If you are familiar with the bustling ancient town of Hoi An and want to find a place to immerse yourself in the cool ocean water, Cham islet is an extremely valuable candidate.Emerging as a green tourist destination near Hoi An, Cham islet increasingly attracts tourists who love experiences. This place is also recognized by UNESCO as a world biosphere reserve thanks to its rich flora and fauna. Let’s pocket the experience of exploring Cham islet and set out to explore this “green paradise”!
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General information about Cham islet
Cham islet is a cluster of 8 islands located in Tan Hiep island commune, Hoi An city, Quang Nam province and 18km from Cua Dai coast. The islet has a total area of 13.82km² is the largest and highest (517m) in the cluster of 8 islets here. The climate in this area is cool and pleasant all year round, making the land home to many rare aquatic species and rich bird’s nest resources.
In 2003, Cham islet Nature Reserve was established to protect creatures in here. Thanks to the richness and diversity of this flora and fauna system, Cham islet was recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve in 2009.
What’s the best time to explore Cham islet?
To fully experience the activities at Cham islet, you should travel in February – October. At that time, the weather whole region is warm, the sea is calm and there is little rain, very suitable for a trip.
When traveling with a group tour, between February – April and August – October, visitors will enjoy a quieter space and have the opportunity to participate in attractive promotional programs on tours.
Festival season (March – April of the lunar calendar): If you want to learn about the culture and beliefs of the local people, go to Cham islet during the Cau Ngu (Fishing) Festival (April 3-4 of the lunar calendar) or anniversary of the Nest profession (9-10 of the third lunar month).
How to get Cham islet?
If you travel on your own, you have 2 ways to get here:
By Cano: it will take you about 20 minutes to get to the islet, you should go to the wharf around 8:00 – 9:00 to make it easier to catch a canoe. If you come late you may have to go back or find a private cano which cost quite expensive to visit the islet. Also it cost 400.000VND/ticket for a adult or 200.000VND/ticket for a child.
Traveling by wooden boat: The wooden boat has the advantage of being able to carry many people to Cham islet (can also carry motorbikes), but the disadvantage is that it takes quite a long time – about 3 hours and there is only 1 trip for a day. You can catch a wooden boat at Hoi An wharf at 7:30 am or at Cua Dai wharf at 8:30 am. For ticket fare, it cost 150.000VND/for a Vietnamese; 200.000VND/for a foreigner. Also if you want to bring your bike to the islet, it cost 50.000VND/a ticket.
When you are traveling to islet for the first time, to make it easier to travel and schedule, you can go to Vietdreamtravel to book a 1-day Tour – Explore Cham islet.
Some activities to experience when visiting Cham islet
Not only the beautiful scenery, Cham islet will help you experience the familiar activities of the sea people, which are:
Experience scuba diving to see coral reefs
Famous as a sea with its pristine beauty intact, Cham islet has many beautiful coral reefs under the sea. You can see the beauty of these coral reefs with the available scuba diving services. You will play the role of a professional diver and conquer the 6m depth yourself and enjoy the deep sea scenery with the support staff for 30 minutes.
The most interesting coral diving activity is around noon, when the sun is high, the sunlight will shine down to the bottom of the sea. The aquatic animal kingdom such as seaweed, coral, sea creatures,…will appear vividly before your eyes. For sure, you will be truly overwhelmed by the beauty of the seabed ecosystem here.
Fishing and Squid fishing
Fishing is also a very interesting activity, loved by many tourists when visiting this islet cluster. Visitors will be able to explore the peaceful beauty of this place by boat, learn about the lives of coastal fishermen.
If you want to experience the feeling of standing in the middle of the sea and catching fresh fish, please contact the party that rents a fishing basket boat or wooden boat to be provided with a boat, fishing rod and bait.
Another interesting experience at night time is fishing for squid with fishermen, experience the thrill of waiting and the joy of catching fresh squid.
Set up a camping tent on the beach
If you go with a large group of people, this is probably the most interesting activity. You will enjoy time together setting up tents, playing team games and an evening at the campfire chatting together and enjoying the coolness of the sea breeze.
At night, you can lie down and watch the starry sky – a wonderful sight that we will hardly see in the city. Those who have been here and experienced these interesting things will often never forget it.
Seatrek in Cham islet
Experience the feeling of walking on the seabed as if on land with a diving helmet providing oxygen. You will be able to touch coral reefs and colorful fish with your own hands.
Joining the underwater walking tour, you will be able to freely see and explore the large aquarium. Tourists do not need to wear fancy equipment such as oxygen masks, air tanks, limbs, etc., you just need to wear an oxygen supply cap and follow the guide’s instructions to feel secure undersea. The beauty of colorful coral reefs, calmly playing fish,… will bring you the most relaxing and comfortable moments.
Kayaking
Explore the beauty of the sea in a unique way with kayaking. You will be free to explore beaches, caves and enjoy the peaceful space on the sea.
Climb mountains and explore primeval forests
Conquer the peak at 517m high on Lao islet, and enjoy the fresh, cool air. After freely playing with the ocean waves, you can explore the primeval forests and dangerous ravines here.
When following the trails climbing up the mountainside, you will be immersed in a cool green space, enjoying the beauty of wild orchids,… Visitors can also visit a gentle stream on the way.
Impressive tourist destinations on Cham islet
What is beautiful about Cham islet? This place is famous for its pristine natural landscape with green mountains and forests, long white sand beaches, clear water and rich flora and fauna. Let’s explore what outstanding attractions this paradise:
Wind waist in Cham islet
Wind waist is located on the east side of Cham islet cluster, about 3km from Bai Lang residential area. This is a destination that visitors can hardly miss if they want to find a place to catch the sunrise or watch the sunset.
Wind waist is surrounded by blue mountains and vast, endless sea and sky. This place is like a wall, protecting boats fishermen on the sea.
Green coconut rows in Ong Beach
Ong beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Cham islet. Overall Bai Ong has a curved crescent moon shape. If you look from above, you will see Ong beach as a half circle embracing the cool green beach.
Not only a swimming beach, Ong beach is also famous for its magical rows of coconut trees, with majestic coconut trees standing in rows along the beach. You can go to Ong beach coconut row and combine a resting chair and a glass of cooling water, you will definitely have a great photo album for a memorable summer vacation.
Temple of Bird’s Nest Profession
The Temple is located at Huong beach, Lao islet. This place is famous for natural bird’s nest farming, with the highest quality bird’s nest in Vietnam. Therefore, the local people built this temple with the desire to pray to be safe and the bird’s nest industry to develop more.
The Temple was built in an ancient style. This place worships the gods of the sea and the masters of the bird’s nest profession. Coming to the temple, you will admire the beauty of the very rare 200-year-old heritage tree.
Hai Tang Pagoda
Hai Tang Pagoda is a pagoda with a history of up to a hundred years. The pagoda was built according to ancient architecture, featuring elaborately sculpted pillar walls.
Hai Tang Pagoda has a statue of Guan Yin Buddha in the middle of the lotus pond. In the summer, this place will be much more beautiful when the lotus season blooms.
What to eat in Cham islet?
Not only has the blue sea and white sand, Cham islet also attracts tourists with fresh, delicious specialties rich in sea flavor. Let’s explore delicious dishes not to be missed when coming here:
- Vu Nang snail: is a famous specialty snail of the Central Coast region. Vu Nang snails can be prepared in many ways such as boiling, salad, etc. Snail meat is very sweet, crispy, not too soft.
- One-sun squid: grilled one-sun squid, dipped in chili sauce, will surely convince even the most demanding diners;
- Stone crab: This species of crab eats plants in rock caves and drinks morning dew, so its meat is sweet, soft and greasy. People often prepare stone crabs by boiling, steaming or stir-frying tamarind;
- Wild vegetables: Here there are also many types of wild vegetables (green leafy greens, snakehead greens, plantains, yard vegetables,…) growing wild at the foot of the mountains. The dish of boiled wild vegetables dipped in fish sauce and pickled with chili and garlic is one of the “mouth-watering” dishes that every tourist finds difficult to resist;
- Abalone: dishes made from abalone such as boiled, steamed, stir-fried,… are all very attractive. Abalone meat is sweet and fatty, with a very special delicious flavor;
- Sea urchin: a dish that visitors should try once when coming here is grilled sea urchin. Sellers often put 2-3 sea urchins into 1 shell, mix them with quail eggs or chicken eggs and then grill them on a charcoal stove. Finally, you just need to add a little greasy onion fat and enjoy this “ginseng” dish of the sea;
- Crab: Cu Lao Cham crab dish is firm, delicious and has a rich sweet flavor, so it is very popular with tourists. The main dish is crab steamed in beer served with lemon salt and pepper. In addition, visitors can also enjoy boiled crabs, grilled crabs, cooked porridge, hot pot,…;
- Seaweed: The seaweed in this island cluster is raw seaweed, dark in color, not processed, so it tastes very salty but contains a lot of nutrients that are good for health. Seaweed is processed into many rustic dishes such as soup, salad, etc.
Source: collected by An
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