We start in the morning, with hotel pick-up and departure by minibus for Ninh Binh. Arrival at Tam Coc should be around 8:30, and we’ll start with a boat trip through the valley and caves. We have time for short walks up to various vantage points, which is where we’ll see some fantastic landscapes. We’ll also be able to eye-capture images of Tam Coc’s boat operators, who continue the age-old tradition of rowing their vessels by foot.

Next, we’ll head to Hang Mua, and it’s a steep climb up 500 steps to seeone of Vietnam’s most iconic landscapes. It’s worth the sweat, and we’ll take our time, with plenty of breaks along the way.

After lunch and coffee, we travel north to visit two fascinating craft villages.

First stop is Ninh Van stone carving village, where we’ll visit locals carving incredible statues and headstones by hand. The stone is sourced from Ninh Binh’s many limestone karst mountains, and the villagers have carried on this craft for nearly a century.
Then, it’s time to document the action at Gia Thuy ceramic village. We’ll visit the traditional manufacture of pots using local clay, providing us with rich culture, authentic knowledge.

Finally, we drive over to Van Long nature reserve. There are many villages in the area near the reserve, offering plenty of opportunities for enjoyable of rural life as the sun goes down. Farmers will be bringing in their cattle, buffaloes taking a dip in the rivers and schoolchildren cycling home along the dykes. It’s a fantastic way to wrap up this adventure through classic lowland Vietnam.

At 5:30pm, we hit the road back to Hanoi, with drop-off at around 7pm.

During the day you will be visiting some amazing areas in Ninh Binh and some very special locations:

- Ninh Binh Province

- Hung Mua Cave

- Tam Coc Nature Reserve

- Boat Trip

- Pottery Village

- Stone Carving Village (Optional).

- Van Long Nature Reserve

- Rice Fields

To reach the peaks and viewpoints for our spectacular landscape shots we’ll be hiking and climbing a fair bit of terrain. So you’ll need to be dressed appropriately and traveling light is essential.