★★★★★
Bigdog702
“I booked way in advance, and had a hotel change a week before the cruise, but all I did was whats app them the new hotel, and all was good.”
Tripadvisor, May 2026
Private tourNEW 2026Ninh BinhSmall group · Local experience
Ninh Binh Day Tour from Hanoi: Tam Coc Boat, Mua Cave and Jeep or Vespa Ride
You leave Hanoi at 06:45, ahead of most tour buses, for the two hour drive to Ninh Binh. Hoa Lu, the old royal capital,... Ava Travel price: from $98.
Questions before you book? Message us on WhatsApp or send an email. Phone +84 904 251 545. Ava Travel Hanoi, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Style
Private tour
Ninh Binh
Duration
Flexible itinerary
Pickup support available
Choose your tour option
Live prices for the date and group size you pick. Ava confirms your departure and pickup within 1 hour of booking.
Prices are the total for the travellers and the date you pick. Ava reconfirms the departure and the pickup point within 1 hour.
Tour optionWhat's includedPrice
Group tour
Small group departureJoin a small group on the same route
✓ Local English-speaking guide✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off✓ Permits included
Best value—total · 2 travellers
Secure checkout
Private tour
Your group onlySame route, your own pace and departure time
✓ Local English-speaking guide✓ Hotel pickup and drop-off✓ Permits included
—total · 2 travellers
Secure checkout
- We confirm your departure and pickup within 1 hour
- Cancel more than 30 days ahead at no cost
- No booking fee. The price shown is the price you pay
Full refund if you cancel more than 30 days before check-in
- More than 30 days before check-inFree
- 30 to 11 days before check-in15% of total
- 10 to 7 days before check-in30% of total
- Less than 7 days, or no-show100% of total
A change of travel date counts as a cancellation and a new booking, and the same scale applies.
If the operator cancels the cruise, or in case of severe weather or force majeure, we move your date free of charge, or refund you in full if we cannot reschedule.
Price includes all taxes and service charges.
Ninh Binh tour overview
Why this trip
- You leave Hanoi at 06:45, ahead of most tour buses, for the two hour drive to Ninh Binh.
- Hoa Lu, the old royal capital, then a thirty minute climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint over the Tam Coc valley, or a quieter 300 step hike on another hill.
- Two hours in a rowing boat through the caves and rice fields of Tam Coc.
- After lunch a jeep or Vespa takes the back roads between the limestone peaks to the Thai Vi or Bich Dong temple.
An honest note: it is a long day, about twelve hours door to door with four of them in the car, and the Mua Cave climb is steep stone steps in the heat.
At a glance
| Duration | About 12 hours |
| Start and finish | Your hotel in or around Hanoi Old Quarter |
| Group size | Shared tour, or private for 1 to 12 |
| Walking | Moderate, the Mua Cave steps and short walks |
| Best for | Seeing Ninh Binh's countryside, not just the boat ride |
| Guide | English-speaking guide and experienced drivers |
Price
Group departure. You join a small group on the same route with the same guide standard.
| Per adult | $98 |
Private departure. Your own guide and vehicle, your own pace. The total falls per person as your group grows.
| Group size | Total | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $260 | $260 |
| 2 people | $260 | $130 |
| 3 people | $331 | $110 |
| 4 people | $441 | $110 |
| 5 people | $490 | $98 |
| 6 people | $588 | $98 |
| 7 people | $686 | $98 |
| 8 people | $784 | $98 |
| 9 people | $882 | $98 |
| 10 people | $980 | $98 |
| 11 people | $1078 | $98 |
| 12 people | $1176 | $98 |
Travelling alone. One person on a group departure pays $167, shown in the booking box before you pay.
Children. On the shared tour children aged 4 to 10 pay a child rate and a second child under 4 pays a reduced rate. On a private tour one child under 5 goes free, children 5 to 10 pay 70 per cent and 11 and over pay as adults. Tell us the ages when you book and we apply it before you pay.
How it works
- Book and confirm. Pay at checkout or message us on WhatsApp first. We confirm your date, pickup time and guide within one hour.
- Pickup. Hotel pickup in and around Hanoi Old Quarter.
- On the day. About 12 hours, pickup 06:30 to 06:45, back around 18:30. Your guide keeps the timings loose enough for photographs and questions.
What's included
Pickup and drop off at hotels in and around Hanoi Old QuarterReturn transfer Hanoi to Ninh Binh by car or minivanTam Coc rowing boatJeep or Vespa ride in the Ninh Binh countrysideMua Cave hikeBich Dong temple and hidden trail, weather permittingExperienced drivers and an English-speaking guideAll food and drinks on the itineraryEntrance fees
Your itinerary
Hoa Lu, Mua Cave, Tam Coc and the countryside
Meals: lunch.
- 06:30 to 06:45 pickup at your hotel and about two hours by car or minivan to Ninh Binh, around 100 km.
- Visit Hoa Lu Ancient Capital for its history and temple architecture.
- A thirty minute hike up and down to Mua Cave for the view over Tam Coc and the Ngo Dong river. If you prefer, a 300 step hike on a quieter mountain instead.
- Board a rowing boat for about two hours through the caves and rice fields of Tam Coc.
- Lunch at a local restaurant.
- Afternoon ride by jeep or Vespa along the country roads between the karsts, past rice paddies and villages, stopping at Thai Vi or Bich Dong temple, and the hidden trail at Bich Dong if the weather is good.
- 16:00 the tour ends in Ninh Binh and the minivan drives you back, reaching the Old Quarter around 18:30.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for planning this trip with Ava Travel.
Both are run on this tour. Tell us which you prefer when you book and we confirm it with the departure.
It is about thirty minutes up and down on steep stone steps. The alternative 300 step hike is quieter but also rugged, and you can wait at the bottom if you would rather not climb.
The tour ends in Ninh Binh at 16:00 and you are back in the Old Quarter around 18:30, in time for dinner.
Most tour buses leave Hanoi around 08:00, so leaving at 06:45 puts you ahead of them at the sights.
The group price is per person. The private price is the total for your party and the table on this page shows it for every group size. Prices are in US dollars and include taxes and service charges, and there is no booking fee or card surcharge, so the total at checkout is the total you pay.
Within one hour. We come back to you with the pickup time, the meeting point and your guide, and tell you what to bring.
More than 30 days before departure costs nothing. From 30 to 11 days we keep 15 per cent, from 10 to 7 days 30 per cent, and inside 7 days or a no-show is charged in full. Changing your date counts as a cancellation and a new booking. If we cancel, or weather makes the tour unsafe, we move your date at no cost or refund you in full.
What guests say about Ava Travel
5.0Tripadvisor rating
These are real Tripadvisor reviews of Ava Travel as your booking agent, quoted word for word. They are not reviews of Ninh Binh Day Tour from Hanoi: Tam Coc Boat, Mua Cave and Jeep or Vespa Ride itself.
★★★★★
Kehren Eade
“She made the process SO easy, SO manageable, we felt we were in great hands at all times, even though everything was done by remote!”
Tripadvisor, August 2026
★★★★★
Arshia Z
“Whenever we had questions or needed assistance, the response was prompt, helpful, and reassuring.”
Tripadvisor, June 2026
Photos
Images on this page are used under a Creative Commons licence. Author and licence for each:
- Photo: Jakub Hałun / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: GilVon / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Andre Hospers / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Andre Hospers / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Franzfoto / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Photo: Franzfoto / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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