Ninh Binh Private Day Tour: Mua Cave, Tam Coc, Hoa Lu All Include

Must book tour for an awesome day trip away from the hustle and bustle of Hanoi!!! First of all, our tour guide Thao was AMAZING!!! She was so knowledgeable, friendly and most of all welcoming us to her hometown. She shared local insights, history and overall Vietnamese culture. Thao communicated every step of the way from pick-up to drop-off. We had a fun-filled day from floating on the river with a bamboo boat in Ninh Binh valley, 486 step hike to the top of Mau Cave mountain (worth it!) with spectacular views and bike ride through the countryside. Thao hosted us at her house for lunch with authentic and delicious Vietnamese food! We even met her mom. A fantastic cultural immersion tour with top-notch Vietnamese hospitality. Book the Terrific Thao today!!!

Fantastic personalized experience with flexible planning opportunities. Highly recommended for the friendly and proactive guides that ensure you have a very personal and unforgettable experience that goes above and beyond the normal mass tourism

Fantastic full day tour. Awesome boat ride with amazing scenery. Climbed the 500+ steps - not for the faint of heart but worth it for the view. Our guide was great and changed the order of the itinerary so we missed the crowds. Definitely worth getting the private tour as it means less waiting around as it gets busy there. Our lunch was very tasty.Overall, we had a great day.

I had a wonderful time in Ninh Binh. The driver was very prompt with the pickup and provided a smooth, safe journey to our destination and back. Our guide was incredibly warm and friendly, taking us to some truly beautiful locations. One of the highlights of the trip was enjoying a delicious lunch at her home, which made the experience feel even more special and personal. Overall, it was a memorable and enjoyable trip from start to finish. Highly recommended!

“Snow”, our guide exuded enthusiasm and is very knowledgeable of the local area. She was very helpful organizing our private tour with her in the most strategic way and was fun to spend the day with. The tour agency offered the two of an incredible home-cooked, farm-to-table, private meal at a residence. The nature of Tam Coc has to be amoung the most beautiful in Asia. So glad we did this tour.

We had an amazing day with Son. He is not only a great guide with a wide knowledge about history and economics, he is also open minded, friendly and speaks perfectly English.

My tour guide Snow was very knowledgeable and an excellent companion for the tour. She was enthusiastic about the history of Binh Ninh and Tam Coc. A very enjoyable tour

Our experience with Thao was truly memorable. Upon our arrival, we were provided with bicycles for a delightful tour around Ninh Binh, setting the stage for a day of exploration. A highlight was undoubtedly the rowboat excursion with the boat tour in Tam Coc, revealing views that linger in our memories. Following this, lunch awaited us, showcasing the culinary richness of the region. The post-lunch ascent of the stairs at Hang Mua, culminating in the exploration of the Big Pagoda and Small Pagoda, offered breathtaking panoramic views. Thao made the ascent with us to make sure we had pictures of us overlooking the spectacular valleys below. Our private driver ensured a seamless return to Hanoi, concluding a full day of adventure. This excursion is highly recommended for those seeking a refined blend of adventure and tranquility of Ninh Binh.

We did a Private Hoa Lu Tam Coc Mua Cave Full Day Tour from Hanoi. Hanoi Explore Travel arranged our private pick up and drop off, and the trip went smoothly. Our tour guide spoke good English, and she was polite and helpful throughout our tour. Private boat tour of Tam Coc with private boat was super fun and has amazing scenery. Must visit Mua Cave and hike up to Hang Mua viewpoint. However, Hoa Lu Ancient City was disappointing as nothing original from the ancient city remains. Our tour included a lunch at a family restaurant that is located away from the tourist area. Very quiet and relaxing, and food was very good too. We would like to visit again during the Lotus season, and we would use Hanoi Explore Travel again.

Great tour with stunning scenery. It was worth paying a little extra to have it be private. The driver had wifi in his car for the ride there and back which helped kill the time. Our guide was great. Definitely enjoyed this more than exploring the city of Hanoi. As a note, there was no cooking class when we went, they took us to a local restaurant that was good instead (which we were ok with).

We spent 3 days in Ninh Binh with Thao as our excellent tour guide. She was so friendly and accommodating and we got to see the “real” side of town biking through back alleys and canals, plus a delectable dinner at her home! It was HOT when we traveled but she took care of us with drinks and breaks and yummy food. Loved the views from our sweaty hikes above the caves especially! Such a genuine, friendly local experience, loved it.

Unforgettable experience from start to finish! Very friendly and helpful guides and the lunch at Tao’s house was the best food we have had in Vietnam. Look no further if you’re looking for a Tam Coc tour!

Our tour guide Thao was amazing!! She was so friendly and took care of our every need. She went above and beyond to make sure we got a local Vietnamese experience while also seeing all of our top sights in Ninh Binh. She also helped us get to our next destination! Highly recommend Ninh Binh and tour guide Thao!

I say mixed feelings because what we saw was unlike what I expected. Oh yes, it was beautiful- areas leading to the tourist sites the 500 step climb to the top of the mountain the boat ride on the river the visit to the temple, all worth seeing, just the scenery to and from was not well taken care of. Also there was a bike ride portion. The bikes they use are old and not well cared for. My husband’s bike had no rear brakes! And my bike, the seat was so narrow it hurt my behind! And that was a shame because that could’ve been the most enjoyable part of this tour. We had a wonderful tour guide a young man full of energy who we enjoyed for the most part. But being in our early 60s we feel someone older would have been a better fit for us. The climb up the 500 steps is quite arduous but the view once you’re up there is incredible. The boat ride was very comfortable and we both enjoyed that. Seeing as we did both this tour and the Jade sails Halong Bay 1 day boat trip, if I had to pick one or the other it would definitely be the Jade sails Hslong Bay tour.

I did the 2D1N ninh binh tour and got Tommy as my tour guide. He is super funny and loves making jokes to get the bus laughing. He’s good at making sure no one gets left behind and making everyone feel comfortable with each other. I can really tell he loves his job and it translates well into how he conducts his tour.

So glad to finally have an authentic perspective of Vietnam! Our tour guide Thao was so welcoming, friendly and genuine - we so appreciate her sharing what life is like in Vietnam through her history, family, experiences and ambitions. We also appreciated her opening her home for us - her and her husband cooked a traditional buffet style lunch for us, and we were able to join in the cooking! The scenery in the Ninh Binh province is breathtaking, unlike anywhere else. A private tour was perfect for us as Thao was patient for us to hike, take photos and explore the Mua Caves grounds and peak at our own pace. Remember to bring water or ask for a bottle!

Had a great day out with Thi our guide. We travelled with 3 boys, 8, 10 and 12 and were very well looked after. Highly recommend this tour as it’s a great way to see the highlights of Tam Coc if you’re short on days.

Our tour guide (Thao Tong) is a giggly, knowledgeable and extremely happy local with loads of experience. My partner and I had so much fun and the three of us were laughing all day. This tour is absolutely worth it - we even went on one of the rainiest days of the year and pushed through. Because our clothes got soaked, Thao even offered one of her own shirts to my partner from her own wardrobe. As far as the actual tour goes, you walk up a mountain with amazing views of the rice fields, then cycle down below through the local town, and end up on a 1.5 hr rowing tour (where you don’t row). You don’t need to be too fit to do the tour but it does get the blood pumping. Thanks again Thao! Cheers!

We were picked up from our hotel lobby in Hanoi and driven out to Ninh Bình by our driver. We picked up our local tour guide, Thao, who is absolute sunshine in a human. She’s one of the most positive people I have ever met in my life. She took a lot of photos for us through out the trip at all the cool spots. Would definitely recommend this private tour to anyone wanting a more personalized experience. I will say it absolutely POURED on our trip which is all part of the adventure but I would suggest bringing (a few) changes of clothes and underwear. Thao was so lovely and stopped at a local market to pick up a change of clothes for us so ‘we didn’t get sick’ (her words 😂). Book this tour now!

We enjoyed a lot this day trip with Tommy: he is really friendly and kind, he talked to us about the history of Vietnam with passion and patience. He is also fun and a good photographer, recommended!

We had a fantastic trip in Tam Coc. Tommy, the guide, was really acknowledged about history, geography and, last but not least, local food. He taught us to prepare fried spring rolls, he explained the whole story about Hoa Lu and the thing that mattered the most to me, gave a very good historical explanation about the last century of Vietnam. I would really recommend Tommy as a guide for this trip.

We had a great day trip to Ninh Binh with Thao. The driver picked us up at our hotel in Hanoi promptly in the morning, and from there Thao took us on a guided tour to Hoa Lu and Mua Cave. In the mid-day Thao invited us into her home and gave us a brief cooking lesson with ingredients fresh from her garden. We ended our day with a boat tour at Tam Coc. Thao was gracious and kind throughout the tour, and she was not at all pushy about purchasing items while on the tour (in fact, she gave us tips on avoiding overpriced snacks at Tam Coc). We were dropped off back in Hanoi at the end of the day-- a smooth, delightful experience throughout.

We 33 in a group started a full day trip from Hanoi to Mua Kave, Nin Bin. Mr. Thi was our guide from the part of the tour agency who welcomed us in the bus warmly. We went to around 4500 feet above sea level on the mountain Mua Kave with the help and right suggestions of Mr. Thi, took photographs, though it was tiresome but thoroughly enjoyable. Later we took our lunch, a tasty one and went for boating. Concluding the boating we went to most exciting part of the day’s activities, cycling, with our guide we enjoyed it, wow! A well spent day with full of enjoyment, of course really a very nice part of enjoyment was Mr. Thi’s company with full of his humours, gossips, suggestions and excellent helpful services, will be a good memory for many days!

We have passed a mesmerizing day. How could a place be so beautiful! We have done mountain hiking, boating, cycling altogether in a day. The food was great. I would recommend to have Thai with you. He is very friendly and can manage everything. He has good sense of humour. He managed our 35 members group so easily and expertly. Five star for him.

This was such an amazing tour. We only had one day to spare away from Hanoi and we are so glad we did this tour with Thao. Our private bus was on time and had seats which reclined all the way for the 2 hour journey. On arrival Thao jumped in and was instantly warm and very personable. She was our private guide and was always willing to wait for us so we could do things at our own pace, showed us the best spots to take photos and even invited us into her own home for a cooked meal where we learnt to make spring rolls. The 400 or so steps to the top of the Mua Caves area will leave you drenched with sweat (so I’d recommend bringing an extra top) but the view was better than I could have ever imagined. The bike tour of the ride paddy fields was also exceptional with Thao ensuring we had very nice bikes to use and was very patient. The boat ride of tam coc was a real treat and is up there as one of the best experiences I’ve had in all my travels. 10/10 for the Tour, Thao and our driver Chinh.

My partner and I booked a private full day tour of Mua Cave and Tam Coc and it exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide Thao was fantastic! She was so warm, welcoming, helpful and informative. We climbed the Mua Cave, visited a temple in Ninh Binh, followed by an amazing home cooked lunch at Thao’s house (which was prepared by her husband who’s a chef). We also rested there for about 30 mins to recover from our hike, which was much needed. We then rode bikes around Tam Coc and finished with a relaxing, unforgettable boat ride on the Tam Coc river. Mua Cave and Tam Coc are easily the best parts of Ninh Binh and this tour was the best way to experience them whilst living like a local. We couldn’t recommend this tour with Thao highly enough.

We booked the tour with Thao. We was peecked up by a very comfortable car, and were only a group for two. We had nice weather, and a range of nice activity’s: go by bike, climb, visiting the first capital of Vietnam, go by boat through amazing places, and nice pagodas. The guide was very nice and informative! We’ll recommend to do this tour to see Vietnam life and enjoy the tasty food!

My partner and I were debating whether to take a day trip to Halong Bay or Ninh Binh, and we chose the latter after reading that one day to Halong Bay would be too intense. We have no regrets with our decision especially having booked a tour with Vietnam Eco Travel. We wanted to see some very specific sites in Ninh Binh — Mua Caves, Bich Dong Pagoda — as well as do boat and bike rides, and this one fit the bill. While there are plenty of cheap tours, we paid a little more for a private tour with Lisa, mainly because we weren't into the idea of a buffet lunch or being shuffled around in a large group. It was very worth it: we had a private car drive us to the area, and the view along the way is very scenic, with fascinating architecture. Lisa talked to us about Vietnamese history and culture to keep the ride interesting, and there was a rest stop. The stops themselves were beautiful — definitely more varied than if we had been to Halong Bay, I think, and DEFINITELY less crowded/noisy. Mua Caves were an intense exercise in 90˚ weather but the view at the top is worth melting for. Lunch was delicious and not something hastily tossed together. We cooked spring rolls, which sounds simple, but definitely learned some tips to improve my own back home. The restaurant also gave us more courses including the region's famous goat meat, salad, chicken, rice, and fruit. The boat ride was incredible, and a bike through a local village was really peaceful. My one tiny critique is that at times we felt a little rushed to finish up seeing a site, but I suppose that can't really be helped because we had to get back to Hanoi to beat rush hour. The day started at 8 AM and we returned around 7 PM, just enough time to enjoy the night life back in the city after a short nap in the car.

The trip was seamless from pickup in Hanoi from our hotel in the Old Quarter to drop-off. We were met at the entrance to the climb to the panoramic view on top of Mua Cave by our lovely guide Thao (she was the best!) She climbed up with us and then showed us the cave under which was a great place to cool down. We had lunch after which consisted of a quick lesson in making spring rolls and then a delicious feast of traditional vietnamese food. That was followed by a boat ride down the middle of the tam coc river through 3 caves. As others say (they will pull next to women selling things at the end, if you ignore them, they leave) but make sure you tip your rower - they row you back and forth with their feet! (and if it's hot, they hold an umbrella and fan themselves - talk about multi-tasking!). Finally, a quick bike ride to another pagoda system built into a mountain cliff with some great views. This trip is definitely worth it.

My friend and I went on the Mua Cave and Tam Coc tour and every activity that we did was so breathtaking - from hiking up the Mua Cave to see the lying dragon to being rows along Tam Coc river. Our tour guide, Thảo, was also very friendly and lovely! Highly recommend this tour and Thảo herself.

My tour guide is Thao from Ninh Binh. She is very friendly and patient. Specially on the bike trip to Pagoda. I extremely recommend this service. It is worthy.

Fantastic tour with Ms Thao - boat ride was scenic, relaxing, beautiful. Climb up Mua cave mountain for a gorgeous view of rice fields and lakes and hills. And visit the expansive Bai Dinh Temples. Itinerary was flexible. Our guide welcomed to her home with a delicious lunch cooked by her Husband. A definite recommendation.

Booked this trip only the night before the tour. They were very helpful and made the tour easy to organise. Our tour guide ‘Thao’ was excellent throughout the tour and accommodated any requests and alterations to the tour! The day was well organised, provided plenty of time to enjoy each activity and some relaxation in the middle. Highly recommend this tour as a day out of Hanoi and will certainly look to this company on future visits to Hanoi.

We made this Tour with a Guide named Thao. The Tour was perfectli organized. Thao gave us so much interresting Information of the History and all the Places we visitit. We had a lot of fun with all the activitis we made as Hyking, boating on the beautiful River with it's caves cycling and cooking. We recommend this tour and Guide Thao for all the Tourist to spend a beautiful day. Thanks: Daniel and Yvonne from Switzerland

Had a wonderful day, started off with a short hike which was well worth the views! Followed by a cooking lesson making spring rolls! Which were delicious!! And the lunch included after was very tasty. The cycle to the boat trip was filled with amazing scenery. The boat trip through the caves was a real eye opening experience steeped in history! Our tour guide Thom was EXCELLENT. So nice helpful a d knowledgeable! Highly recommended

We had the most brilliant Thanks to Thom! It included some of the most beautiful scenery and gave us an authentic Vietnamese experience. The booking course was lovely and the highlight was trekking to the top of Tam Coc! Highly recommend

Excellent day tour! Me and my 3 friends had such a great time. We saw so many amazing things and our tour guide Thom was so nice. I would highly recommend!

What a great day out, saw so much of Vietnam. Beautiful country beautiful people our tour guide Thom was amazing and super nice. Five stars.

Very accommodating and nice tour guides. Fun and relaxing tour. Time was well planned. Delicious lunch. Worth the trip!

We had a wonderful experience with this excursion. We did this trip one of our last days and were very glad we did it! We generally avoid all day trips as we find them rather exhausting but this was the perfect mix of culture, site seeing, food, and some relaxation. Our guides Thom & Thu were just great. They were knowledgeable, fun, and very friendly . I would highly recommend this excursion if you are staying in Hanoi!!

We booked a Hoa Lu Tam Coc Tour. We were scheduled for a group tour, but we missed our flight getting into Hanoi and because of this were going to miss our tour. I emailed and they graciously and quickly rearranged things to accommodate us and instead of being with a group tour it became just us two. So incredibly nice of them to do this for us. Our tour guide was Thom who was sweet, informative, patient and made it a very memorable time. She never rushed us. She allowed me time to take many, many photographs and never lost a beat with my constant interruptions and questions. The scenery is spectacular. Everywhere we went during the course of the day was visually stunning. Lying Dragon Mountain is so cool and not for the faint of heart. 500 steps may sound easy. It's not, but so worth every step. We then had a cooking class and a delicious lunch. Followed by a relaxing boat ride and a very fun bike ride through the village to the pagoda. It was an incredibly full day of sights, sounds and exercise. Management was there greeting us in the morning making sure we had all we needed when the tour started and was there at the end to inquire if we needed anything and to guarantee the were no issues. Incredible dedication. I would highly recommend this company for all the work they did to ensure a memorable day for us.

We spent a day out with Miss Thao! She showed us all kinds of beautiful places in Tam Coc, and in between we had a delicious lunch at her house. Super hospitable. She took us to our sleeping bus and asked if we wanted to shower before we got on the bus! Highly recommended

Thao was really very kind, she welcomed our every request, always organizing everything with a smile! We took a boat tour to Trang An during the day, advising us on the best solution (a two-hour journey passing through the 4 caves) then we continued on to the old capital then she took us back to the hotel to relax a bit and she came to pick us up to go to enjoy the view of Tam Coc at Mua cave. Finally we went to dinner at his house and had a mini lesson in Vietnamese dishes requested by us. Truly delicious dishes. Thank you Thao for this wonderful day!

The trip to the north of Hanoi was not only interesting with beautiful nature , but also very fun with a fantastic guide. Each was picked up individually from their accommodation. When everyone was on board the bus, Thi Tommy was warmly welcomed. After a small, very amusing introduction, the ice was broken and the journey began. Thi Tommy was very attentive, could explain everything wonderfully and was a very pleasant funny travel guide. I would book a tour with him again at any time:-)