Ninh Binh, Tam Coc, Trang An & Cuc Phuong -- stunning waterways, beautiful rain forests
A few hours’ drive south of Hanoi are two beautiful but very different regions.
The spectacular World Heritage landscapes of soaring karst limestone cliffs, hidden waterways and ancient temples of Ninh Binh, Tam Coc & Trang An are one of the jewels of Vietnam, unique and wonderful. The scenery is simply breathtaking.
Cuc Puong, Vietnam’s oldest national park, is less visited and feels more remote, more rustic. Its splendid rain forests and rare & amazing wildlife, are quietly extraordinarily beautiful.
With easy access from Hanoi, the area is suited to excellent short trips of just a few days. But there is so much to see and do, we find many people take a little longer and love it.
Look through our tours and options below, or use one of our tours as the basis for creating your own custom tour. Or contact us — we are always happy to help!
Ninh Binh, Tam Coc & Trang An
Discover spectacular waterways among karst cliffs, ancient temples, wonderful back roads to explore, and comfortable resorts to relax in
The Tam Coc / Trang An complex of karst limestone mountains, hidden waterways and temples is one of the most extraordinary places you will visit in Vietnam.
Access to the narrow waterways is by small boat, rowed by foot by skilled locals. The waterways thread and twist their way between the karst cliffs, sometimes disappearing into caves beneath a mountain before reappearing on the other side. Gliding through the caves is a surreal experience.
Watch your head and bring your camera!
Rice is grown in the half-submerged fields next to the waterways. Rowing through the green rice, or gold if just before harvest, is an amazing experience. Around January and mid year, boats and villagers are scattered across the muddy paddies between the cliffs planting bright green new rice. It’s a memorable, centuries-old image.
Outside of the waterways complex there are quiet roads to explore, weaving through valleys of half flooded rice fields, past contemplative temples and karst pinnacles.
Bicycling here is wonderful. Some of the temples have fantastic viewpoints looking across rows of steep, green-clad mountains — there is nothing quite like this anywhere else in Vietnam.
Nearby also are the temples and ruins of the ancient capital of Hoa Lu, rich in history. Hoa Lu was home to Vietnam’s first two imperial Dinh and Le dynasties but abandoned around 1010 AD when the capital was moved to Hanoi.
Cuc Phuong
Explore magnificent rain forest, and see amazing wildlife in an endangered primates rescue centre
Cuc Phuong is completely different. The largest national park in Vietnam and an important site for biodiversity, it is a place of quiet tropical rain forest, verdant karst mountains and lush valleys, relatively little visited and mostly unspoilt.
Ancient trees are still standing, and walking in the forest is beautiful.
Cuc Phuong is home to a rich mix of flora and fauna, and primates in the park include monkeys such as macaques, gibbons, slow loris and – most notably – endangered langurs.
Many species are nocturnal, and it is possible to go wildlife night-spotting with park rangers, a unique experience in Vietnam.
The park’s Endangered Primates Rescue Centre rehabilitates animals for release back into the wild, and a visit to the Centre is a great way to see some wonderful animals only rarely seen otherwise.
Helping you discover the best of North Vietnam
Experience different with Other Path Travel
Helping you discover the best of North Vietnam
There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.
From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike; cruising spectacular islands by boat …
There is travel that fits within the expected and then there are journeys that go beyond. At Other Path Travel, we specialize in small group tours that will take you to a Vietnam that most travelers never see, extraordinarily beautiful, amazingly diverse, off the beaten path.
From astounding natural beauty to scooter-packed streets in vibrant cities, we offer a range of experiences to suit your interests and travel style whether that’s exploring extraordinary scenery by private car or motorbike;
cruising spectacular islands by boat hiking mountains & rice-terraced valleys; getting lost in amazing ethnic hill tribe markets; eating like a local in bustling Hanoi; discovering Vietnam’s rich culture and beautiful historical temples and palaces; getting creative with some of the best photography in Asia; or all of these and more.
Our focus is the northern half of Vietnam, one of the great treasures of Asia. It is a very special place.
In the far Northern Mountains of Ha Giang you will find some of the most dramatic tropical mountain landscapes anywhere, including the limestone peaks of Dong Van, the famous rice terraces of Hoang Su Phi, and the great valleys and wonderful market of remote Xin Man.
West of Ha Giang lies the Roof of Vietnam, with the country’s highest and grandest mountains towering above the hill town of Sapa and extending south past the legendary rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai.
South of Hanoi are the incredible hidden waterways and mountains of Ninh Binh and rainforests of Cuc Phuong and the gorgeous, tropical rice fields, valleys, hills and tea plantations of Mai Chau, Pu Luong and Moc Chau.
Along the coast are the wonders of Ha Long Bay and Lan Ha Bay, where you can cruise, swim and kayak among beautiful islands, cliffs and golden beaches set in emerald seas. North east of Hanoi are beautiful, tranquil Ba Be Lake and spectacular Ban Gioc waterfall.
And at the heart of the North lies Hanoi, a fantastic, dynamic, multi-layered, ancient city of 8 million people and 5 million motorcycles, full of contrasts, contradictions and surprises.
We’ve combed all these regions to find the hidden gems, backroads and best experiences that will make your trip special. Vietnam is one of those places where having a guide really makes a difference, and is essential for tours by car. Our guides are seasoned experts and wanderers, there to make sure you get the most out of your time in this remarkable part of the world.
Look through our tours and see where we can take you.
Tours You’ll Love
Tours You’ll Love
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Find Your Own Path
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