Tam Cốc-Bích Động

This is fun! 🥳 Such spectacular scenery.👀 Closest thing to Narnia ☺ I've experienced.

These farmers (wives) paddle the boat 🚣🏻 for an hour and a half, through 3 caves, using their feet!! 🦶🏻🦶🏻They even feather the oars each stroke with their feet 👣😱.

I see improvements along the way under construction. A beer 🍺 stop, a restaurant🍽, a scenic gorge. It's quite the adventure 🤩

A couple of things to note:
☑There are people in another boat, in another spot along the way taking your photo. 📷They will meet you back at the starting point expecting you to buy it.

☑☑On the way back your lovely paddle lady will stop paddling and open a 5 gallon bucket of silk artwork 🖼which has been concealed until this surprise reveal 😯. If you show any interest whatsoever the rest of the trip back will be a relentless negotiation process during which she stops paddling 😬 and transitions into a dragon lady🐲.

You may have noticed while heading towards the caves, as you pass returning boats, that the people on the way back have replaced their initial 😊 smiles with frowns🙁. You will wonder why....🤔

If you like the silk artwork,🖼 (they are very nice) the negotiation is relentless! It can be fun and you can eventually get a couple of them for less than half the price at the first store of the tour stop😉.

Arriving at the starting steps, the dragon lady will now demand a tip.💁🏻 It is well deserved however. You couldn't paddle the boat for an hour and a half. Just saying.
This is their only income between the rice 🌾 season.

Then, just when you thought you survived - here comes the photographer with the photo, Laminated and ready for travel.
He will block 🚧your path to the 🚌 bus.

A unique experience is guaranteed!🥴

We had an amazing boat ride on a traditional local rowing boat propelled by foot power – an incredibly unique experience! When we inquired about its origins, the rower explained that for generations, people from this region navigated this river. Their arms would fatigue, prompting someone to try rowing with one leg, which proved effective. Soon, the technique evolved to incorporate both legs, becoming the prevalent rowing style here. It’s a cherished tradition. The journey offered breathtaking views of vibrant rice paddies, towering cliffs, and three stunning caves. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend experiencing this awe-inspiring adventure if you get the chance.

Absolutely stunning views from the boat.

Caves are lit up so you don't *need* your own torch, but you can bring your own if you want to take a better look at the dark areas.

It's a point from where you can go in the boat for about 2 hours.
The scenery was beautiful and the woman rowed us was nice.
We saw monkeys, goats, birds, 3 caves, many plants, Lotuses and the beautiful mountains.
We have the lady 100k because she drove us and we wanted to show some respect.
Costs: 250k per person and included the boat trip (driving through caves), as well as visiting two caves and two Pagodas by a small electric bus.

Besides the initial mayhem of being organised into the kayak, the rest of the boat ride was magical. Each boat is paddled by local villagers, using their feet to paddle and steer around the river.
The river courses through flooded paddy fields, and lined with blossoming lotus. Verdant mountains tower over the river, and if you look carefully, you can spot monkeys and goats chambering along the steep slopes.
A very tranquil 90min boat ride that made the entire day wonderful.

What a great excursion this was. The people are friendly, the river tour was beautiful and amazing. The scenery is picture-worthy at every angle and turn...truly beautiful. I'd highly recommend this stop.

This place beautiful, natural that makes it an experience for life! Boating with scenery beauty!
3 tunnels that are natural beauty and while sitting in boat you will love the water, mountain and greenery around you
A must go!

Note : Do carry sunglasses, caps, and something to save you from sunlight and rain in emergency!

I paid at the ticket office and got straight in about with my rider. I heard that it can be up to 2 hours on the river. So I recommend wearing a hat or using an umbrella to cover you. Take a bottle of water and sunscreen up. I started my trip at 9 a.m., but it was still pretty hot by then.
My lady was a very fast rower, and we were lucky to have many parts of the journey to ourselves on the water, so my journey was about 80 minutes.
I could see that at busy times, it could easily take 2 hours, as all the boats would be going slower.
Just sit back and enjoy the pure beauty around you, mountains, trees, rice fields, bridges, caves, and, of course, the tranquil waters. It's truly stunning!
About halfway, there is an opportunity to have your photo taken in the boat. I didn't have this, so I'm not sure if you pay the photographer or when you finish the tour at the ticket office.
You also get a chance to buy drinks, snacks, and fruit from local sellers, so you may want to have some cash on you.
The rowers are amazing and must have such strong legs to row for so many hours a day. It isn't compulsory, but most people tip the rowers at the end of their trip.

What a beauty, the surroundings, the waterways, the mountains, everything is breathtaking. We had booked through Klook so we didn't have to worry too much about the process or anything.

The day was very hot and we were worried that it would be very tiring. But once we were in the boat it was a smooth ride and the umbrellas helped a lot. The breeze that was blowing around kept us cool. And please carry water and drinks to keep you hydrated.

I would say the trip can be shortened as sitting on the boat for 2 hours is not very comfortable. Also, they can add upholstered seats to make it a bit better.

If you enjoy long boat rides you can visit this place. They will take you to multiple caves in this area and it is fun to see the boat passing under the rocky mountain.

What an absolutely brilliant place to visit. Pick up a reasonably priced ticket and get paddled around a river route with breathtaking mountains and caves.

Probably the single most beautiful place I've ever seen on the planet. Ended up staying longer and doing more than I was expecting. Easily my favourite place in Vietnam.

The water boat ride last for 1h30 and is totally worth it. Prepared an additional 20k-30k per person for the tips. The boat drivers can be quite old and every dollars is worth a lot for those hard workers.

Wow what a place to visit! A must see on your northern Vietnam trip. It rained twice on the boat ride but didn't take away the majestic beauty of the area. Then the climb up to the Dragon and after that try an egg coffee at Minh Khoi restaurant Ninh Binh.

Briliant experience, 2 hours in the small boat. Amazing views similar to King Kong and Avatar movies. Could be a bit too long for smaller kids. Highly recommend. Must see

So much activity and scenic places to Visit.
Mua Caves is a must at the end of a long climb up to the Dragon and Temple. Not to be missed. The people are amazingly friendly, also a myriad of restaurants and cheap Bia.
Transport from Hanoi, Catba and Hai Phong is very easy.

Must visit in vietnam. You can visit nin bin just for this long boat ride with such super beautiful views. They have an entrance ticket and you get to go unde three caves while on the boat.

Love the tour. It was 250k for the trip, and worth every penny. However, as had it in Nov where the paddle field in Tam Coc was not ripe yet, it was not it best for Tam Coc

Absolutely stunning. Similar to ha long bay. Boat driver was funny. Perfect sunny day to take it all in.

Interesting experience with scenic view of the towering cliffs. Pretty long ride on the small boats at about 1 hr +.

Recommend to go on boat ride towards late afternoon as the weather is much cooler.

We visited in late Nov season