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April 28, 2024
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Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex boat tours
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is an area of immense beauty in Ninh Binh province in the north of Vietnam. It’s famous for its impressive limestone mountains, caves, and scenic waterways and is also often referred to as “Halong Bay on land”.
Trang An Vietnam
Comprising Trang An Complex itself but also Tam Coc-Bich Dong and the ancient capital of Hao Lu, the whole area was listed as a World Heritage UNESCO-protected site in 2014.
A boat tour is the best way to explore the area. While there are boat rides on offer in the center of Tam Coc, the main tourist hub in the area, it’s far more interesting to go to Trang An, where the magic is unequaled and beyond compare.
Trang An boat ride, Ninh Binh area
The Trang An boat tours leave every day from the Trang An wharf. If you are staying in Tam Coc, you’ll first have to make your way to the wharf, which is seven kilometers away. Another option is to stay at Trang An village, which is only 2,5 kilometers from the Trang An wharf.
Boat ladies and local fisherman at a Trang An tour
Boat tickets are sold on the other side of the street, opposite the wharf. After that, you’ll have to pass through an underground walkway to get to the boat wharf. There, you’ll have to show your ticket and you’ll be assigned to a boat.
Boats can take four people so it’s possible you’ll be paired up with other people. Note that it’s very convenient if you can sit in the front of the boat. That way, you’ll get a good view of the surrounding area and it’s way more comfortable to take photos.
When buying your tickets, you will also receive a brochure. In the brochure, you can find three different boat routes of Trang An. When boarding, you will have to tell which tour you want to take.
→ Also read: Cat Ba National Park: Everything You Need to Know
Boat tour Trang An, Vietnam, Ninh Binh
There are three routes into the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. It’s important to pick your tour carefully before boarding one of the boats. Each of the routes has a main focus, although there are also overlaps.
Here are the three boat routes into Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex.
Route number one is called the grottoes tour. It passes through nine caves (Son Duong cave, Khong cave, Sang cave, Toi cave, Seo cave, Son Duong cave, Ba Giot cave, Nau Ruou cave, and Quy Hau cave) and you will also visit three temples on this route.
The first temple is the Trinh temple, which has two large statues of carp at the entrance. The second one is the spiritual Tran temple which is a place of worship for Saint Quy Minh Dai Vuong (the ambassador of the general of Son Nam) and the queen consort. The third one is the Khong temple together with the Ban Hieu pagoda.
The second route takes you to three temples and four caves (Thanh Truot cave, Dai cave, Vang cave, and Lam cave).
The first temple is the Cao Son temple which worships the god of the mountain. The second one is the Suoi Tien temple, which translates as “Heaven Stream” and is a place where many Vietnamese come at the beginning of Spring to pray for health, good weather, and a nice harvest. The third one is the Vu Lam Royal Staps, a former military base during the Tran Dynasty and a place where a lot of kings came at that time to practice Buddhism.
Tour number three takes you through the longest cave in the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. Dot cave is one kilometer long and is the most impressive cave in Trang An. Aside from that, you’ll also visit two other caves, Van cave, and Dai cave).
This tour also includes a visit to three temples, the previously mentioned Trinh Temple, Suoi Tien Temple, and Vu Lam Royal Steps. The tour finishes at the movie set of the King Kong movie “Kong: Skull Island”, which was released in 2017 and featured famous actors like Samuel L. Jackson and Brie Larson.
Trang An boat trip, Vietnam, Ninh Binh
Before embarking on your trip to Trang An, it’s maybe good to already think about what you really want to see during your boat tour. As for me, I was unaware that there were three boat tours to choose from.
Trang An Boat tour route 3, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
At breakfast at my homestay, the host lady assured me that tour number three is the most scenic one because it is the only one that includes the one-kilometer-long Dot cave. Also, the most impressive site we visited in my opinion is on this route and that is the Vu Lam Royals Steps. Not that the palace itself is that impressive but the surroundings are magnificent.
I haven’t been on routes one and two but I can definitely say that taking route three won’t disappoint you!
Trang An Boat tour, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
The tour I took lasted for about two and a half hours and that was just enough for me. After buying our tickets, my boyfriend and I went to the boat wharf and were paired with a boat lady and another Vietnamese couple.
Trang An Boat tour route 3, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
We were given life vests and embarked on the tour, accompanied by loud chatter from the boat lady and the two other Vietnamese tourists. I have to admit that, even though I was impressed with her rowing skills, I didn’t find the boat lady particularly friendly. She also didn’t speak any English.
Dot cave, Trang An, Vietnam
The most impressive feature of this tour is indeed the one-kilometer-long Dot cave. Do be aware that you won’t be alone in the cave. I took this boat tour in the winter when it was relatively cold in the north of Vietnam but there were still hordes of tourists.
Trang An boat tour route 3, Vietnam
Although the Southeast Asian temples are beautiful and serene, the scenery at Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex is what makes this tour an absolute must-do in Vietnam. The most fascinating areas are around Dia Linh Mountain and at the end at the Vu Lam Palace.
A scenic view at the Vu Lam Palace
From the Vu Lam Palace, you can walk to the movie set of Kong: Skull Island. I have to say that, for me, this was my least favorite part of the whole boat trip. The artificial movie set, mostly consisting of bamboo huts, doesn’t do justice to the magical natural landscape and is of zero cultural importance to the area.
Kong: Skull island films set (2017)
At the end of the boat ride, the boat lady will also ask you to fill out a form. It is some kind of survey to check if you were satisfied with the service and if you have tips for improvement. You will be dropped of at the wharf again, after which you will need to take the underground passageway again before arriving at the souvernir shop.
Boat wharf of Trang An boat tour complex, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
The Trang Scenic Landscape Complex and more specifically, the Trang An boat tours are open year-round. Here are the opening hours and the entrance fees.
Note that the ticket booth is located on the other side of the road, opposite the place where the boats are located. Here is the Trang An boat tour location but this is the location of the ticket booth.
The wharf is at the other side of the river
The Trang An boat tours operate year-round and the ticket booth is open every day from 7 A.M. until 4 P.M. There are no fixed Trang An boat tour timings. You can just show up, buy a ticket, and you will be assigned to a boat.
I argued that going early would pay off and that I would be able to take the tour without crowds of other tourists. However, upon arrival at 8.30 P.M., there were already a lot of people waiting in line. Maybe, it pays off to be there at 7 A.M.
A ticket for a Trang An boat costs 250.000 VND/per person. The boats can carry four people plus the boat lady. If you want to have a boat all to yourself you’ll have to buy the remaining other seats as well which will set you back 1.000.000 VND.
Here are the websites I personally use whenever I travel to Vietnam:
Booking.com: For the best cheap guesthouses, homestays or small hotels
Hostelworld: To find the best hostels located in the cities
Homestay: For unique immersive homestays in the cities as well as in the Vietnamese countryside
12GO and Bookaway: The best transport websites for long-distance buses and train travel in Vietnam
GRAB: for taxi rides in cities and nearby attractions
Skyscanner: For affordable flights to Vietnam
Eatwith: Dine with locals inside their home for an immersive foodie experience
Withlocals: Experience cities in Vietnam with local people that show you around. This is a good idea if you want to stray off the beaten path!
Viator and Get Your Guide: For (vegan) food tours, street food tours, and tours in general
Get your Visa for Vietnam online through the Evisa website
If you’re looking for travel insurance, the one with the best benefits online is without a doubt Heymondo! It’s very easy to ask for a quote on the website and if you book with this link you’ll get 5% off!
Get access to mobile data straight away when entering the country with a Vietnam E-sim or an Asialink E-sim when traveling through multiple countries.
Ha! This is a very tricky question. Do they expect it? Yes. Are you obliged to? The answer is: no. At the end of our tour, we were given a small questionnaire that was clearly going out from the management of the Trang An boat complex site.
One of the questions was if the boat lady asked for a tip. I wrote no because she didn’t ask for one and frankly, she had been very rude to us the whole boat trip, clearly favoring the Vietnamese tourists, so I didn’t see any reason to tip her.
Boat ladies at the Trang An boat tour, Vietnam
This question also indicated that there is no formal rule for tipping them. To my surprise, when I got out of the boat, she got very upset and screamed at me. The Vietnamese tourists kindly gave her a tip and I understand: she had been friendly to them. But, in my opinion, she didn’t deserve one.
Afterward, I heard that the Trang An boat tour complex is managed really well, being a UNESCO world heritage site and that the boat ladies (and men) are being paid a very good and correct salary for their job. So don’t feel obliged to tip them, unless you truly want to.
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex
Here are a few more tips so you can make the most of your Trang An boat tour.
Dark Clouds above Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Vietnam
The best time to visit Trang An is in March or April and in October and November. At those times of the year, the weather will be sunny and there won’t be too much rain.
During the summer months, temperatures can get very high and there’s nothing on the boats that will protect you from the sun. Additionally, the summer months are also the wettest months. Summer is not the best time to visit Trang An, however, it is the peak season for Vietnamese tourists and the place will probably be packed with domestic travelers.
Visiting during the winter months, when it’s relatively cold but dry, is also a good option but don’t expect a lot of sunshine. It is pleasant though, with temperatures hovering around 15 to 20 degrees during the day.
As said before, no, the boat are not private. If you want to have a boat all to yourself you’ll have to buy all the seats in the boat. One boat can take four people so you’ll have to pay 1.000.000 VND.
The Tam Coc boat wharf, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
If you only have time for one tour in the area: go to Trang An and skip the tour in Tam Coc. I haven’t gone on the Tam Coc boat tour personally. I wanted to though. It was the plan all the way to be able to compare them with each other so that I could write an in-depth post about this on the blog.
However, I refrained from doing this after hearing disgusting stories from other travelers and reading reviews online on Google Maps. Although I can’t attest to this myself, I believe that taking a boat tour in Tam Coc will leave you scammed and unsatisfied.
Tourists repeatedly reported being overcharged for fake parking, pushed into buying insanely priced snacks from other boats that halted them in the middle of the tour, and pushy boatmen that ask for a huge tip before even finishing the tour.
It became clear to me that Trang An is the real deal and that the Tam Coc Wharf is nothing but a tourist trap. Many tourists probably fall for it though because of its convenient location in the center of Tam Coc but don’t be fooled. This place had nothing to do with the UNESCO-protected heritage site of Trang An.
Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve
Now, if you do have time for a second boat tour while you are in the area then I can highly suggest taking a boat tour of the Van Long Wetlands Nature Reserve! This reserve is a bit similar to Trang An and Tam Coc but there’s wildlife to be seen here and there are hardly any tourists.
Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve, Vietnam
Aside from the scenery, the star of the show here is de highly endangered Delacour’s langur. These monkeys are on the brink of extinction and the largest group that still exists lives here, in the Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve.
Read my full guide about the Van Long Wetland Nature Reserve to learn more about this stunning area in Ninh Binh!
Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex, Ninh Binh, Vietnam
To get to the Trang An boat wharf, the most convenient place to base yourself is Trang An, Tam Coc, or Ninh Binh. On the other hand, there are also a bunch of tours that include Trang An starting from Hanoi.
The Trang An wharf is easily accessible from Trang An, Tam Coc as well as Ninh Binh City.
From the center of Trang An, depending on where you are staying, it’s only a 2-kilometer walk to the wharf. Alternatively, you can go by bicycle. Almost all the accommodations in the area can provide you with bicycles that are often free of charge.
From Tam Coc or Ninh Binh, which is a little further away, Trang An is still within easy reach for visiting by bicycle. One of the big joys of the area is that, in between the limestone mountains, the terrain is completely flat and it’s incredible (and the most eco-friendly!) to cycle around the gorgeous rivers, lakes, mountains, and rice paddies.
However, if your health doesn’t allow it, there’s also a possibility to hire a motorbike or take a taxi to get from Tam Coc or Ninh Binh to the Trang An wharf. Every guesthouse or hotel can arrange this form of transport for you.
You can visit Trang An from Hanoi by taking a tour or by public transport. If you decide on visiting by public transport, you can check out 12GoAsia for prices and timetables for the bus and train. From Ninh Binh, it’s best to grab a taxi to take you to the Trang An wharf.
If you have very limited time on your hands, you can visit Trang An on a day trip from Hanoi. Here are a few full-day tours from Hanoi that make a stop at Trang An.
If you want to visit Trang An you can opt to stay in Trang An village, the touristy area around Tam Coc, or the city of Ninh Binh.
I have to say that, after visiting the city of Ninh Binh, I was glad that I didn’t choose to stay there. It’s a rather dusty city that absolutely lacks charm and the main sights and attractions are closer to Tam Coc and Trang anyway, so there’s no reason to stay there.
Here are some options for both Trang An and Tam Coc. I spent two weeks in the area and changed accommodations three times plus checked out a few other ones so you can be assured that these places are really worth it.
Do note that I love to stay in local accommodation options for which you don’t have to break the bank. As a conscious traveler, I love it when my money funnels back into the local community and in this way supports a healthy economic system.
Here are my recommendations for both Trang An and Tam Coc:
TRANG AN:
TAM COC:
Thung Sen restaurant in Tam Coc, Ninh Binh
There aren’t that many actual restaurants in Trang An itself. Most of the dining options in Trang An are the restaurants of the guesthouses. Here are two places I really enjoyed:
TRANG AN
The best restaurants, however, are located in Tam Coc. You won’t have trouble finding delicious vegan Vietnamese food as a traveler. Here are some great options!
TAM COC
Trang An, Vietnam
Are you feeling inspired yet? The Trang An boat tour promises an unforgettable experience that you won’t soon forget!
For more information and other attractions around Trang An, don’t forget to check out my guide to the Mua Caves and read my full guide to Tam Coc to discover even more gems like the Bich Dong pagoda and Bear Sanctuary Ninh Binh.
I hope this guide was helpful. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments below or drop me a message through my contact page!
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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Rafolin
Hi! This is so useful, thank you. Do you think the Trang An boat trip is suitable in pregnancy? (I’m 5 months along)
Thank you
annelies_degelas
Hey! Yes, sure! The boats are small and a bit wobbly sometimes to get in and out but they are completely safe. 🙂 Enjoy it!
Jaz
Hi! Would you suggest joining group tours for Trang An? I am planning to do it myself (DIY), but I’m a bit wary that buying tickets, lining up, or getting lunch might be complicated.
annelies_degelas
Hey! No, it’s perfectly doable on your own. If you feel uncomfortable though, you can ask at your accommodation to give recommendations for an organized tour. There are also a few tourist agencies in the center of Tam Coc.
Sasa
Hello. Thanks for this post. It is very useful! The Trang An boat tour looks amazing. We will be travelling with a 4-year old. Any idea how we will be able to bike with her? As well, I haven’t found anything online about the toilets. Are the toilets in restaurants and near tourist attractions typically western styles or squats? Thank you!
annelies_degelas
Hey! Sorry for my late reply.
Biking with her might be hard, I haven’t seen any bicycles with a children chair on it but I would ask around.
And yes, the toilets are mostly Western style at the restaurants. During the boat tour there are also western-style toilets at the temples. 🙂
Dave
Thinking the woman is rude because she doesn’t speak English is a hilariously entitled and ignorant perspective
annelies_degelas
Hi Dave, I think you didn’t read that correctly. Indeed, I mention that she didn’t speak any English but that’s not the reason why I think she was rude. She just was plainly rude and even a little agressive in her words and attitude towards us! And that while she was laughing and joking all the time with the Vietnamese tourists. This happens unfortunately sometimes. I’m a cultural worker by education and what you suggest is something that I would never ever say!
Nir
Hi, This Is Very Helpful Thank You So much.