Beyond Hanoi
Ninh Bình: Tràng An and Tam Cốc
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jakub Hałun · CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Ninh Bình: Tràng An and Tam Cốc
UNESCO inscribed the Tràng An Landscape Complex in 2014: limestone karst peaks permeated with valleys, many partly submerged and surrounded by almost vertical cliffs, with traces of human activity over more than 30,000 years (whc.unesco.org). Visitors are rowed through the caves and valleys in small sampan boats; Tam Cốc, nearby, follows a river between rice fields.
Getting there
By car south on the expressway, or by train from Ga Hà Nội to Ninh Bình.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © travel oriented · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsOn the water
At Tràng An, rowers take visitors through caves and past temples on the water (trangandanhthang.vn); at Tam Cốc, the river winds between rice fields and karst.
South by the expressway; leave early for the quietest boats.
Our advice: go on a weekday, and stay a night to see the peaks at dawn.
Why it's on our list
- Getting there
- On the water
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Ninh Bình: Tràng An and Tam Cốc before you go.