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Even if you love adventure, sometime you just want to have a relaxing beach holiday and let the stress wash away. I found the best of both worlds in Vietnam – culture, sightseeing, food, adventure AND great weather, beaches and luxury.
Da Nang was the perfect place to stop and rest a few days to do nothing except chill out by the pool and beach and most importantly RELAX. My Khe Beach which runs a long way down the coast of Da Nang was rated by Forbes as one of the world’s most attractive beaches.
Top Tip for a Da Nang Beach Vacation:
Choose where to stay carefully – the beach here is beautiful and you can find resorts and hotels all along it however some are quite far away from anything else of interest. If you want seclusion this might be wonderful but if you don’t want to rely solely on your resort and hotel for everything you may want to find somewhere more central to stay.
Where to stay:
We stayed at Paris Deli Danang Beach Hotel but you can find tons of great options on Booking.com. Paris Deli has relatively affordable premier seafront rooms with bathtubs and Japanese toilets plus there is a daily included buffet breakfast. The hotel also has a rooftop pool overlooking the ocean.
We chose this hotel because it is across the road from the beach, has a nice pool and therefore a resort-feel while still being walking distance from many restaurants and bars and the Dragon Bridge.
Getting there and away:
Da Nang is a large city with a busy airport so its very easy to get here from any city in Vietnam. There are multiple flights a day from Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City. Da Nang Train Station also has trains travelling the length of the country.
Getting around:
We chose a hotel right by the beach as we wanted to be able to come back and forth from here with ease however if you are staying further away taxi’s and private drivers are readily available and affordable. If you would like to visit the river and the dragon bridge (the light show at 9pm on the weekends is a highlight) its only about a 30 minute relaxed walk from the part of the beach we stayed at.
Food and Drink:
Esco Beach – This beach bar was right across the road from our hotel and we spent a LOT of time here. Great cocktails, happy hour, an infinity pool overlooking the ocean, comfy seating and to top it all off they have a fire show most nights at 9:30pm with some amazing performers.
Moc Quan Seafood – This is a fantastic seafood restaurant very close to the beach but more of a local haunt with more reasonable prices. Expect to have to queue for a while – it can get very busy but there is lots of space inside. For those with kids they have a small children’s play area which is a bonus.
Paris Deli Danang Beach Hotel – If you are staying here the hotel food is actually quite decent and affordable so there isn’t much reason to leave! There is also no added surcharge for room service so go crazy and just order in. The Pho and the Club sandwich are particularly good.
Bladi Restaurant – This is a Moroccan restaurant which will suit you if you are a bit tired of the local cuisine. The food was excellent and the waiter was quite rude (entertainingly so). Its a bit pricey though with very small portions.
Mỹ An Garden Coffee – A very local and affordable spot for coffee. It’s a nice escape from the heat with a lovely little garden and pond.
What to expect:
Expect to do nothing and just see where the day takes you.
If you do need something else to do other than just spend time at the beach and in the city, there are some great day trips you can take. You could visit Hoi An (see my post here on Hoi An); Sunworld Amusement Park (see my post here on Sunworld); My Son Sanctuary or take a road trip around Son Tra peninsula.
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Machu Picchu is everything that you think it is and then more. I have always wanted to visit this magical place and I definitely feared that the hype would leave me disappointed. However, the whole place just feels magical even when it is crawling wth tourists or pouring with rain or covered with workers restoring the walls. It helps if you have a tour guide that can explain some of the more fascinating facts of the history of this place while you are standing there within the ancient walls.
For an idea of how to plan your itinerary for this region of Peru please see my post here on Cusco and the Sacred Valley.
Top Tip for Visiting Machu Picchu:
I believe the best way to visit Machu Picchu is by walking the 1 day Inka trail which involves 1 day of hiking to reach Machu Picchu and then 1 day spent exploring Machu Picchu. You can also just visit Machu Picchu for the day or do a longer Inka trail but I feel the first option has the best balance and ensures you have enough time at Machu Picchu itself.
Where to stay:
We stayed at Hostel Machu Picchu Land in Aguas Calientes. There is nothing spectacular here but Hostel Machu Picchu Land was clean, tidy, comfortable and cheap. All you can ask for really! It’s always best to check booking.com for the best accomodation deals.
Getting there and away:
The train from Cusco – Ollantaytambo – Machu Picchu is the best way to travel between these locations. It also stops at KM 104 for the start of the Inca trail. You can book your journey on the train to fit around your plans at https://www.perurail.com/.
Getting around:
From the town of Aguas Calientes there is a bus that ferries tourists to and from Machu Picchu. It is possible to walk this route but it is long and hilly. Once at Machu Picchu your only form of transport is your feet and you will be doing a lot of walking so I highly recommend just taking the bus. If there is a long queue to get back down and you need to catch a train you can walk down to town in less than an hour.
Food:
Purchase some snacks in advance for Machu Picchu (as there are no places to purchase food within the ruins).
What to bring:
I suggest only bringing a small a small pack or day pack to Machu Picchu as you are restricted as to the amount you can carry on the train and particularly if you are doing the Inka trail you really don’t want to have to carry too much on your back. Here are the key items you should bring with you:
Water in a reusable bottle (for inside Machu Picchu as no plastic bottles are allowed).
Snacks
A change of clothing
A rain-jacket and a jumper as weather conditions can change very rapidly at Machu Picchu
Prior to your tour you will be asked to attend a briefing session at the tour offices. This is a great idea to make sure that the itinerary meets expectations and go through any health and safety requirements.
You will then be picked up early in the morning the next day to take the train to the start of the Inka trail. You will do 3 hours of hiking and then stop at the ruins of Winay Wayna. From here, you will continue on to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu – arriving in the afternoon. This is a great photo spot high above Machu Picchu which you are unlikely to have time to walk up to if you visit the ruins for a day.
Once you have walked down from the Sun Gate and taken a few pre-sunset pics of Machu Picchu (its very quiet in the late afternoon and a great time to get a few pictures in) then you will head into Aguas Calientes to have dinner and stay the night.
The next day, you will rise early again and queue for one of the first buses up to Machu Picchu (the first bus is at 5:30am). Once inside the ruins you will have an informative guided tour of the complex from your tour guide. Afterwards, you have the option to climb Huayna Picchu which is a very steep and strenuous 2 hour return trip rewarding you with amazing views. You will then have more time to explore Machu Picchu on your own before heading back down to Aguas Calientes to take the train out of town.
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There is so much to see and do in this Peruvian wonderland that I thought there was no way we could fit it into a 6 day itinerary. But we did!
This Cusco itinerary is perfect if you are on a VERY tight timeline. There is definitely more to see and do but this plan covers the must see locations in the most efficient way so you can fit as much in as possible. Be aware that you will have lots of early morning starts in the Sacred Valley and combined with the altitude this will make you VERY tired.
GENERAL INFO
Getting there and away:
I definitely suggest getting to and from Cusco using Peru Hop. It is affordable and helps you to see much more of the country than you would have had you flown to Cusco from Lima. There are some cool places in Peru that you can discover with Peru Hop: see my post here. You can also use Peru Hop/Bolivia Hop to travel from here to La Paz in Bolivia. However, flying is also an easy option if you are lacking in time or to cover one way of the journey.
Accommodation:
Cusco is not cheap but I recommend getting a place as close to the hustle and bustle as you can. Also beware of hills – your accomodation may be super close to the main square but it is likely up a hugre hill and takes a lot longer to walk than expected. I got fit walking around Cusco though!
As always I recommend booking.com – it has the best search function and you can easily see the location and narrow down hotels by a lot of different features.
Food:
La Boheme: A French Creperie in the centre of Cusco with both sweet and savoury crepes. A great option if you are looking for a light meal.
Kion: A Chifa restaurant in central Cusco. Very pricey but has great cocktails.
El Albergue: Traditional Peruvian Cuisine in a beautiful setting at Ollantaytambo train station.
Top Tip:
Drink Coca tea and suck Coca candies to prevent Altitude Sickness. Altitude Sickness is no joke and affects everyone so differently. You really have no idea if its going to hit you or not and how badly and it can be serious stuff. Neither me nor my husband felt it too much other than being a little more tired and out of breath (and even that was only on Rainbow Mountain at 5,000 metres above sea level) but we had a woman on the bus to Cusco with us who passed out in Arequipa and need to be taken to hospital.
DAY 1
On your first day in Cusco take some time to get acclimatised to the high altitude before doing too much strenuous activity.
The best place to start exploring Cusco is at the San Pedro Market. This is a great place to purchase souvenirs but shop around before buying and start haggling at half the given price or less. There are also lots of places to purchase snacks and drinks here.
From here, if you aren’t done with shopping you can visit the Artisan market at the end of Avenida del Sol.
It’s also worth doing some admin tasks for the rest of your visit on this day. Purchase some snacks for Machu Picchu (as there are no places to purchase food within the ruins) and check the weather forecast for Rainbow Mountain in case you want to change your tour day (many tours will let you amend your tour date up to 2 days in advance). Pack a smaller pack to cover what you need for the next 3 days and leave the rest of your luggage at your Cusco hotel.
If you still have time left in your day, you can people watch in Plaza de Armas – but don’t stay out too late as you have your first of multiple early starts the next day!
DAY 2
Today you should plan to take the one day Inka Trail to Machu Picchu. I find the one day Inka trail to have a good balance of adventure, great views, trekking and enough time at Machu Picchu without having to sleep in the jungle and take up too much of your time in the Sacred Valley.
It’s a good activity option for your 2nd and 3rd day as although it is physically strenuous its a lower elevation than Cusco. It also somewhat separates your early starts so you don’t have too many in a row.
We did this tour with Exclusive Inka Tour who paired us with a great guide and were quite amenable to the few changes I wanted to make to the standard itinerary (with some insistence from my end). Your tour will pick you up around 4am and take you to catch the 6:10am train from Ollantaytambo to KM 104. You will do a full day of hiking ending at the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu and descending into the ruins. You then get a short amount of time in the complex to take pictures before heading down to the town of Aguas Calientes to stay the night. Usually dinner at a local restaurant is included in your tour.
DAY 3
The first bus to Machu Picchu from Agaus Calientes in the morning is at 5:30am and any good tour operator will have you up and queueing early so that you can get on one of the first few buses. Go to the bathroom before you go into Machu Picchu as there are none inside the complex. Once inside, you will have a guided tour through the complex and are then left to explore on your own. I highly recommend booking tickets to climb up Huayna Picchu mountain (Purchased in advance of the day; the walk is a 2 hour round trip). If you purchased tickets, you will have a specific time-slot to climb soon after your guided tour.
View from the top of Huayna Picchu
Spend the full day at Machu Picchu. Your ticket allows you a half day pass and you won’t get kicked out but we purchased an afternoon ticket also so that we could leave the complex to use the toilet and then come back in. Machu Picchu will capture your attention for this long I promise – it also allows you to wait out any rain or cloudy weather (as we had in the middle of the day) and take more photographs afterwards.
The last train out from Aguas Calientes is at 6:20pm to Ollantaytambo. Don’t arrange for your Machu Picchu tour to collect you from the train and take you back to Cusco: stay the night in Ollantaytambo. Use the extra time you have just gained to have a beautiful meal at the train station restaurant El Albergue in Ollantaytambo (you need to book – the train arrives here just after 8pm).
The perfect view of Machu Picchu
DAY 4
Today is the best day to tour the Sacred Valley as you are already there! We suggest hiring a private tour guide as its super affordable, they really know their stuff, you can then choose where you would like them to take you and the area is rural so you can’t get to a lot of the sites without a tour anyway.
On our one day tour (we highly recommend all of these sites) we visited the following locations:
Ollantaytambo Ruins (need about 1 hour 30 mins here)
Moray (1 hour drive from Ollantaytambo Ruins – need about 40 minutes here)
Maras Salt Mines (30 mins from Moray – need about 40 minutes here)
Pisac (1 hour 30 mins drive from Maras – need about 1 hour here for the ruins and 40 minutes for the market).
After Pisac you should return to Cusco – this is another 1 hour drive.
DAY 5
Today you will have another extremely early start to climb up Rainbow Mountain. There are hundreds of tour providers. We went with Rainbow Mountain Travels which was a great choice as they are the tour that reaches the mountain earliest – unfortunately this also means the earliest tour start at 3am. It’s a 2 hour drive from Cusco to Rainbow Mountain and the tours provide breakfast nearby. Take the trek to the mountain slowly if you need to, make sure you go right up to the top for the best photographs and views and do the slight detour for views of the red valley afterwards if you can manage it – its well worth the extra climb and descent. You will have lunch and then arrive back at Cusco in the afternoon.
DAY 6
You will probably want to sleep in and relax today so plan to take it easy and not squeeze too much in. If you have the energy, you can walk up past the Saqsayhuaman ruins to Cristo Blanco for great views (of the city and free views of the ruins). Head back down into the centre via Hatunrumiyoc Street (take a pic of the 12 angled stone, admire the beautiful street) to Cusco Cathedral.
In the Afternoon, visit the Iglesia de Santo Domingo (Qurikancha) Don’t bother with the paid part just go inside the church. There is a nice view over the plaza here.
Use this advice to plan your ultimate trip to Peru!
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Sunworld Amusement Park is a very strange (but quite typical for Asian countries) Theme Park. It is noticeably devoid of rides. It is in a crazy location. It is very opulent and extravagant. The entry price is very expensive for Vietnam and its probably not worth it unless you make a full day of the theme park; BUT there are a few worthwhile attractions here such as a very very high cablecar, a stunning bridge called the Golden Hand Bridge, a traditional french village and a few good rides.
The opulence of this place is incredible and they are still building more. The weirdest thing is that there isn’t a huge amount to DO but plenty to wander around and admire.
Top Tips for Visiting Sunworld Amusement Park:
If you decide to visit Sunworld Bana Hills and pay the huge entrance fee its probably to see the Golden Hand Bridge. Don’t get me wrong this place is very impressive but its still a lot of money and time out of your way to visit a bridge that is completely covered in tourists. I recommend making a full day of it (the complex is open from 7:30am until 10pm) as there are many other parts of the complex that are worth seeing while you are there anyway and you can make your day much more relaxed and comfortable by following a good plan. There are also some benefits to staying for a long day which I will go through in the ‘What to Expect’ section below.
Another thing to be aware of is that children under 1 metre enter free but there really isn’t a huge amount for them to do. The main drawcard for kids is the indoor arcade area which has a play area and arcade rides just for young kids. Ideally you want to bring enough adults so you can take turns spending time with the young kids in the arcade and visiting the rest of the park.
Where to stay:
I recommend staying in Da Nang or Hoi An – although it is possible to stay in a hotel in Sunworld itself you are far away from any other activities, stuck paying overpriced prices for food from the restaurants here and you don’t even get your cable car tickets for free. I recommend La An Central Boutique Villa in Hoi An as a good mid-range option and Paris Deli Danang Beach Hotel in Da Nang for something a bit more luxurious. There are tons of other options on Booking.com in both these locations too. Just do Sunworld as a day trip.
Getting there and away:
Sunworld Amusement Park is about 40 minutes drive from Da Nang or 1 hour drive from Hoi An. Da Nang is a major city with a busy airport with flights all over the country and Da Nang Train Station also has trains travelling the length of the country.
Getting around:
The best way to get to Sunworld is to hire a private driver. I suggest making use of a transfer between Hoi An and Da Nang but you can just hire a driver for the day to get there. Although there are plenty of tours available they require you to be back at a certain time and its best to not have a strict deadline while you are here right in the busiest part of the day. We hired Mr. Tim (Private Car with Driver – Watsapp +84 (0) 775 518 084) who we found online to take us from Hoi An back to Da Nang with a stop at Sunworld – he waited for us and continued to Da Nang when we were ready.
Food:
The food is pretty overpriced so make sure you expect to spend a bit of money and maybe take a few snacks in your bag to tide you over until mealtimes. The German Beer Hall is a good central spot to get a drink and a light meal after many of the other restaurants are closed around 6pm.
What to bring:
I suggest bringing a light jacket as it is much cooler up in the mountains. Also as mentioned above pack some extra snacks so you don’t need to stop for food all the time; and take your camera – this is a fascinating place that is worth snapping some memories of.
What to expect:
The complex is open from 7:30am until 10pm so I recommend you arrive as early as possible and stay until evening. BUT many of the eateries and rides etc. close up much earlier than 10pm and/or are closed due to weather and there isn’t really any information provided about this.
Arrive when you can in the morning (the earlier the better as many tourists are not morning people or are relying on tour buses) and making your first stop the Golden Hand Bridge especially as its just off the first cable car (which takes approx. 20 minutes). Then you have seen it once in case things get hectic in the evening – take lots of photos if their aren’t many people and enjoy the views but usually this place is pretty busy. Once you have checked the bridge out I would head straight up the next cable car to the top of the mountain and go on the outdoor rides. As you are so high up the mountain these are often shut down in ANY adverse weather conditions – when we were there it was just a bit of rain so get on these while you can even if the queues are long.
After you have had enough of the outdoor rides you can explore the indoor rides and arcade and the french village and get some lunch at one of the many eateries here. Have a proper sit down lunch as snacks are all that will be available later in the evening.
Here’s the really important bit – all the day-trippers are trying to leave around 5pm so the cable car line becomes out-of-this-world long. Don’t wait in this line – go and have a drink and dinner, spend some more time at the arcade or wander the complex and then try heading down the cable car after 6. The whole hall in the photo below was filled with people waiting in line to go down in the cable car at 5pm.
When you do eventually saunter to the cable car when there is no line, if you have time stop again at the Golden Hand Bridge. It’s really quiet here in the evenings and you are likely to catch the bridge right at sunset for breathtaking views.
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Peru is full of wonderful places – all of which get overshadowed by Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley with Cusco as the gateway. I’m not saying these areas don’t deserve all the attention but there are some slightly more hidden gems in Peru that are worth exploring. I travelled through Peru and Bolivia with Peru Hop and I was so impressed by this organisation! It allows for travellers to move through some of the smaller towns fast overland bringing business to these places and doing all the hard work for travellers trying to figure out how to plan their journey. Plus you meet some great friends along the way. It’s like a Hop-on-hop-off tourist bus but covering significant distances and included tours on the way so you know there is no chance you will miss the bus and you can fit in more than if you had to organise your travel and your activities separately.
Top Tip for Visiting Paracas, Huacachina and Nazca:
I highly recommend staying a night or two in all of these places if you can – Peru Hop makes it easy to tweak your itinerary as you see fit but also gives you the option to fly through these places as fast as possible if you are lacking in time. We spent way too much time in the Galapagos and in Colombia so we were forced to do this the fastest way possible – yay to Peru Hop for giving us this option!
Where to stay:
Peru Hop gives you discounts with certain businesses (including accomodation) so its good to keep that in mind when choosing accomodation. Otherwise I recommend looking at your options on booking.com. These are small towns so you are not overwhelmed with choices.
Getting there and away:
To visit these locations you can start the trip in Lima, Cusco, Arequipa or La Paz in Bolivia and you can adapt your journey to suit with multiple route options and the option to stay extra nights and catch the next bus. All of these places have plenty of flights in and out and connections around the country while Lima and La Paz have international destinations.
Getting around:
The beauty of Peru Hop is that everywhere you need to go is included. You are picked up from your accomodation (or nearby) and dropped off at your accomodation and taken on tours along the way. The only exception is if you want to take a flight over the Nazca lines (which I highly recommend) and can’t fit a night in Nazca into your schedule. In this case you can:
Book a local bus in the morning between Huacachina and Nazca and book your Nazca lines flight
Skip the Huacachina to Nazca leg of ther peru Hop bus and travel from Huacachina into Ica via taxi to catch your local bus (we left Huacachina at 8am and our bus arrived in Nazca at 11am)
Your Nazca lines tour operator will meet you at the bus terminal in Nazca and take you to the airport for your flight (we booked an 11:30am flight over the Nazca lines)
Catch your Peru Hop bus again when it leaves Nazca at 7pm (Our Nazca lines flight time left us plenty of time afterwards to have a late lunch; wander around Nazca and do some shopping before having to catch the bus).
What to bring:
Make sure to pack some comfortable gear to sleep in on the bus from Nazca as you will be on it overnight. It tends to get quite cold on South American buses due to the AC so make sure to also bring a long sleeved top and a blanket or silk sleeping bag.
What to expect:
We took the route from Lima – Paracas – Huacachina – Nazca – Cusco
You will be picked up at 5:30am from your hostel in Lima to depart Lima at 6am. At 10am you will arrive in Paracas and have a short stop to get a coffee or a snack before the included visit to the Paracas National Reserve at 11am. This reserve is absolutely beautiful and you are able to spend some time admiring the landscape before the bus leaves to continue onto Huacachina at 1pm.
You will arrive in Huacachina at 2:15pm which gives you time to check in to a hotel and get organised before the 4:30pm Dune Buggy and Sandboarding Tour that is organised through Peru Hop. The tour ends at 6:30pm. Huacachina is a bit of a party town so its a good idea to head out to party after this but if thats not your thing or you are still an early riser I recommend hiking up the sand dunes for the sunrise in the morning.
As noted above we left Huacachina in the morning and skipped the next leg so that we could take a flight over the Nazca lines without staying the night in Nazca. The flight was so worth it but the early morning bus ride and the flight in a small airplane was not the best idea when hungover. I felt so sick. If you do catch the Peru Hop bus they leave in the afternoon and make a stop at the Nazca viewing platforms instead before continuing on to Nazca.
From Nazca you overnight on the bus and continue on to Arequipa or Cusco.
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Hoi An is like Vietnam that has been dressed up and put on a pedestal. Everything is picturesque and traditional and laid out for you in a small area so you don’t need to walk too far. Except for the beach – we didn’t visit the beach here as we decided to have a bit of a beach break in Da Nang instead. Hoi An is where we wandered and soaked up all the beautiful lanterns and lights and culture.
GENERAL INFO
Getting there and away:
Hoi An is only about 1 hours drive from Da Nang Airport. Da Nang airport is a major hub and there are plenty of affordable flights around Vietnam from here particularly from Hanoi and Ho Chi Min City. Da Nang Train Station also has trains travelling the length of the country.
Getting around:
Once you have reached Da Nang, the easiest way to get into Hoi An is by private car – your hotel in Hoi An will arrange this for you. A transfer very affordable here (even more so than in the rest of the country) so I definitely recommend paying for the convenience in this instance.
If you wanted to visit some attractions outside of Hoi An then you can fit them in as part of a transfer also. We hired Mr. Tim (Private Car with Driver – Watsapp +84 (0) 775 518 084) who we found online to take us from Hoi An back to Da Nang with 2 out of the way stops – he waited for us and continued to Da Nang when we were ready.
Once in Hoi An, you can walk to all of the attractions in the ancient town and this is a great way to see the town as Hoi An is a great place to wander around.
Accommodation:
There are so many nice, affordable hotels all over the ancient town. Do a search on booking.com and you will come up with plenty of viable options. We stayed at La An Central Boutique Villa which was perfect as it was right next to the night market and the river and it had a pool which was very necessary in the sweltering heat.
Food:
Hoi An is a particularly pricey place to eat but there are definitely some great spots if you are prepared to pay a little more than usual!
Madam Kieu – We had a lovely drink by the water here. They also played Cocomelon songs for my daughter to keep her entertained while we were here so big ups to the staff.
The Soul – This restaurant is attached to a nice hotel. It’s pricey but well located, beautiful and has really tasty traditional Vietnamese dishes.
Pho Xua Restaurant – This is one of the few really good budget options in Hoi An – plus its very close to the Fujian Assembly Hall so you can time a visit to this with lunch or dinner. The Pho here is excellent. 35 Phan Chau Trinh Street.
Top Tip:
My top tip for Hoi An is to time your visit for the monthly Lantern festival (although Hoi An is such a drawcard that its pretty festive every night). During the lantern festivals hundred of lanterns are lit and boats are out on the water while people release lanterns into the water. The largest and most spectacular lantern festival is the first one of the new year.
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Get some clothes tailor made
Hoi An is famous for its hundreds of affordable and very capable tailors and they are so fast. You will find tailors everywhere and its a great opportunity to get something custom made. In high season you may need to wait 2-3 days for your clothing to be made so make sure this is the first thing you do. In low season, the tailor we went to produced 2 custom blazers in less than 24 hours.
Visit the Hoi An Night Market
The Night Market is located on An Hoi Islet right in the midst of the action. It opens at 6pm and closes around 10pm and it’s bustling atmosphere is perfect for nighttime when the temperature drops just slightly and you can brave coming out of your hotel. Many of the shops on either side of the market sell lanterns and they are beautifully lit and displayed. If you want to pose for a picture with the lanterns you will have to pay. The vendors here make most of their money charging for photographs rather than selling lanterns but we purchased one of the beautiful silk lanterns to take home as a souvenir.
There are stalls in the middle selling all types of knick-knacks and this is a great place to practice your bargaining. You can also have some local snacks (such as grilled octopus or banana crepes) here as there are a few street food stalls or you can eat at one of the many restaurants or bars in this part of town.
Be wowed by the Fujian Assembly Hall
The Fujian Assembly Hall is one of the most opulent buildings in all of Hoi An and is well worth a look – you can go inside and take a look there is no fee.
Explore the Ancient Town
Walk along the riverside and the streets around the ancient town taking in the atmosphere and doing some shopping in the little stores. Explore the cobbled lanes around the Japanese Covered Bridge and watch the boats in the water of the river.
Visit Sunworld Amusement Park
Sunworld Amusement Park is about 40 minutes drive from Da Nang or 1 hour drive from Hoi An. It is a very strange (but quite typical for Asian countries) theme park. The entry price is very expensive for Vietnam and its probably not worth it unless you make a full day of the theme park but there are a few worthwhile attractions here such as a very very high cablecar (the theme park is situated up a mountain), a stunning bridge called the Golden Hand Bridge and a few good rides.
Visit My Son Sanctuary
My Son Sanctuary is a UNESCO world heritage site very close to both Da Nang and Hoi An (approximately 1 hour’s drive). It is a well preserved ruin of the ancient base of the Champa Kingdom. Its a bit of a walk to the ancient site and around in heat and it gets quite busy so I recommend visiting early in the morning/ Exploring the area should take about 2-3 hours. There is a traditional dance show performed every morning also that is worth watching.
Take in the Bamboo Circus Show
I didn’t personally go to this as I had to look after my kids and the circus is adult only but a couple of my family members went to see the bamboo circus and said it was absolutely phenomenal. It is a great local show to take in and also see the bamboo performing centre which is stunning too.
If you have an extra day to spend in the area I would head to the beach or out to the Cham Islands (there are lots of day tour options or you can head out onto the Islands and stay overnight). We didn’t do either this time around but would love to fit this in next time.
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The Amazon is somewhere that I have always wanted to visit but it definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I am terrified of spiders, hesitant with most bugs and I am definitely prefer a comfortable experience so you can see why the Amazon is probably not my ideal location to be in. As I did not want to miss out on the experience of a lifetime, I compromised with myself and booked a relatively luxury Amazon experience at Treehouse Lodge in Peru. It was a great balance of adventure and luxury.
GENERAL INFO
Getting there and away:
The problem with the Amazon is its very much in the middle of nowhere so its pretty complicated to get to. Treehouse Lodge will pick you up from Iquitos and take you there as part of the package but its still a pretty big journey after getting to Iquitos which is a bit of an adventure in itself.
We were travelling directly from the Galapagos Islands so it was a couple of long days of travel for us. If you are coming from anywhere overseas you will need to spend a night in Lima first as there are not many flights out to Iquitos and limited times that you can be picked up by the Lodge.
If you need to stay the night by the airport in Lima I recommend TUPAC Lima Airport Hostel as it has a nice roof terrace and is very secure. Also you can save some money staying here before you spend such a huge amount in the Amazon!
Our flight to Iquitos took 2 hours and landed at 12:10pm – then once we were collected by the lodge staff you spend another 3 hours almost travelling by a mix of car and boat. However, the boat trip is your first excursion on the Amazon river so its very exciting and doesn’t feel too long at all!
Again, leaving is a long trip so for our 1pm flight back to Lima we had to leave around 8am from the lodge. This is just worth keeping in mind when you think about how long you will be staying as a 3 days/2 nights trip is really only 1 full day. We stayed 3 nights and this was only JUST enough time – 4 would have been better.
Accommodation:
Accomodation here is a real drawcard – you will be staying in an actual treehouse built above ground and connected to the other treehouses and restaurant etc. by a series of rope bridges.
Our room was very comfortable and spacious and it was lovely to wake up in the treetops in the Amazon! However, I would say the place was pretty rundown for the price you are paying to stay here – there were gaps in the mosquito netting and we found a large spider in our room at one point.
Hopefully they have made some renovations and updated the condition of these rooms recently! Im sure the Amazon is an unforgivable place but that just means that frequent upkeep is necessary.
Food:
Treehouse Lodge is all-inclusive (apart from alcohol) and the food was plentiful and excellent! Galavanting around the Amazon makes you very hungry and the chefs here sure do deliver. As an extra special touch the chef cooked up the Piranhas that we caught when Piranha fishing so we could taste them!
Getting around:
Part of the all-inclusive fee here includes having a private tour guide and boat driver to take you on any of the activities that you would like to do. Both were fantastic and we felt very lucky to have such great guides with us – they could spot wildlife from a mile off! My only complaint was that they seemed pretty reluctant to head out in heavy rain and considering we were there in rainy season that limited our time to explore a little bit! They also had a more limited range of activities than we thought before we went (Although we did do a couple of off-book things) – many of the activities were combined into one trip although we could have happily done many of these things twice!
Top Tips:
Make sure to keep the mosquito net around your bed always closed to make sure you have a sleep thats free of creepy crawlies.
Don’t miss visiting the semi-domesticated sloths! A local family rescued a sloth and it has since mated and a whole family of sloths now lives in their house. One or two are so tame that you can hug them and you can watch others chill in the rafters and eat leaves.
ACTIVITIES DURING OUR STAY
The activities that we did didn’t quite match up exactly with the advertised activities. The guide tailors the activities for you somewhat but also in reality you just journey around the Amazon seeing what you can see and fitting in what you can as wildlife doesn’t appear to a schedule and the guides have their own ideas about what may be interesting.
Here are the things we got to do:
Insect Jungle Walk – terrifying!
Birdwatching – so many cool birds but a bit tricky unless you have super binoculars.
Sloth Cuddles – as mentioned above there were Sloth cuddles – they were the best!
Wildlife Spotting in the Canopy – Lots of monkeys in particular!
Searching for the Amazon River Dolphins – these guys are a bit shy so this wasn’t super successful and we spent a LOT of time waiting for them to pop their heads up.
Visit to a local community – they had a large python in a shed out the back of somebody’s house. What a crazy place. I couldn’t lift it it was too heavy!
Weird and Wacky Plants – There were lots of weird and wonderful plants to look at – namely the giant lily pads of Oxbow Lagoon!
Nighttime Cayman Spotting
Fishing for Piranha
Releasing Baby Turtles into the wild – This was only an option due to the specific time of year – the lodge raises baby turtles until they are old enough to possibly survive in the wild and then they are released into the river.
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Recently, myself and my family went on a Halong Bay Cruise. We are not big cruise people, but since this was only 2 nights and is the best way to see Halong Bay we went for it. The only other time I have taken a Cruise was in the Galapagos Islands.
The main reason we chose this cruise was the range of activities on offer which we felt would be suitable with young children, the reviews were in general very good, the boat was luxury without being ridiculously expensive and the area the boat visited was Lan Ha Bay which is much quieter and less frequented than the main Halong Bay area. See my post here for information about the cruise we went on and what we did.
When choosing a cruise there are 5 main things to think about:
Location
Firstly, assess how important location is for you. Halong Bay is a large area with not a huge amount to ‘do’ other than enjoy the view. You can visit the very famous (and overrun with tourists and trash) part of Halong Bay which has the most impressive and numerous cliffs OR the quieter areas of Lan Ha Bay and Bai Tu Long Bay which really aren’t much different just less frequented by tourists.
Time
The other important choice to make is how much time you have to visit. You have the choice of a day trip, 1 night cruise and 2 night cruise for your Halong bay trip. We chose a 2 night cruise as its a very long way from Hanoi for a day trip (especially with kids) and I feel with a one night trip you don’t get a lot of time to relax on the boat (or much time for activities as we only did very short excursions on the first and last day).
Activities
Make sure to select a trip with activities you actually want to do. When booking a cruise you can always see its itinerary (although this is subject to change) and select from there. I disregarded a few cruises as the activities didn’t seem like things my kids could stay occupied doing or many be a bit too strenuous physically for my 3 year old or for me carrying a 3 month old. For example, the cruise we went on had the option to skip biking to a village and take an electric car instead without missing the entire activity.
Convenience
For us, travelling in a large family group, it was more convenient to take a cruise as everything is organised for you (including getting from one place to another) and everything is designed to be pretty relaxing and activities not too strenuous. However, you may decide not to take a cruise at all. Most tourists visit Halong Bay via a cruise but it is also possible to stay on Cat Ba Island – you can get there via ferry.
Cost
We went for a pretty luxury cruise because it seemed like a time you would actually use a lot of the hotel’s (in this case boat’s) features (ie. your only options for food, activities and spending your free time are on the boat). Also, all the cruises were pretty pricey (for Vietnam) so we saw no harm in spending a bit more for a luxury experience. However, there are much cheaper options and as you spend a lot of your time on a day boat theres really no harm going for something basic but maybe take some extra snacks and things in case the food is awful.
I hope this guide helps you to select a cruise (or not a cruise) to visit Halong Bay. Enjoy!
There are so many different cruises available in the Galapagos islands that It can be really difficult to choose just one: See my post here on How to: Plan your Itinerary to the Galapagos to narrow down what you would like to do.
Here is our itinerary for our cruise so you can see what the places we went were like – Bear in mind that the underwater visibility, wildlife and weather will vary from day to day so areas that may have been perfect on my trip may be a little less so on another. Everywhere we went was AMAZING and out of this world though so I’m sure you cant go too wrong!
We took the Golondrina which is one of very few very budget backpacker boats in the Galapagos but is the one with the best itinerary (in our opinion).
DAY 1
On the first day, we met the cruise at Baltra Airport to embark on the yacht and got settled. After having lunch on the boat we headed to Mosquera Island. This Island has a long stretch of soft white sand and many rock and tide pools. It has a flat look rather than the cone shape of the volcanically formed islands of the Galapagos.
Mosquera Island is a great place to stroll on the beach, snorkelling and enjoy the animal life. You are most likely to see sea lions and many shorebirds here. It is a quieter island with less tourists than some of the nearby locations.
DAY 2
On the morning of the second day, we visited Vicente Roca Point on Isabela Island via a small motorized boat. You are not permitted to land on the coast here. Vincente Roca Point is a large bay consisting of two seperate coves with amazing sea life. You may spot seahorses, sea turtles, rays, puffer fish, sunfish, sea lions, sharks, penguins, blue-footed boobies and nazca boobies.
Note: Although Isabela Island is technically inhabited (it has a very small rural settlement) the island itself is HUGE and there are many very isolated locations with lots of wildlife on the other side of the island that are inaccessible by land and too far for a day trip by boat as they are reached from the other side of the island (such as Vicente Roca Point) so this is a good location for a cruise to visit.
In the afternoon, the cruise visits Espinoza Point on Fernandina Island where you have a short hike along the coast to see lava flows and lava cactus, marine iguanas (during nesting time January to June), penguins, pelicans, and cormorants. After hiking there will be time to do some snorkelling from the beach.
DAY 3
On Day 3 your cruise will disembark at Urbina Bay on Isabela Island (again an area inaccessible by land). This bay lies at the foot of the Alcedo volcano. At Urbina Bay you will take a 2 hour walk passing shells and coral visible above the water along with a lot of wildlife: land iguanas, darwin’s finches, giant tortoises and flightless cormorants. After the hike you will snorkel surrounded by penguins and flightless cormorants.
In the afternoon, the cruise visits Tagus Cove on Isabela Island. We again take a walk here that begins from the shore and takes you high up a hill to provide incredible views over Darwin’s Lake (a round salt water crater) through a small forest. After the walk, you will take a boat around the cliffs and then snorkel in the cove. Around the water you are likely to see wildlife such as penguins, flightless cormorants, boobies, pelicans and Sally Lightfoot Crabs.
DAY 4
On the 4th day the cruise will visit Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. We will take a motorboat to land on the beach here. The beach here has gorgeous black rock formations and lots of wildlife. You are likely to see the Darwin finches, Galapagos hawks, marine iguanas, Sally Lightfoot crabs, fur seals and sea lions. You will be able to swim and snorkel from the beach here.
After lunch you will visit Sombrero Chino which for me was the highlight of this cruise. This is an island that looks like a wide brimmed hat and is very picturesque. The beach area is flat and rocky with lava tunnels and lava cactus all over the place. You will do a short walk then swim and snorkel here and the snorkelling is absolutely excellent.
DAY 5
Lastly, before departure your cruise will take you to the Charles Darwin Reasearch Station on Santa Cruz Island. Although this Galapagos tortoise breeding centre is in the main town of Puerto Ayora and easily accessed on an independent journey it was a useful last stop for us as we could leave straight for the town from here and didn’t need to return to the airport with the others on the cruise. Had the cruise finished elsewhere, we would have been dropped at the airport afterwards.
Let me know if you have been to any of these locations or if you have any suggestions for the best itinerary stops on our next cruise!
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Isla Isabela is the largest Galapagos Island but it only has a very small population and feels very secluded. It’s a great spot for wild, beautiful landscapes and up close and personal wildlife encounters. If you aren’t able to do a cruise on the Galapagos then the next best thing is to spend some time on Isabela Island. Its also a great option if you don’t like organised tours (like me). I don’t mind them on occasion but I definitely prefer to explore on my own.
GENERAL INFO
See my post here on travelling the Galapagos Islands for general information about the Galapagos.
As always, I recommend comparing accomodation and prices on booking.com. We stayed at Hostal Cerro Azul which was great as it had a kitchen for us to cook in and lots of places to relax.
There is no airport on Isabela Island – the only way in or out is via the small passenger ferries which travel at set times twice a day. Landing on Isabela Island requires an extra $10 docking fee (ontop of the cost for the ferry).
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
Concha Perla
Concha Perla is a secluded little snorkelling spot right next to town. To get here, walk 10 mins out of town towards the main dock. Just before you reach the wharf; there is a little slightly hidden boardwalk with a sign that leads to Concha Perla – a short way along this boardwalk you will end up reaching a small ladder leading into the water.
Los Tuneles
Los Tuneles is a great snorkelling spot close to Isabela Island – tours head here daily. We took a half day tour with Rosadelco and it was well worth the trip! We saw seahorses, octopus, mating turtles, stingrays and dived into a cave filled with sharks. On the way back we also saw giant MANTA RAYS which was the coolest thing ever. They were larger than our boat.
Sierra Negra
Sierra Negra is the second largest active volcano in the world and it last erupted in 2005. Rosadelco (the same company as the tour above) takes a tour here so you can hike the volcano. It’s about a 5 hour hike with 45 minutes travel across the island each way. The landscapes are gorgeously wild.
Tortoise Breeding Centre and Pozas de Las Diablas
The Isabela Tortoise Breeding Centre and Pozas de las Diablas (some ponds with flamingoes) are just a short walk outside of town. You walk along a boardwalk that passes the 3 ponds with flamingoes to get to the breeding centre.
Playa Grande
Relax at the beach right in front of the town. Plenty of wildlife can be observed here such as sea lions, penguins and iguanas.
Bike to Muro de las Lagrimas
Hire some bikes for the day to bike to Muro de las Lagrimas to see a wall that prisoners built (at one point there were prisoners on Isabela Island). Supposedly thousands of prisoners died during the wall’s construction. The wall is about 5 km from town. There is a beautiful lookout point here above the wall. Follow the path leading up the mountain on the left side of the wall up until the final lookout post.
On the way back there are lots of stops to take along the bike trail: Cerro Radar, Cerro Orchilla, Tunnel de Estero (best visited at low tide), Playa de Amor, Pozas Verdes, and La Playita. There are signs along the way.
THE ONLY ERIKA IN THE VILLAGE 