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Day
1: Hanoi – Phat Diem – Tam
Coc
Our trip kicks off with an
early start from Hanoi, a 2 hour drive will take you
to the rural town of Ninh Binh, which is located in
one of the most beautiful parts of Vietnam, with its
dramatic scenery, historical intrigues, religious
pilgrimage sites and endangered animal sanctuaries.
The town of Ninh Binh is an ideal base to venture
out on short small day trips. En route we will stop
at the centuries old brick kilns, a war memorial,
picturesque rice fields… We will then continue on
to the town of Kim Son to visit Phat Diem (Phatdiem)
Cathedral, the centre of Vietnamese Catholicism, we
will take a guided tour around the immense 19th
century stone cathedral. We will also visit a
factory where villagers produce handicrafts for the
churchgoers, then return to Ninh Binh.
Arriving in Ninh Binh, you will have a chance to
visit Tam Coc (Three Caves) travelling through Ninh
Binh’s rice fields which have earned nickname
Halong Bay without water, a moniker borne out by the
limestone karsts which dominate the landscape. You
will take a boat to and through the caves, past
spectacular cliffs, liliputian villages, and remote
farming communities.
The restaurants around TamCoc are a special way to
enjoy some local food specialties. After lunch, the
guide will assist you with your bicycles in
preparation for your cycle tour of Hoa Lu. The
bicycle tour is a 24km round trip through
spectacular scenery of rice fields, karst mountains
and quaint rural villages. Leaving the restaurant
you will pass glowing lime kilns used by locals to
extract lime from the nearby mountains.
Hoa Lu is the site of the former capital of the
Vietnamese state, post Chinese rule in the first
millennium. The site was chosen for its geographic
location, which made it virtually impenetrable and
served as the capital from AD 968 until it was moved
to present day Hanoi in 1011. Though nothing remains
of the capital, the attraction is the raw beauty,
the temples dating back to the 17th Century, the
King’s Tomb and the simple life of the farmers in
the region.
On completion of the cycle tour you will return to
your hotel to have a cool drink, wash and dinner.
You may want to have a look at local markets where
you will see typical Vietnamese trading without the
tourists.
Day 2 Ninh Binh - Kenh Ga – Cuc
Phuong
Over breakfast you will have the opportunity to
discuss the days activities with your guide. A 21km
bicycle ride will take you through striking rural
scenery. Once you arrive in the floating village of
Kenh Ga your guide will organise a private boat.
Many travellers to Kenh Ga justifiably refer to the
area as Halong Bay with rice fields, but for others,
there’s no comparison; the magnificent natural
beauty of the town’s surroundings knows no equal.
Still largely undiscovered, Kenh Ga remains an
amazing site to explore without the distractions of
flocks of tourists.
This part of the trip is an opportunity, not only to
visit the floating village but 
also to see the spectacular limestone mountains that
jut out from the rice fields and the river that
gently meanders through them. You will also be
charmed by the smiling, waving children, and have an
opportunity to explore a water carved cave featuring
thousands of year of mineral and rock formations.
After your tour of Kenh Ga a vehicle will transport
you back to Ninh Binh for lunch. Following this you
will drive the 45km to Cuc Phuong National Park. On
the way you will pass pineapple plantations, ethnic
minority groups, beautiful scenery and rural
villages. Arriving at the gates at Cuc Phuong
(Cucphuong) National Park will give you the
opportunity to view the Visitor Information Centre
which will highlight features of the park including
the numerous hikes on offer, ethnic minority groups,
the Endangered Primate Rescue Centre and rare
wildlife.
The late afternoon provides the best time to take
one of the short treks through the park such as the
Thousand Year Old Tree trek. These walks vary in
difficulty and your guide can match you up with the
right trek depending upon how active you are
feeling. Following your close-up experience with the
nature in Vietnam you can retire to your
accommodation in the National Park.
Day 3 Cuc Phuong – Hanoi
 After
breakfast you will drive to the Cave of Prehistoric
Man where locals still pay homage to the prehistoric
artifacts that have been found in the cave.
Departing the National Park you will have the rare
opportunity for a guided tour of the Endangered
Rescue Primate Centre by one of the resident German
zoologists. In the centre are 15 of Vietnam’s 25
species of primates including the extremely rare Cat
Ba Langur. The primates are brought to the centre
for rehabilitation before being set free in the
National Park.
Driving back to Ninh Binh will take you through the
spectacular scenery of Hoa Lu before lunch in one of
the local restaurants, after which the bus will take
you back to Hanoi.
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.jpg "Cycling in Ninh Binh")
Cuc
Phuong, the biggest and the most diverse National
Park in Vietnam with a huge variety of rare fauna
and flora in the limestone mountain forest. The
endangered Primates Rescued Centre is a perfect
place to see many kinds of rare primates such as
Langur, Gibbon and Loris all over Vietnam, many of
them are under threat of extinction.
Catholicism in North Vietnam - was built in 1891
with four roofs and six sets of iron wooden pillars.
On both sides of the church are four smaller
churches of different styles.
