Full Day Citadels & Karsts

• Our journey begins with a 2 hour drive from the hectic capital of Hanoi to the province of Ninh Binh, approximately 100kms. Our first destination is Hao Lu, the location of the capital of Vietnam during the Dinh Dynasty (968-980) and early Le Dynasty (980-1009), the ancient citadel once covered 300 hectares of land, however the passage of time has left few remains of this once glorious capital of the Vietnam. On arrival our local guide will take us through the Dinh & Le Temple, restored in the 17th century the temples are dedicated Dinh and Le emperors and believed to be built on the original foundations of the old palaces from the 11th and 12th centuries.

• Following our temple visit we stop for lunch at a local restaurant before visiting Tam Coc (which translates as "Three Caves"). The area is often referred to as the Halong Bay of the land due to its spectacular scenery, lime karsts rise up of the ground to tower over the region. Here we board rowing boats for a 2 to 2 ½ hour journey through caves, passed local villages along the river system of the Red River Delta. The scenery comprises of lush green rice paddies during the rice growing seasons and surrounding limestone karsts making for a stunning backdrop to the journey and presents many photo opportunities for the keen photographers amongst the group. At the end of the boat trip it is time to return to Hanoi.

Time:
08:00 - 08:30 am.