Day 1: Hanoi Motorbike Tour to Pu Luong Nature Reserve and Mai Chau: Hanoi Motorbike Tour to Hoa Lu – Tam Coc (-/L/D)
07:00 am, we’ll start our motorbike tour by riding through the city then following the High Way No 1 via some suburb districts of Hanoi like Thuong Tin, Phu Xuyen, and Hanam province to get to Ninh Binh.
At around 10:30 am, we arrive at Hoa Lu Ancient Capital. In 968, Dinh Bo Linh declared himself as the King. Since then Hoa Lu existed as the capital for the next 41 years (968 – 1009), of which 12 years was under the Dinh dynasty – King Dinh Tien Hoang, the country named Dai Co Viet, and 29 years later was under the Le dynasty – King Le Dai Hanh. In 1010, King Ly Thai To moved the capital from Hoa Lu to Thang Long – present day Hanoi.
Hoa Lu became the old citadel. In Hoa Lu there are now 2 temples have been built on the ground of the old royal palace, one is dedicated to King Dinh Tien Hoang, the other is to King Le Dai Hanh. The visit offers a chance to know more about part of the feudal dynasties and historical periods in Vietnamese history.
11:30 am, we’ll jump on our motorbikes to keep heading to Tam Coc at around 12:00 pm. Right here, we’ll have a lunch at a local restaurant being served with goat meat which is famous as the local specialty.
1:30 pm, 5 minutes walk to the boat station and start a 2-hour boat trip to visit Tam Coc. Known as “Halong Bay on land”, Tam Coc are three limestone caves stretching along Ngo Dong river. The boat trip is a nice journey along the river with peaceful scenery of limestone mountains, rice paddy and the site of some temples along the way from Hang Ca (first cave) to Hang Hai (second cave) and Hang Ba (third cave).
The rest of time, you’ll be free on your own to explore more local villages around Tam Coc.
Overnight at Hotel in Tam Coc.
Summary
Distance: 150 km
Accommodation: Hotel in Tam Coc
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Is there vegetarian options for food on this trip?
Yes, of course. It’s up to you!