30: Option 1: Tam Coc, known as “Halong Bay on the land”, where you will spend 1.5 hours on the boat to explore this area. On this excursion down the Ngo Dong River, you will pass through the beautiful paddy fields, limestone karst formation, and a stunning cave system including Hang Ca, Hang Hai, and Hang Ba caves for a unique experience. 

Option 2: Trang An, a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO in 2014. There, you can spend 1.5 hours on the boat ride to enjoy the beauty of this place, which owns a beautiful tunnel cave system and appears in the New Version of Kong in 2016 – “Skull Island”.

15h30: Our next destination is Mua Cave. There, you will climb 500 steps to reach the mountain’s peak, overlooking the beautiful view of the city and Tam Coc below.

17h00: The minivan will transfer you back to Trang An Eco Holiday Retreat.

17h30: Check in the room. Enjoy swimming at the pool in the summer time.

19h00 -19h30: Have dinner at a restaurant. Overnight at Trang An Eco Holiday Retreat.

07h00 – 08h00: Have breakfast at a restaurant.

08h15: Check out of the room.

08h30: Get picked up by our friendly guide, the minivan transfer to visit the Thai Vi temple. The temple is a place to worship Kings and generals of Tran dynasty is one of the most powerful and prosperous dynasties of feudalism in Vietnam.

Bich Dong pagoda is one of the most attractive landmarks in Ninh Binh. It is also known as the second most beautiful cave of Southern Vietnam. The pagoda was built in the style of “三” which is meaning “three” in Chinese word. It includes 3 separate pagodas: Bottom pagoda, Middle pagoda and Top pagoda, leaning on the mountain from the bottom to the top.

11h30-12h00: It is time to enjoy Ninh Binh specialties in the private area of our Trang An Eco Restaurant

13h30: Continue to Thung Nham Bird Valley. Get on a small sampan to discover Hang But (Buddhist Cave), about 500m in length, a magical view of the stalactites and stalagmites, and see a big Buddha-shaped stalactite sitting beside an underground river, as well as visit an orchard of tropical fruits in this area.

The best time for the bird park is in the afternoon, sit quietly on a boat and slowly paddle through Thung Chim (Thung Nham), discovering the most features of this area with more than thousand birds of 40 species flying to inhabit every day. Your best chance to take nice photos and immerse yourself in the wild and nature.

16h00-16h15: Minivan transfer back to Mua cave

17h00: It is time to get transferred back to Hanoi

19h30 – 19h45: Drop you off at your hotel in Hanoi Old Quarter.