Not only possessing beautiful natural scenery Trang An – Ninh Binh also has profound historical and humanistic values. With a favorable geographical location from the capital Hanoi, Trang An has been and is one of the most favorite cultural and spiritual tourist destinations for travel enthusiasts. You can choose to visit Trang An during the day, or stay overnight to explore more attractive destinations in Ninh Binh.
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General information about Trang An – Ninh Binh
Trang An is a scenic area in Ninh Binh, famous for its boat cave tours. On June 23, 2014, at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee in Doha, the Trang An Landscape Complex was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The scenic complex including: Trang An, Tam Coc, Bich Dong, Hoa Lu ancient capital, Hoa Lu special-use forest.
This complex is surrounded by limestone mountains, many caves, lagoons creating beautiful natural scenery. The limestone mountain system here is up to 250 million years old, having gone through different periods with changes in weather, climate, and ocean to create the majestic landscape as it is today.
In addition, this area also has 31 lakes and lagoons connected by 48 discovered caves, including 2 km long water caves such as Dia Linh cave, Sinh Duoc cave, May cave… Each cave has its own unique features as its name, the caves have many changing stalactites, water flowing from the ceiling makes the air in the caves cool… all are still very wild and are special attractions for both domestic and foreign tourists.
And before becoming an ideal destination as it is today, it was chosen by King Dinh Tien Hoang as one of the ramparts to protect the capital Hoa Lu with its extremely rugged terrain. Even after King Ly Thai To moved the capital to Thang Long (present-day Hanoi), Hoa Lu continued to serve as a military base and cultural center of the Ly, Tran, Later Le, Mac, and Tay Son dynasties… leaving many historical and cultural marks on this land.
What is the best time to visit Trang An?
In general, Trang An – Ninh Binh is beautiful in every season, but each season has its own unique features. If you travel to Ninh Binh in the spring (from January to March), the air will be a bit chilly, with little rain, so it is very convenient for sightseeing and taking photos. In particular, spring is also the festival season, so you can participate in some big festivals such as Bai Dinh Pagoda Festival, La Temple Festival, Hoa Lu Ancient Capital Festival.
From April to June is the time for those who love quiet. During this time, the festivals have gradually subsided, and are no longer as crowded as in the spring, so the atmosphere becomes more peaceful. However, this is the hottest time of the year, so you should fully equip yourself with sun protection measures before coming to Trang An.
If you are a flower lover, you should travel to Trang An in Ninh Binh from July to September. This is the season when lotus and water lilies begin to bloom, creating an irresistible beauty. However, the weather at this time will be a bit ‘difficult’ because there are frequent storms over a large area. Therefore, you need to pay attention to weather forecast information to be best prepared.
From October to December is the time when many tourists choose to come to the ancient capital to take virtual photos. However, you also need to bring warm clothes because the weather in Ninh Binh this season is quite cold.
Which is the popular route to Trang An?
Trang An’s terrain is mostly water, so the main means of transportation is by rowing boat. First, you have to buy a ticket including a ticket to visit Trang An and a ticket to sit on a boat. The fixed ticket price is 200,000 VND/adult, 100,000 VND/child under 1.4 m. Each boat will carry 4 – 5 people and will depart when there are enough people. Therefore, if you go in a group of less than 4 people, you will have to wait longer to join the group. Or you can rent a boat for 800,000 VND with a journey of more than 3 hours to freely take great virtual photos.
Trang An tourism offers 3 main boat routes, each route will go to different sightseeing spots, so depending on your preferences, you should consider choosing the appropriate boat route. Besides, if you are fascinated by the movie Kong Skull Island, you should take ferry route 2 or 3 to have the opportunity to visit Kong Island.
Route 1: Trinh Temple – Tran Temple – Khong Palace
Route 1 will focus on visiting caves, rocky mountains and learning about the history of the Dinh Dynasty. Through the legends of Hang Nau Ruou, Trinh Temple, Khong Palace…, you can expand your historical knowledge. Especially, admire Tran Temple – the temple is considered the heart of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
Trinh Temple with a look from outside
Route 2: Cao Son Temple – Vu Lam Palace
This is a ferry route that many young people love because this route has many beautiful and poetic landscapes, so it is very suitable for filming and taking photos. At the same time, this route rarely encounters ferry jams like the other two routes.
Vu lam Palace
Route 3: Hang Dot – Suoi Tien Temple
With this route, you will pass through the longest stalactite cave in Trang An with a length of up to 1000m. In addition, the Suoi Tien Temple relic will take you back to the origin of Trang An.
No matter which boat route you choose, the boatmen are very enthusiastic during the journey. Moreover, if you want to experience a little new joy, you can ask the boatmen to help row the boat.
What is an attractive in Trang An – Ninh Binh?
To make your trip to Trang An – Ninh Binh more interesting, below are some activities and specialties that thinks you should definitely try when coming here.
Visit the cultural space
These are the temples located right in the center of the eco-tourism area such as Trinh Temple, Tran Temple, Tu Tru Temple, Cao Son Temple, Suoi Tien Temple, Vu Lam Palace, Khong Palace… Each temple is associated with a separate story about the great mandarins who contributed to the country.
Suoi Tien temple
Therefore, when visiting these temples, you will admire the unique architectural beauty of each period as well as enrich your knowledge of national history.
Explore mysterious caves
Sitting on a bamboo boat, visitors will be able to weave through magical caves, each cave has its own unique beauty and is associated with mysterious stories. Some wonderful caves that you cannot miss are Dia Linh Cave (with fossilized stalactites), Nau Ruou Cave (distilling wine from underground water in the cave), Ba Giot (many stalactites with various colors appearing), and especially Boi cave which is a valuable archaeological site in the Trang An World Heritage Complex. Many scientific evidences show that prehistoric people belonging to the Hoa Binh Culture existed about ten thousand years ago.
The dim light from the oil lamps illuminates the shimmering stalactites, creating a magical, poetic space. There are caves as large as palaces, while others are small and narrow, just enough for a boat to pass through. The sound of water dripping from the cave ceiling, the sound of oars splashing water, and the chirping of birds create a wonderful natural harmony.
Mountain climbing
Mountain climbing is also an experience not to be missed when coming to Trang An, giving you the opportunity to admire the panoramic view of the landscape from above and explore the wild beauty of nature. The limestone mountains surrounding Trang An create a majestic landscape painting with undulating cliffs, mysterious caves and rich vegetation.
The mountain climbing journey will take you through winding trails, steep stone steps and cool green forests. When reaching the top, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the vast rice fields, the winding Ngo Dong River and the mountains in the distance. It is a wonderful moment for you to feel the majesty of nature and find peace of mind.
Take a boat on Ngo Dong River
Experiencing a boat ride on Ngo Dong River when coming to Trang An is an exciting and relaxing journey of discovery. Sitting on a small bamboo boat, visitors will be taken by local boatmen through magical caves, admiring the pristine beauty of nature.
The winding Ngo Dong River, flanked by towering limestone mountains, creates a majestic and poetic landscape. The sound of oars splashing water mixed with the chirping of birds creates a gentle harmony, bringing visitors into a peaceful world, separate from the noisy, bustling life. Taking a boat on the Ngo Dong River is not only a simple sightseeing activity but also a cultural experience, helping visitors understand more about the land of Trang An and its people
Enjoy delicious specialties
It would be a pity if you come to Trang An Ninh Binh and do not try the following specialties:
Ninh Binh burnt rice: The delicate blend of flavors between crispy burnt rice and fragrant shrimp makes diners want to eat forever.
Mountain goat meat: The goats are raised on rocky mountains so the meat is very firm. Goat meat can be used to prepare many different dishes such as goat spring rolls, raw goat with lemon, steamed goat, etc.
Ant egg sticky rice: Brown ant eggs are cleaned and fried with shallots, chicken fat and mixed well with hot sticky rice. The fragrant smell of the dish will make you unforgettable.
Mountain snails: Mountain snails’ food is precious medicine found in caves, so snail meat is extremely nutritious, especially effective in treating bone and joint diseases, rheumatism or stomach diseases.
Through the article reviewing Trang An in Ninh Binh, perhaps you can also imagine something about this land and the reason why it attracts so many tourists. Let’s pack your backpack to start the journey to explore Trang An – Ninh Binh.
Source: collected by An
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