Hoa Lu Temple, Trang An boat trip & Mua Cave Mountain day trip

Embark on a day trip from Hanoi to explore the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, take a boat trip through the stunning Trang An cave system, and hike up Mua Cave Mountain for breathtaking views. Book now!

Duration: 13 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Lake of the Restored Sword (Hoan Kiem Lake) - We can pick up from hotels in Hanoi old quarter around 7.30 - 8.00 AM.
    We can pick up from Hanoi opera house around 8.00 - 8.15 AM
  • Hoa Lu temples of the Dinh & Le Dynasties - Visit Hoa Lu ancient capital of Vietnam between 968 and 1010. You have a chance to learn about Vietnamese history in the…
What's Included
  • All entrance fees & tickets included
  • Complimentary lunch provided
  • Scenic boat trip in Trang An
  • Comfort with in-vehicle air conditioning
  • Convenient round-trip shuttle bus transfers
  • Knowledgeable English-speaking tour guide
What's Not Included
  • Beverages, Drinks & tips
  • Surcharge: 10USD more per person on the lunar New year holiday: Jan - 28,29,30,31 & Feb 01, 2025
Additional Information

07.30 - 8.00 AM: Pick you up at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter. The drive to Ninh Binh will be approximately 2 hours.
10h30: Visit Hoa Lu ancient capital of Vietnam between 968 and 1010. You have a chance to learn about Vietnamese history in the feudal system under Dinh, Le and Ly Dynasty.
11h45: Have lunch in the restaurant with a lot of local foods…

Location
Hoàn Kiếm
We can pick up from hotels in Hanoi old quarter or Hanoi opera house from 7.30 - 8.15 AM
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(36 Ratings)
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M2439uhkarent
Oct 28, 2023
Fantastic trip & guide - This was an absolutely fantastic trip, me, my husband & 13 year old son, the guide was amazing, we could not recommend this highly enough such a great experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Resort37935636916
Jul 25, 2023
Wonderful experience - This was a very good experience all around.Our guide Viktor was wonderful and kept us informed, took photos, hiked with us and kept it all moving a long. It was a beautiful day, we learned a lot and were very active. I highly recommend this tour.
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Dharm_r
Jun 24, 2023
Row Row your boat - A trip full of fun n adventure Started day early from Hanoi & was transferred to Hoa Lu after 3 hours On the way you will take a pause at some neatly maintained Rest & Relax facility & you will also be guided for some local products Once you are at Hoa Lu you will be directed to Dancing Cave side wherein normally u will have two choices either to go for tracking or cycling You can also get bike . Cycle for around 30-45 minutes in the country side You will be passing through lotus ponds & villages which is quite exciting Thereafter move to Temple side In Vietnam temples are basically a memorial places Here there are 2 temples of 2 ancient kings who shaped Vietnam as a country in 10th century Visitors are not supposed to wear short dresses Bit don’t worry robes are available free of cost which your guide will give you to wear Normally after there you will be taken for lunch break which is buffet & having varieties however vegans will struggle After that most exciting & adventurous piece of the journey comes I.eThe boat tour The 45 mts boat tour in the river is mesmerising The boats are sailed by boat person normally they are females & it is sailed by not by hands but by legs Very labour intensive The sight is worth seeing as the boats sails through the river under caves near mountains Very scenic & enjoyable There are no if good resorts Bungalow Tom Coc caught my eyes On the return journey pls pay tips to boat person as a mark of your gratitude to hard labour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jack
Apr 30, 2023
Great experience - Exactly as described. When compared to a 5 star Ha long bay experience with the ‘limousine’ travel from another company, the experience on this tour was a lot better. Tang was a great tour guide - giving interesting info about the places we drove through without being too much. He kept us to schedule really well and adapted to the changing traffic to do this. Nice pagoda visit at the beginning. In contrast to our other tour - this tour wasn’t trying to up sell throughout (or at all). Normal tour bus not anything fancy but had A/C. The bike ride was excellent - really beautiful and good length. Not physically demanding. Brief stretch of road at the end with more traffic was a little bit dangerous. Providing helmets would be useful. The food wasn’t bad for the overall tour price. The boat ride was really long - maybe around 1 hour 45 mins with a rower! Great scenery including caves with low ceiling that you go through. Could make this a little shorter for more time at the final part of the tour. Not asked for tips like I read for other locations like tam coc although I did as the poor woman worked so hard. The steps on the last part of the tour to the view point would be physically difficult for some people particularly to do in the allocated time - more time here taken from the boat ride would be great. Lots of great photo opportunities throughout. Surprised it’s not got more reviews on Tripadvisor as genuinely really good value and the best experience on our trip so far.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kim
Mar 29, 2023
Amazing experience - The boat ride down the river through the caves was amazing. We also took a bike ride through the countryside before lunch which was fun. It was misting and we were provided w ponchos which worked well to keep from getting soaked. The lunch that was provided wasn't the greatest but that did not detract from t the rest of the excellent day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Starrynight2020
Feb 28, 2023
Relaxing and enjoyable tour Recommended. - Both Viktor and Sophie were great guides. The landscape at Ninh Binh were Impressive. Love the sample trip through the lumestone caves as well as the bicycle ride. Reasonable restaurant for lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lyn
Dec 16, 2022
Do not miss this trip! - This trip was one of the highlights of our stay in Hanoi. Although it was a long day (about 12 hours from start to finish) the opportunity to witness life in rural Vietnam more than made up for it. Floating along the river in bamboo boats felt like we were living in a National Geographic documentary. Climbing 500 stone steps to the top of the Mua Caves was worth the effort ( and sore legs the following day) to be able to experience the spectacular views over the rice paddies below. Our tour guide, Peter, looked after us exceptionally well and ensured we got the best out of the tour. If you have a spare day in Hanoi I would highly recommend this trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Springzephyr
Dec 4, 2022
What to see on a short visit to Ninh Binh - Got to see the ancient capital of Vietnam in Hoa Lu, explore by boat the UNESCO Trang An complex, that was my number 1 activity and climb the 500 steps of the Mua cave. While there are many other highlights in Ninh Binh I think this day trip makes for a memorable day. It's a long tour. We started off at 730am from Hamoi Opera House. And only got back due to traffic around 730pm. Peter our guide did a great job in taking care of our little group. When we were browsing products made by the victims of the orange agent, the gift centre is a social enterprise, we were given lanyards to wear with our bus license plate on it! When we were touring ancient Hoa Lu we were the Viet conical hats! Easy to spot each other! Some pointers. Ours was a Sunday tour. While we had less traffic in the morning we hit traffic getting back to Hanoi. Folks were returning for the new work week. I guess a week day tour might have the reverse traffic issue. Pack some snacks for the way back. As you will be having a delayed dinner. Take your time up the 500 steps. I think all of us can do it it's just a matter of taking your time. Some of the steps are steep. Remember to tip the boatman. It's a long paddle. Many of us helped out by using our passenger paddles too! Not sure if the young people would enjoy this. Noticed a few bored expressions on passing boats. It is beautiful and tranquil. Big thank you to Peter and the bus driver. Great tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Losbat
Oct 24, 2022
Excellent day tour - This was an incredible day trip with a safe driver and very happy and accomodating tour guide, his name was Happy! My husband and I had a fantastic day, it did not feel too long even though it was, we were too busy learning and having the best time. Highly recommend using this company! It turned out to be the best tour we did in Vietnam :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X5080bwfloriank
Oct 18, 2022
Great Tour with perfect landscape! - Pickup at hotel was good, tourguide was really nice and had perfect English. Activities were well organized and were great! Especially the boat tour and the view from mua cave! Also price of tour is well justified. Would recommend everbody
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