Discover the breathtaking sites of Hoa Lu, Tam Coc and Trang An, all located in the beautiful Ninh Binh province, 95km south of Hanoi.
Ninh Binh is often called the “Halong Bay on Land” because of the limestone mountains rising dramatically out of the Sao Khe River. Renowned for its gorgeous scenery, Ninh Binh is a place of other-worldly rock formations, lush green rice-paddy fields, exquisite river deltas, stunning temples, intriguing history and ancient rural cultures. The area is home to farmers with their goats and fisherman who live off the land as they have done for hundreds of years.
This one or two day tour is unlike any other tour of Ninh Binh. We will take you to remote rural villages and give you the best opportunity to experience the local life. You’ll take in amazing scenery on a boat ride, explore ancient limestone caves and cycle through countryside and rice paddy fields. This is a great day trip for young and old. Families welcome!
1 Day Ninh Binh Tour Itinerary
- 7.30 am – You will be met by a tour guide at your hostel in Hanoi.
- 8.30 am – You will begin a two-hour road journey to Ninh Binh Province by comfortable Limousine DCar van. Along the way, your tour guide will share with you interesting facts about Vietnamese culture and people, he will teach you how to say (and write) some Vietnamese words. You will also receive a conical hat (a gift for you) which you can wear during the whole trip!
- 9.30 am – When we arrive in Ninh Binh Province, we’ll first pay a visit to Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam dating back to the 10th Century!
- 10.30 am – We will then pay a visit to Mua Cave where you can climb to the top of an old staircase to reach the top of Ngoa Long Mountain and be rewarded with incredible panoramic views of Tam Coc River and the Ninh Binh Valley!
- 12 noon – Enjoy a mouth-watering Vietnamese lunch with views over the gorgeous countryside.
- 1.00 pm – You will begin the afternoon part of the trip with a 2 hour boat ride on beautiful Tam Coc River! Gently float by amidst dramatic scenery of limestone mountains, flooded rice paddy fields and lush jungle. Pass through a secret passageway of stalagmite covered caves leading into hidden valleys and opening up views of one stupendous vista after another.
- 3.00 pm – Next, we’ll hop on bicycles to get off the beaten track on an hour bicycle ride through stunning countryside. Cycle through lush green rice paddies with magical back-drop of rugged karst limestone mountains dotted with red-roof local houses. Along our cycle route, we’ll wave to locals and encounter buffaloes, ducks and goats on the way.
- 4.00 pm – Relax by the swimming pool while the sun begins to set! After exploring Ninh Bing by walking, hiking and cycling, you can relax and reflect on a great day by winding down at the gorgeous swimming pool at Tam Coc Wonderland Bungalows. Drink local tea and enjoy fresh fruits.
- 4.45 pm – After our action-packed day, we’ll leave Ninh Binh Province and head back to Hanoi.
- 6.45 pm – Arrive Hanoi. We will arrive back in the Old Quarter of Hanoi where we will say goodbye to you and can drop you off at your hostel.
2-Day Ninh Binh Tour Itinerary
Day 1
- Day 1 of the 2-Day Ninh Binh Tour is the same as above.
- In the evening, you will spend the night at the gorgeous Tam Coc Wonderland Bungalows where you can relax by the swimming pool or take a walk around the local area.
- Tam Coc Wonderland Bungalows is a beautiful place to stay in the heart of nature with a large outdoor swimming pool and views of the mountains. There’s a lovely garden, sun terrace and free WIFI. All bungalow rooms have AC, a kettle, private bathroom, closet and some have a balcony overlooking the exquisite scenery.
- Bicycles are provided free at the accommodation and so you can explore the area around at your leisure.
Day 2
- Wake in the heart of nature and enjoy a delicious buffet breakfast at Tam Coc Wonderland Bungalows (included in the price).
- Day 2 is a Free Day. On this day, you are free to explore any one of the interesting sights of Ninh Binh Province. We are happy to give you recommendations of other sights in the area such as the ecotourism complex of Trang An or arrange anything for you. However, we like to keep the options open so that you are free to explore how you wish as there are lots of ways to explore!
- For ideas of things to do on your free day and ways to explore, see our guide to Ninh Binh and Tam Coc here.
- Don’t forget you can also take a bicycle for free from the resort and set off on a bicycle ride of the area.
- You can also enjoy a Vietnamese lunch at the in-house restaurant. (Lunch and Dinner on Day 2 not included.)
- Check out from the accommodation is at 12 noon, but you are welcome to leave your bags at the accommodation while you enjoy your free day exploring Ninh Binh.
- We are then able to arrange onward travel for you to any part of Vietnam.
Onward Travel from Ninh Binh
On the 2-day tour, please let us know if you would like to return to Hanoi after visiting Ninh Binh. There will be a $15 US extra cost for this. We do not include this in the price as many people like to stay in Ninh Binh longer or travel somewhere else in Vietnam rather than returning to the capital. If this is you and you don’t want to go back to Hanoi, we can also connect you with transport to the South of Vietnam by train or bus, onward to Cat Ba Island and Halong Bay or arrange any other adventure in Vietnam for you! Just let us know your plans and we will help.
Solo Travellers, Families & Dietary Requirements
- Solo travellers – The trip is a group tour which means you will be teamed with other people on the day. For solo travellers who book the 2-day experience there will be a single supplement of $25 USD to pay for the overnight stay in a double (2-person) room.
- Families with children – We are very happy to arrange a tour for you and your family. This trip is suitable for children of all ages!
- Dietary requirements – Are you vegetarian, vegan or have an allergy? Please let us know when booking if you have any special dietary requirements and we will try our best to accommodate.
Hi, I’m Nikki. I started this website in 2008 after my first solo backpacking trip to Asia. A trip that changed my life. My vision was to create a travel diary for everyone – a place for all travellers to share their experiences. After living in Southeast Asia for over 10 years, I saw the opportunity to provide backpackers with the kind of experiences that I’d treasured myself in the region.
Fantastic tour! Friendly guide who spoke very good English and good group size (10 or so) Great itinerary encompassing most of the main attractions of the area, including the relaxing boat trip in Tam Coc. Sadly because of the bad weather we were unable to do the cycling tour- though this was still offered to us. Lunch was also good and included in the cost of the tour.
I decided to take the 1 day tour but stay on in Tam Coc rather than returning to Hanoi, which Friends Travel facilitated for me easily.
Fantastic tour! Our tour guide spoke English extremely well. We learned so much about the Vietnamese cultural history. There were only 10 of us in the group which made it a more pleasant trip. I highly recommend this tour group if you want to avoid big groups.