Hoa Lu and Tam Coc, the two must-see destinations when visiting Ninh Binh province, are located about 100 km away from the southeast of Hanoi. On 23 June 2014, at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha, the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tour Highlights

• Experience the tour in a small group ( Maximum of 9 people)
• Enjoy a home-lunch at a local family and understand more about the Vietnamese culture through their daily activities.
• Enjoy comfortable transfer service with A/C shuttle bus for a small group.
• Widen your knowledge of the Vietnamese history by visiting the temples dedicated to King Dinh and King Le, the two heroes who lived in 10th century and chose Hoa Lu to build the citadel of the capital city (from 968 to 1009).
• Discover Tam Coc – three caves or the “Halong Bay on land” on a small boat rowed by local people and see the first limestone mountains, which will run along their river way for several kilometers.
• You will have a chance to ride among rice fields and limestone mountains in about 1 hour with the unique route by bike for exploring Ninh Binh.

Hoa Lu – Tam Coc Day Tour

07.15– 07.45: Pick up from your hotel or private address in Hanoi Old Quarter and departure to Ninh Binh by comfortable transfer.

09.00: Have a short break for relaxing at a stop-over in Dong Van, Ha Nam province.

10.30: Arrive Tam Coc area. Start the journey by visiting a local family in Tam Coc. They are a traditional Vietnamese family with three generations living together. Here you will get the chance to see the house architecture and their daily life and their handicraft job of making traditional embroidery. Leaving the family, you will take a bike and start riding to explore the rice fields and limestone mountains for about 1 hour with an 8 km unique route.

11:30 Come back to the host family to enjoy a special lunch prepared by the home chef with the local cuisine featuring the yin-yang balance of the Asian culture. After lunch, a break with a cup of Vietnam green tea or coffee will be served before you continue the journey of discovery Tam Coc- the “Halong Bay on land”

13.30: Visit Tam Coc by a small boat rowed by a local for about 2 hours.  Known as “Halong Bay on land”, Tam Coc is the name of the limestone caves area stretching along Ngo Dong river. The boat trip is a nice journey along the river with the peaceful scenery of Limestone Mountains, rice paddy and the sight of some temples along the way. If traveling during harvest season, you may have chances to see the yellow rice carpet along the river banks.

15.30: Arrive at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, visit the temple of King Dinh. Under the introduction of our local guide, you will get to know more about the Vietnamese history. Hoa Lu existed as the capital of Vietnam for 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang, when country named Dai Co Viet.

16.30: Leave Tam Coc and drive straight back to Hanoi.

18:30 Arrive in Hanoi, drop you back to your hotel or private address in Hanoi Old Quarter. Trip ends.

What to bring:

• Sun glasses
• Sun cream
• Hat
• Camera and film

Inclusion:

• English speaking guide
• Pick up & drop off in Hanoi Old Quarter area
• Meal (Vietnamese family lunch)
• All sightseeing and boat fees
• All air-conditioned transport as mentioned in tour
• 03 bottle of water per person (02 on the bus, 01 for cycling time)
• Cycling

Exclusion:

• Pick up & drop off outside Hanoi Old Quarter area (10 USD fees for a group)
• Travel insurance
• Tipping for tour guide/driver
• Other optional activities or tours
• Personal expenses

Cancellation Policy

Should you choose to cancel a booking, Amazing Ninh Binh must be notified by email. The cancellation fee will be applied under the following conditions:

• More than 7 days before departure: FOC
• From 2 to 6 days before departure: 50% of the payment charged
• From 48 hours before the tour starts: 100% of the payment charged
• Turning up late to the starting point of the tour for whatever reason is considered a late cancellation and will result in 100% of the payment charged.