A place with so much history.

Ninh Binh is stunning and diverse; it is also extremely traveler friendly. However, Ninh Binh remains far less popular than its sister to the northeast, Ha Long Bay.

During our Southeast Asia tour, we chose this country as our last stop because of these following photos and reasons why we loved it here and why we want to go back for more! I will definitely go back for more… coffee and coffee and Jana Mae’s terrible noise! :)

When is the best time to visit Ninh Binh or Vietnam in general?

Ninh Binh is located in Northern Vietnam where there are four distinct seasons. Summer is very hot and winter, by contrast, can get very cold. Ninh Binh’s delta location means the landscape is very flat. The area often experiences flooding and sometimes even landslides during the rainy season (approximately May to September), so it might be wise to plan a trip outside those times to be on the safe side. But for us we need to pray for a better weather since while we are in Myanmar few weeks before our trip here in Vietnam, I have seen friends visiting the province and saw their IG Stories that its weather permitting going up to the look out and the weather was changing every minute, considering that our visit is June! in the middle of their wet season. But we prayed all the gods from the temples in Bali, pagodas in Bagan, and Temples in Thailand. IT GAVE US MOSTLY SUNNY DAYS AHEAD OF US!

So here are the reasons why I feel in love with this place!!

Scenic Views

Ninh Binh is also known as the Ha Long Bay on land for an obvious reason – it looks like Ha Long Bay but on land instead of water. There are hundreds of limestone monoliths topped by dense greenery that emerge from the ground, scattered around the city with rivers flowing through them and caves formed in them. While the mountains are in the west and northwest, the east and south have coastal parts. Ninh Binh really does have everything.

Convenient Location

Ninh Binh is only 95 kilometers away from Hanoi (about a 2-3-hour journey) and makes for a good first stop for those making their journey slowly from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. You can even get here quite conveniently from Ha Long Bay. Catching overnight buses from Ninh Binh to other cities is pretty easy too – ask your hotel reception and they will help you out.

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A chance to ride the Reunification Express

While the train option between cities far away from one another is sometimes slow, uncomfortable, with problems and delays, this is not the case for Ninh Binh. Since Ninh Binh is only three hours away from Hanoi, you should definitely opt to visit there on the Reunification Express. Time to tick that off your bucket list!

Vietnam 5 from Jarylle Paloma on Vimeo.

Day trip possible

If you get to Ninh Binh early in the morning, you can easily cover a few attractions such as Tam Coc, Trang An and the pagodas scattered around them. You can even make time to visit the beautiful Gothic Phat Diem Cathedral which is about a 40-minute drive away from the center. Although it is best to spend more than a day here, many of us can be strapped for time, and if that’s the case for you, Ninh Binh makes for a perfect day trip option from Hanoi or Ha Long Bay.

Trang An

Is a complex of mountains and caves to which you can only get to by water. There are eight caves to explore on boat. On the way you will see many beautiful religious structures, surrounded by green nature, giving the area a rather serene outlook. Go early in the morning around 7 a.m. to fully enjoy your experience.

Rowing those caves

There are so many caves formed naturally or artificially inside the limestone mountains. In Trang An, you can ask your boat peddler to take you through eight caves. Make sure you duck your head as you make your way through some of the caves. Some walls aren’t high enough and some rock formations are quite pointy. The peddler will warn you when you have to duck. What’s also interesting is that the peddlers have learnt to peddle with their feet to avoid getting injured.

Hang Mua Peak

This is the best place to get an elevated view of the area. After a steep climb of around 400 steps, you will surely be rewarded on top with opportunities to take magnificent Instagram viral-worthy shots. Make sure to take a bottle of water – the climb up isn’t easy. You will also bump into goats.

Staycation

A five day with a five star experience.

It is my first time to be in Indonesia and this is the second leg in my Southeast Asia tour! I booked a one way ticket to Denpasar, Bali. The Philippines, as my terminal country, only have three airlines that offer a direct flight to DPS available, Philippine Airline, Cebu Pacific Air and Air Asia.

Tips: If you want to have a variety of flight options, scout for flight prices in Google flights BUT book it on the airline’s website. And if you want to have a discount every time you fly with a certain airline try to enrol yourself with their frequent flyer program.

Preparations

Accommodations: Airbnb, Hostels, Homestays

Prices: 60 CAD to 120 CAD per night

Transportation: KLOOK, TAXI, GrabCar, Go-Jek

What to expect?

Bali is a small province of Indonesia that boosted their tourism and economy because of their pure white sand beaches, hiking, surfing and breath-taking views. The book published by Elizabeth Gilbert called ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ became so famous and it garnered attention of readers and influenced spiritual goers to see Bali themselves. Then in 2010, they made a film adaptation of the book starring Julia Roberts and made its way to a blockbuster film earning more than 200 million dollars.

Now, Bali has developed areas where you can use cars as your means of transportation but most of the places in the island still remain the same which is only accessible through the use of small bikes.

So if you’re from a big city be prepared seeing a flock of motorbikes on the major road and they ignore traffic rules so when crossing the streets just take precautions.

Where to stay?

If you are into shopping and night life, I would recommend the Kuta area and Seminyak area for you to explore. They have a variety of stores for you to shop, from the fanciest local brands and imported ones to the sidewalk stalls that you can bargain with for as low as 10k IDR.

Most tourists flock in Kuta since the airport is nearby plus you have a public accessed beach right away. Plus the dining is not as expensive as the other places in Bali. Seminyak, on the other hand, has a different market. It caters the middle class to Elite groups where shopping malls or boutiques are designed as elegant as possible. This area has a lot of beach club, Fancy Vegan shop, and colourful buildings and alleyway. Just imagine 70’s to 80’s vibe with the presence of modern and industrial vibe.

If you prefer beach and adventure, you might consider checking out the other side of the island. The Sanur Area where you can spot a lot of tours in and out of the island. If you are planning to check out the Nusa Pineda Island, the place for those adventure junkie and beach bum. Besides the island hopping and excursion to the said island, you can also avail those scuba and snorkelling packages.

If you prefer wellness, peace, and nature (Like I do), I recommend the Ubud Area. This place has a lot of things to offer for those who seek relaxation, escape from the modern world activities, and just simply be with nature. It differs from the areas above because mainly it has no sign of big development, it’s in the mountainous area of Bali, and it’s cooler in temperature than the city. You can find the infamous Bali Swing, the Tegallalang Rice Fields, the numerous waterfalls, the abandoned resorts, and other nature-related stuff in Ubud.

What not to miss?

Up for some early morning walk in between the rice fields.

We chased the sunrise and booked a place nearby the Tegallalang Rice Fields. We planned to be up early to avoid a heavy crowd along the rice fields plus we wanted to get the golden color of the sunrise but we failed to do so since the weather was gloomy and the cloud covered the field.

Note that visiting there is free, but they ask for you to drop a small amount of donation for the maintenance of the pathway so the future tourist can safely walk through the muddy path . Use covered shoes instead of flip flops especially during the morning since the path is a bit slippery. Always take precaution, it is not an easy trail as you think. The terraces is made of mud and clay. In some instances it might not carry your weight, some pathways are just plain muddy terrace.

Jl. Raya Tegallalang, Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia

Chase waterfalls, not love nor people (Charot)

“Nungnung waterfall, located 40 kilometers north of Denpasar with a height of 900 meters above sea level. This tourism object is located in Badung District evening. It lies about – about five miles before the bridge Tukad Bangkung known as the tallest bridge in Asia with a specific height of the pillars reached 71.14 meters. In this village there is a waterfall with a height of 50 meters with large water discharge, to reach the location of such waterfall we must trace hilly rice fields about 2 miles from the highway.”[1]

This waterfall is a gem that needs to be experienced and discovered. But there’s a catch, you will experience 10 minutes of hell going down and a dead-ass 20 minutes or so depending on how fit you are going up. *winks

Is it free to go down and see this beauty? The million dollar answer is no, but for them to give us a better stairs to hell to see heaven you need to drop 10,000 IDR before you go down. A value you always waste for a cup of a Starbucks coffee.

Belok/Sidan, Petang, Badung Regency, Bali, Indonesia

Explore the forgotten gems (UrBex)

When driving around Bali, you will pass by a lot of abandoned places. One of this was the Hotel Pondok Indah Bedugul. You will stumble upon this abandoned hotel on the cliff of the mountain on your way to Handara golf club.

“There is a version that the hotel was owned by Tommy Soeharto, the youngest son of the former president Soeharto. The constructions were launched in 1993 and frozen in 1995. There are many rumors and legends about it: After bombing in Kuta in 2002, Tommy’s plans were ruined as tourists didn’t want to come to Bali. He violated some obligations and couldn’t invest in further constructions. Tommy got in jail for an assassination of the Supreme Court judge.”[1]

Batunya, Baturiti, Batunya, Baturiti, Kabupaten Tabanan, Bali 82191, Indonesia

Found another abandoned amusement park, located south of the island. The park host a theatre, cinema, large function hall, a man-made mountain and few small buildings.

Today, the complex — known as Taman Festival Bali — is slowly being swallowed by the jungle, with vines creeping through the cracks in the walls of long-abandoned buildings and twisting through derelict game stands.

Jl. Padang Galak No.3, Kesiman, Kec. Denpasar Tim., Kota Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia

Have some afternoon drink by the beach at the beach club

One I visited was the Tropicalo Beach club owned by the people who created the Mexico Bar, established last year. An 80’s concept diner vibe restaurant in Seminyak. A 45 minute drive from Kuta proper. They open around 11 AM and serve you alcohol anytime you want. Well it’s 5 o’clock somewhere. In terms of music, it’s all loud party music. And don’t forget to apply sunscreen if you’re planning to visit at day time. The sun is a bit rough.

Jl. Pantai Batu Belig No 5, Kerobokan Kelod, Kec. Kuta Utara, Seminyak, Kerobokan Kelod, Kuta Utara, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia

Eat Like a Balinese

Everywhere is super cheap but if you have a little extra and can afford restaurants it will do as well, but for us we want to taste the local food. I wish I took a lot of photos of the food we ate but oh well it was too good to remember taking pics of it.

Go surf-up the Indonesian waves

Bali, Indonesia has one of the best waves in Asia. So if you’re a surf enthusiast you should check out the surfing points around the island. The one I went to was actually an exiled one which has a very little number of people around. The only challenge is that you need to hike up and down just to see and experience this beauty.

Explore hidden beaches

When you want to experience such exotic and different scene than the usual Kuta and Seminyak beaches you probably consider hiking or going off route than the usual spot where tourist flocks. Since the early 2000s, Bali became a destination for people who wants vacation with a touch of wellness. They opted Bali as a destination since Hawaii became so famous and expensive. Tourists became Expats and you sometimes bump into them as your local guide or a receptionist in your hostels. Sometimes we opted to ask those local people who can converse well with you and ask for those pointers on where the least touristy places to check out. I am sure they can suggest 1 or 2.

Breakfast like a boss.

Book a villa that will let you eat breakfast like no other. Bali is famous for their floating breakfast. For sure most hotels and villas that has pool can provide this experience.

*if you have any questions about the places mentioned or my whole itinerary, drop me a message here or comment down below.

All photos and content are all mine unless stated.

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