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Trang An has one of the most beautiful and impressive karst mountains in the world. The entire landscape is composed of pointed limestone mountains covered with flowering jungles and rice fields in the valleys between them. The rivers are all interconnected and some extend over a kilometer, making boat trips the perfect way to explore the landscape. Besides from the amazing scenery, there are countless of beautiful natural caves.
The various historical temples and pagodas in Trang makes it also a religious and spiritual place. You can find these ancient religious buildings hidden in the mountains and jungle, often only reaches by boat or climbing, making this place even more mystical.
Trang An is also called the “Halong on land”, but there are major differences. Trang An offers a lot more cultural and historical background. You don’t find any luxury cruise ships sailing through the landscape, but only the small rowing sampan boats fit in the narrow rivers. But taking a rowing boat and going gently over the small rivers between towering karst mountains and jungle fits perfect in the magical scenery.
In 2017, Trang An was one of the most important film locations of the blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island”. A couple of months later after the movie, the local tourist board opened a small part of the movie set of “Kong: Skull Island” to visit. In particular, a reconstructed jungle tribe village in the film one, with locals dressing up as the aborigines in the film.
As mentioned, the Trang An boat tour is the highlight of a trip to this area. Enjoy a traditional rowing boat ride over the stunning stream, between impressive karts mountains.
Just 4 km from where the boats leave for the Trang An boat tour, you find Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. The original citadel may no longer exist, but the remaining tenth-century buildings and the beautiful surroundings of Hoa Lu are well worth a visit.
The countryside of Trang An is impressive, with extensive rice fields, where you can see buffalos and their owners at work. Steep mountains covered with jungle and some hidden goats jumping from rock to rock. The roads between these mountains and rice fields are flat with little traffic, which makes it ideal for cycling. Cycling in Ninh Binh is extremely popular and most hotels and homestays offer free bicycles to borrow. You can also choose to rent a scooter.
The countryside of Ninh Binh is one of the main highlights for travelers to visit this area. What better place is there to stay then right in this area. The Trang An area has some stunning accommodation, often hidden behind the cliffs and mountains. Expect scenic views from your stay over the countryside or a wetland area. In addition, staying in this area also means staying close to the main things to do in Ninh Binh, so it is easy to reach the main attractions by bicycle or scooter.
Apart from all the temples and the boat trip, there are no other sights in Trang An itself. About 7 km from Trang An is Tam Coc, here you will find another popular boat trip and Mua Cave, the best viewpoint in Ninh Binh.
Southeast Asia’s largest Buddhist temple complex is 12 km from Trang An and is called Bai Dinh Pagoda. It consists of various temples and more than 500 images of Buddha. The complex is huge but not very old; built in 2003.
There are many tour operators who offer a 1-day or 2-day tour from Ninh Binh or Hanoi. If you choose a day tour to Trang An, transport is included. This usually means that you will be picked up by a tour operator and brought in a shuttle bus or private car.
You can also travel to Ninh Binh from Hanoi, Hue and Phong Nha, among others. Ninh Binh has a train station that connects it to the north and south. Many buses also stop here. Because it is only a 1.5 hour drive from Hanoi you can also hire a minibus or private car at a reasonable price.
If you are in Ninh Binh or Tam Coc, Trang An is best reached by bike, motorcycle or taxi. You can rent a motorbike or scooter for 150,000 VND per day. A taxi costs around 15,000 VND / km. The best thing is by bike, because the roads between Tam Coc, Ninh Binh and Trang An are quiet and you can cycle between beautiful rice fields.
You can visit Trang An all year round. In contrast to Tam Coc, you have fewer rice fields in Trang An, which means that it is not much nicer in Trang An during the correct rice season.
You do have to deal with the rainy season and the drying season. The best weather is in the months from November to April. It can be cold in December and January in particular.
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