Introduction
The Trang An Grottoes in Ninh Binh is a breathtaking UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its stunning limestone karsts, hidden caves, and tranquil waterways. A Trang An boat tour offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore a network of caves, ancient temples, and lush landscapes while gliding along crystal-clear rivers. Whether you’re a nature lover, history enthusiast, or adventure seeker, a Trang An Grottoes Tour is a must-do experience that showcases the best of Vietnam’s natural and cultural beauty. Let’s explore all the beauty of the Trang An Grottoes Vietnam with Ninh Binh Private Car.
How To Get To Trang An Grottoes Tour
The distance from Hanoi to Trang An—Ninh Binh is just over 100 km, which is very convenient. From this distance, visitors can choose many different means of transportation, such as train, private car, or bus.
Traveling by Personal Vehicle
Nowadays, young people are very fond of traveling by personal vehicles. Choosing a personal vehicle will make it easier to see the scenery while traveling. You don’t have to depend on anyone, so you will be more proactive in moving. You can drive or rent a car in Hanoi to get around.
If you are departing from Hanoi by car, you can go through Thang Long—Noi Bai—Cau Gie—National Highway 1A or follow National Highway 1A. You will travel for about 1 hour and 30 minutes when choosing this route.
Your means of transportation is a motorcycle. The suitable route is to follow the old National Highway 1A—Ha Nam—Ninh Binh. When moving, you need to be careful not to go in the direction of Nam Dinh—Thai Binh; it will take more time than about 2 hours to travel there.
Traveling by Bus
Traveling to Trang An Grottoes Tour by bus is also convenient and flexible. You will have many choices because many buses will depart at different times. But because there are many bus routes, avoid being scammed at My Dinh or Giap Bat bus stations. Ticket prices will also fluctuate depending on the bus company and the quality of cars they provide.
- Hoang Long, Hung Thanh, and Kumho Viet Thanh bus companies provide bus services from Hanoi to Ninh Binh. Ticket prices range from 80,000 to 150,000 VND/route.
- Limousines are a luxury option with ticket prices ranging from 250,000 to 350,000 VND/route. Visitors will feel much more comfortable when traveling by limousine, and the car will return to locations in the city.
Vietnam has many other provinces and cities, some of which are as beautiful as Ninh Binh. So, if you want to continue exploring Vietnam, we provide transportation services to all of them. Below are a few examples:
- Ninh Binh To Cat Ba Island Private Car – From 106 USD/Sedan car
- Ninh Binh To Hai Phong Private Car – From 64 USD/Sedan Car
- Luxury Car From Ninh Binh To Ha Giang – From 248 USD/Limousine Car
Traveling To Trang An Grottoes By Train
Trains are relatively new means of transportation, so many tourists still do not know about them. But this is an exciting way of traveling. The train will pass through beautiful wild roads, and visitors will have the opportunity to take stunning photos.
- There are different train options, SE3, SE5, SE7, SE9, or SE19, from Hanoi Station to Ninh Binh Station, with a travel time of about 2 hours and 12 minutes.
- Take a taxi or motorbike to Trang An from Ninh Binh train station, which will take 15-20 minutes.
Trang An Grottoes Tour Routes
Trang An Ninh Binh owns a large cave complex with hundreds of dry and water caves. Currently, there are no specific statistics because many caves have yet to be fully explored for tourism. So, in the Trang An Grottoes Tour, we will visit most of the existing caves in Trang An and explore three other spiritual destinations.
The journey will last over three hours and consist of 12 caves, including dry caves and water caves. Departing from Trang An Wharf, you will first pass by Hang Dia Linh, Hang Toi, Hang Sang, and Hang Nau Ruou. After exiting Nau Ruou Cave, the boat will drop you off near Tran Temple. Here, you must climb nearly 500 steps to reach the temple. Next, after leaving Trinh temple, we continue the Trang An Grottoes Tour.
This time, our destinations will be Hang Sinh, Hang Si, Ba Giot, Hang Seo, and Hang Son Duong. We will then visit Phu Khong and Bao Hieu Temple. Finally, we will visit Hang Khong, Hang Tran, and Hang Quy Hau and return to the boat dock to return to shore.
What To Expect In Trang An Grottoes Vietnam Tour
Dia Linh Cave
Located in the Trang An scenic complex, Ninh Binh, Dia Linh cave is one of the most attractive destinations of tourist route No. 1, departing from Sao Khe river wharf. With a length of about 260 meters and the magical beauty of shimmering stalactites, Dia Linh Cave is considered a treasure containing natural masterpieces. This will be the first destination on the Trang An Grottoes Tour, and you will surely be amazed by the beauty of this place. Every time light shines into the cave, the stalactites seem to bloom.
Hang Toi
The cave is called Dark Cave because it is small, narrow, and dark. It is 320m long and about 1.4m deep, and the cave dome is 1 – 6m high. The cave dome has a triangular cross-section in many places, only enough for a small bamboo boat to fit through. Inside the cave, yellow lights are also arranged so visitors can observe the stalactites on the ceiling.
Hang Sang
The opposite of Dark Cave is Light Cave, which is about 250m long, 20m wide, and 15m high. The vast space of the cave creates a feeling of overwhelm and excitement for visitors. Light Cave is located adjacent to Dark Cave. The transition from dark to light is an excellent metaphor for the ancient Vietnamese naming.
Nau Ruou Cave
Nau Ruou Cave is called Wine Brewing Cave because, in the past, when working in the fields, people saw many jars, pots, and jars of wine in the cave. Legend has it that in the past, King Dinh often distilled wine in this cave. The length of the cave is about 250m, and the cave dome is 3 – 5m high. This is the cave with the highest dome, the air is the clearest and coolest, traveling by bamboo boat is also the most convenient, and the water is the freshest.
Ba Giot Cave, Sinh Cave, Si Cave
Ba Giot Cave has many stalactites of all colors. One type is a tree that grows from the ceiling upside down. A unique feature is that the stalactites in Ba Giot Cave are wet and not dry like the previous caves. The grotto is still in the process of transformation. So, each time you visit, the cave will transform differently.
At the end of the journey at Ba Giot Cave, we will come to the last two Trang An Grottoes Tour caves, Hang Sinh—Hang Si. All three caves are associated with the legend of a sad love story. Once upon a time, a young man loved a princess dearly. When he brought the bride price to Sinh Cave to propose, she was given tribute to the neighboring country. He went to Ba Giot Cave to take a bath, then committed suicide in Si Cave.
The man’s love story touched even the stalactites of Ba Giot Cave and made them cry. Legend has it that anyone who passes through Ba Giot cave and receives three drops of water from stalactites in the palm of their hand will be lucky in life and happy in love.
Trang An Grottoes Tour Ticket Price
To visit the Trang An Grottoes Tour, visitors must pay to buy a ticket to board the boat, and the boatman will take them to all the caves here. Ticket prices are relatively affordable, so visitors can easily afford them.
- For adults: 250,000 VND/person (equivalent to about 10 USD)
- For children: 120,000 VND/person
- Free for children under 1m
What Season Should You Visit Trang An Grottoes Tour?
Travel In Spring
Trang An in spring is the ideal time to travel during this festival season. For example, the Trang An festival takes place in the middle of the third lunar month, and the Co Lau festival is between the 8th and 10th of the third lunar month. Visitors here at this time will feel the enjoyable and lively festive atmosphere. In addition, this time is also the time with the most pleasant weather of the year. The weather is not too hot; there is little rain, a clear sky, and cool breezes.
Travel In Summer
Summer is also a good time to travel when Trang An is adorned with sparkling golden rice fields. In addition, this is the season when lotus flowers bloom, radiating a fragrant scent throughout the Trang An Grottoes Tour. However, the summer weather is sunny and hot, reaching 33 degrees Celsius. So visitors should wear long-sleeved shirts or apply sunscreen to avoid burning skin.
Travel In Autumn
Although autumn does not have festivals like spring or the golden rice fields of summer, it has extremely cool weather. The hot summer sun has disappeared in the fall, and the weather has become cooler. This is also the right time to visit Trang An Grottoes Tour.
Travel In Winter
Trang An Ninh Binh appears again in winter with a quiet picture in the mist, creating a mysterious atmosphere like a fairyland. This makes the tour interesting and captures the most beautiful moments in the hearts of visitors. But the weather will be cold and rainy, so you should bring a warm jacket and umbrella to enjoy the tour.
Conclusion
Trang An Grottoes Tour is a regular tour that allows you to see the sights and learn about the fascinating stories behind them. It is not as luxurious and magnificent as the caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang, but in Trang An, they have very different beauty that visitors admire. You will sit on a boat and be taken from cave to cave by the ship, passing through the caves right under the beautiful mountain. Experience the shining beauty at Dia Linh Cave, learn about delicious wine at Nau Ruou Cave, and listen to love stories at Ba Giot Cave, Sinh Cave, and Si Cave. Ninh Binh Private Car hopes you have a great experience exploring the Trang An Grottoes Tour.