Checked 1 November 2026
Are the Trang An boats running after the September floods?
The Trang An tourism area stopped its boats on 17 September 2026 during the floods. Reports dated 20 September have them reopened from 13:00 on one temporary route: wharf, Den Trinh, Nui Ngoc, Hanh Cung Vu Lam, Thuy Dinh, back, "until further notice". Ninh Binh's tourism department had listed the same route from 16 September. We found no notice restoring routes 1, 2 and 3 up to 1 November 2026. Guests describe the boat ride in reviews dated 20 to 31 October 2026. Ask the operator which route runs on your date.
Book a day with free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and ask the operator which route your boat takes.
Check dates for the boat tourTrang An · Ninh Binh · Vietnam
Trang An Boat Tour
Up to two hours in a hand-rowed sampan through the caves, flooded valleys and temples of Trang An, on a day from Hanoi with the temples of Hoa Lu and the climb to Mua Cave.
- 4.9 / 5 8458+ Reviews
- 1 day Duration
- 300,000 dong The Trang An ticket, boat and sights, for anyone taller than 1.3 m, on Ninh Binh's 2026 ticket list
- About 99 km By road from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi to the Trang An boat wharf
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Boat Day Includes
Transport from Hanoi's Old Quarter, a guide, the Trang An ticket and boat, Hoa Lu and Mua Cave, and lunch; drinks and tips are extra.
Highlights
- Hotel pickup in the Old Quarter, or two meeting points
- Hoa Lu's temples and an optional bicycle ride
- 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours by sampan at Trang An
- Nearly 500 steps to the top of Mua Cave
- Entrance fees, the boat and lunch included
What's Included
- English speaking guide
- All entrance fees and the Trang An boat ride (Hoa Lư, Trang An & Mua Cave)
- Enjoy a short, relaxing cycling tour through the peaceful countryside
- Pick-up and drop-off in Hanoi Old Quarter are provided by Dcar, limousine bus or shuttle bus, depending on the option you selected
- Mineral water on the bus
- Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant
- Vegetarian and gluten-free lunch options available
- Free use of a hat or raincoat during the trip
- Luggage storage available in the bus luggage compartment
Good to know: Hotels inside Hanoi's restricted Old Quarter streets get a nearby pickup point within a short walk. · Outside the Old Quarter: meet at 120 Le Duan Street (Hanoi station) or 84 Tran Nhan Tong Street at 07:35. · Cycling is optional; tell the operator in advance if you cannot ride. · Not Included: Drinks, travel insurance, Tips (optional gratuities for local boat rowers and tour staff), Personal expenses and anything not mentioned in inclusions
The Boat Day, Hour by Hour
From the Old Quarter to the Trang An wharf, onto the water, and back by evening.
Pickup in the Old Quarter
Pickup at 07:00 to 07:45 at your hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter, or at 07:35 at 120 Le Duan Street or 84 Tran Nhan Tong Street. Where Hanoi's rule for buses over 16 seats keeps the bus out of your street, the operator names a point a short walk away.
Hoa Lu
At about 10:00, the temples of the kings at Hoa Lu, the 10th-century capital, and an optional short bicycle ride. Lunch at a local restaurant at 12:00, with vegetarian dishes.
The Trang An Boat
From 13:30, 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours in a sampan for up to four guests, rowed by a local boatman through the caves and valleys of Trang An.
Mua Cave, then Back
Nearly 500 stone steps up Mua Cave for the view over the valley, then the drive back to Hanoi for about 19:00 to 19:35.
Photo Gallery
The Boats, the Caves and the Karst
The sampans, the cave mouths and the valleys of Trang An.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
Plan the Boat Ride
Trang An by Boat, One Question per Page
The routes, the ticket, Trang An or Tam Coc, the road from Hanoi, the best time and the 2026 closures.
Prices are each page's featured tour: GetYourGuide checked November 2026. Tour prices are per adult unless a card says otherwise; tickets at the wharf are in Vietnamese dong.
Four Trang An Boat Days
Three from Hanoi in a group, one private with both boats. When the boat runs, what else the day holds and who it suits. Prices from the listings, with the month they were checked.
| Feature | THIS PAGE Hoa Lu, Trang An, Mua Cave | Trang An or Tam Coc | Mua Cave first, boat after | Private, both boats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What You Pay | From $52 per person (checked November 2026) | From $49 per person (checked November 2026) | From $46 per person (checked November 2026) | From $146 per person (checked November 2026) |
| Pickup | Hanoi Old Quarter, 07:00 to 07:45 | Hanoi Old Quarter, 07:15 to 08:00 | Hanoi Old Quarter, 07:00 to 08:00 | Your hotel, private car |
| The Boat | Trang An from 13:30, 1 h 40 min to 2 h | Trang An or Tam Coc from 13:30, your choice | Trang An from 13:30: Sang, Toi, Ba Giot, Nau Ruou caves | Trang An at about 10:00, then Tam Coc after lunch |
| Also in the Day | Hoa Lu, a bicycle ride, Mua Cave | Hoa Lu, a bicycle ride, Mua Cave | Hoa Lu, Mua Cave before lunch | A bicycle ride, Mua Cave at sunset |
| Entrances and Lunch | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Best For | One day from Hanoi, up to 2 hours on the Trang An boat | Choosing Tam Coc instead, or a backup if Trang An is shut | The climb at 11:30, then the boat until about 17:00 | Both boats in one day, at your own pace |
| Check dates | See this day | See this day | See the private day |
Other Trang An Boat Days
More Ways onto the Water
A day with a choice of Trang An or Tam Coc, a private day with both boats, and two more days from Hanoi. One card per tour.
TRANG AN OR TAM COCNinh Binh 1-Day: Hoa Lu Temple, Trang An/Tam Coc & Mua Cave
A 12-hour day from Hanoi's Old Quarter by limousine (pickup 07:15 to 08:00, back 19:00 to 19:30). Hoa Lu's temples at about 10:00, an optional free bicycle ride, a buffet lunch, then at 13:30 the boat you chose: Trang An's caves and temples, or the Ngo Dong river through the caves of Tam Coc. Nearly 500 steps up Mua Cave close the day. The guide, the boat, the entrance fees and lunch are included; drinks and tips are not.
PRIVATE, BOTH BOATSHanoi/Ninh Binh: Trang An & Tam Coc Boat Day Tour
A private day with a car, a driver and an English-speaking guide from a hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter (or a hotel in Ninh Binh). The Trang An boat at about 10:00 through the Lam, Thanh Truot and Dai caves, lunch, then at about 13:20 the Tam Coc boat on the Ngo Dong river to Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba, a bicycle ride and the 500 steps of Mua Cave at sunset; the car leaves for Hanoi at about 17:00. Both boats, the entrance fees, lunch and the bicycle are included; a Tet surcharge of US$5 applies.
BOAT UNTIL ABOUT 17:00From Hanoi: Trang An eco-tourism - Hoa Lu Ancient Capital & Mua Cave
A day from a hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter (pickup 07:00 to 08:00, back at about 19:30). Hoa Lu's temples of King Dinh and King Le at about 10:30, Mua Cave's 500 steps at 11:30 before lunch, then from 13:30 the Trang An boat through the caves Sang, Toi, Ba Giot and Nau Ruou until about 17:00. The guide, lunch, a 30-minute bicycle ride and all entrance tickets are included; drinks and tips are not.
HOA LU OR BAI DINHHanoi: Ninh Binh, Bai Dinh/Hoa Lu, Trang An, & Mua Cave Tour
A day from Hanoi's Old Quarter by limousine or bus (pickup 07:20 to 08:00, back between 19:00 and 19:30). The morning is chosen at booking: Hoa Lu with a bicycle ride through the villages, or the Bai Dinh pagoda complex by electric car. After a buffet lunch, a wooden boat for four through the grottoes of Trang An at 13:30, then the climb to the Mua Cave viewpoint at about 16:00. The guide, the boat, the entrance fees and lunch are included; drinks and tips are not, and a Lunar New Year surcharge applies.
On the Water at Trang An
What the Trang An Boat Ride Is Like
The three routes and what each passes, the time on the water, who rows, what the ticket costs at the wharf and in a tour, and the weeks the floods stop the boats.
The Trang An boat tour is a rowing-boat ride from one wharf in Ninh Binh, about 100 km south of Hanoi, through flooded valleys, caves under the limestone and island temples of the Trang An World Heritage area. Ninh Binh’s tourism promotion centre lists three main routes of about three hours each and a shorter fourth one, all for one ticket of 300,000 dong. Most visitors come on a day tour from Hanoi: Real Vietnam Travel Company’s Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Trang An Boat Ride & Mua Cave Tour is from $52 in current promotion (usually $57) a person (checked November 2026) and gives the boat 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours.
The short answer
Take the day tour if you have one day in Hanoi. The bus collects you in the Old Quarter at 07:00 to 07:45, stops at the temples of Hoa Lu, the 10th-century capital, and reaches the Trang An wharf at 13:30 after lunch. You share a sampan with up to three other guests and a local rower, and the boat is in the caves and valleys for 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours. The day ends with nearly 500 steps up Mua Cave and the drive back to Hanoi for about 19:00 to 19:35. Entrance fees, the boat and lunch are included; tips for the rower are not. The tour has 8,458 reviews (checked November 2026).
Check dates for the Trang An boat day
If you already sleep in Ninh Binh, you can buy the ticket at the wharf yourself: the ticket price sets out what you pay at the window and what a tour adds.
Pick your boat day
Hanoi - Ninh Binh: Hoa Lu, Trang An Boat Ride & Mua Cave Tour
Hoa Lu's temples, the Trang An boat from 13:30, then Mua Cave; entrances and lunch included.
Check dates →Ninh Binh 1-Day: Hoa Lu Temple, Trang An/Tam Coc & Mua Cave
From Hanoi; pick the boat when you book, then Mua Cave; entrances and lunch included.
See this day →Hanoi/Ninh Binh: Trang An & Tam Coc Boat Day Tour
Your own car and guide: the Trang An caves in the morning, the Tam Coc river after lunch, Mua Cave at sunset.
See the private day →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The routes
Every boat leaves from and returns to the same wharf. Route 1 is the cave route: nine caves, among them Hang Toi, Hang Sang and Hang Nau Ruou, and the Den Tran temple. Route 2 passes four caves, Hang Lam, Hang Vang, Hang Thanh Truot and Hang Dai, with the Cao Son and Suoi Tien temples and Hanh Cung Vu Lam, the Vu Lam royal retreat. Route 3 goes through Hang Dot, which the tourism centre calls the most beautiful and longest cave of Trang An, more than 1,000 m, then joins route 2’s temples. The centre gives each of the three about three hours, and a fourth, the Phuong Hoang route, 1.5 to 2 hours. The routes lists every stop.
The boat and the rower
The boats are small, flat, hand-rowed sampans. On the day tours each takes up to four guests and a local rower, and the hero tour leaves the pace on the water to you. Each main route has three temple stops by the tourism centre’s count, among them Den Tran on route 1 and Suoi Tien on routes 2 and 3. Tips for the rower are not in the tour price; the hero tour’s listing names them as an optional extra.
What the ticket costs
The Trang An ticket, boat and sights together, is 300,000 dong for anyone taller than 1.3 m, 150,000 dong for children of 1 to 1.3 m and for visitors over 60, and free under 1 m, on the 2026 list of Ninh Binh’s tourism promotion centre. Every day tour on this site includes it. Bought at the wharf it is the cheapest way onto the water, but you need to reach Ninh Binh first, about 99 km by road from Hoan Kiem Lake. From Hanoi compares the bus, the train and the tour.
When the floods stop the boats
The boats run through caves at water level, so high water closes them. In 2026 route 3 closed on 31 July and reopened on 2 August; all three routes were replaced by one alternative route from 21 August and every visit stopped from 23 August during storm Narra; the area reopened on 25 August; on 15 and 16 September two adjusted routes ran, and on 17 September the boats stopped. Reports dated 20 September have them reopened from 13:00 on one temporary route, until further notice; we found no notice restoring routes 1, 2 and 3 up to 1 November 2026. The 2026 closures dates each one, and when to go goes through the months and the Tet closure.
Trang An or Tam Coc
Tam Coc, 9.8 km away by road, is the other rowing-boat ride of Ninh Binh: one river through three caves and between rice fields, 250,000 dong. Trang An is the bigger network inside the World Heritage core, which UNESCO inscribed in 2014. Trang An or Tam Coc compares the two. For the climb that ends most of these days, muacave.org covers Mua Cave’s steps and summit in detail.
Into the Caves by Rowing Boat
Leave the Old Quarter in the morning, see the temples of Hoa Lu, spend up to two hours on the water at Trang An after lunch, and climb Mua Cave before the drive back. Starting from $52 per person in current promotion (usually $57).
See datesMore Operators on the Water
Trang An Boat Days with Open Dates
Day tours to Trang An and Ninh Binh, with live availability. Times and cancellation terms are on each listing.
Trang An Boat Tour: Questions
The routes, the ticket, the time on the water, the floods, Tam Coc, and the day from Hanoi.
Yes, on one temporary route. The Trang An tourism area stopped its boats on 17 September 2026 during the floods, and reports dated 20 September have them reopened from 13:00 on one temporary route: wharf, Den Trinh, Nui Ngoc, Hanh Cung Vu Lam, Thuy Dinh, back, until further notice. We found no notice restoring routes 1, 2 and 3 up to 1 November 2026. Guests describe the boat ride in reviews dated 20 to 31 October 2026. Book with free cancellation and ask the operator which route runs on your date. See the 2026 closures.
300,000 dong for anyone taller than 1.3 m. Children of 1 to 1.3 m and visitors over 60 pay 150,000 dong, under 1 m is free, on the 2026 list of Ninh Binh's tourism promotion centre. The ticket covers the boat and the sights on the route. Every day tour on this site includes it. See the ticket price.
Route 1 for caves, route 3 for one long cave, route 2 for temples and valleys. Route 1 passes nine caves, route 2 four, route 3 three, among them Hang Dot, more than 1,000 m long; each takes about three hours and has three temple stops. The shorter Phuong Hoang route takes 1.5 to 2 hours. See the routes.
About three hours on routes 1, 2 and 3, by the tourism centre's figures, and 1.5 to 2 hours on the Phuong Hoang route. The day tours from Hanoi give the boat less: the hero tour, $52 (checked November 2026), allows 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours from 13:30.
Trang An for caves and temples, Tam Coc for the rice valley. Trang An's three routes run through caves and temples in the World Heritage core for 300,000 dong; Tam Coc's boat rows the Ngo Dong river through three caves, Hang Ca, Hang Hai and Hang Ba, for 250,000 dong. The wharves are 9.8 km apart by road. See Trang An or Tam Coc.
About 99 km by road from Hoan Kiem Lake. The day tours pick up in the Old Quarter at 07:00 to 08:00, reach the wharf after Hoa Lu and lunch, and are back at about 19:00 to 19:35. See from Hanoi.
November to April. December to February have under 30 mm of rain a month on Ninh Binh's long-term record; August and September are the wettest, and those are the weeks high water closed the boats in 2026. Trang An also closes on the eve and first day of Tet. See when to go.
Still have questions? Email us at info@trang-an-boat-tour.com