A two-hour boat ride down the Ngo Dong River is an amazing travel experience. I went early to beat the crowds and enjoyed a cool, peaceful ride through some of the most sublime scenery I’ve ever seen. Ragged limestone karsts surround the slow, shallow river and are covered in greenery, making for eye-popping vistas at every turn.
The boat ride and entrance fee total 90,000 dong ($5) and you’ll be hassled to buy over-priced drinks and souvenirs, but it’s well worth the money. I arrived just as the ticket counter was opening up and was the second tourist on the water, sharing the boat with just the two rowers. Well, one rowed — the other seemed to be there to keep him company and hit me up for an extra tip at the end of the ride.
Early in the trip, we passed this shrine. There are a couple of temples high on the cliffs that must require some serious climbing to reach.
This being Vietnam, there’s green everywhere, clinging wherever it can gain purchase.
This is the first of several caves you pass through. From a distance, it looked like we’d never fit but there’s a good couple of feet of clearance once you’re inside.
This is a working river. Occasionally I’d see small huts nestled behind rocks with chickens roaming the thin strips of dry land. This man was checking his fish traps. On the ride back, he showed me a ten inch catfish he’d just pulled from one.
A family heading home with a boat full of supplies. Their commute into town was probably 30-45 minutes, all done with manual power.
About half way into the trip, the ducks showed up. There were hundreds of them, feeding, bathing, and generally raising hell.
Passing through another cave on the way back to the dock.
About ten minutes from the end of the ride, the tourists arrived in a big way. We got stuck at this bridge for nearly ten minutes, waiting for them to all pass. I was the hit of the party, with everyone giggling and waving at the funny-looking foreigner as they floated by.
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Ugh! That was/is one of my biggest discomforts while travelling. Standing out in a crowd when you just want to be invisible.
Nice – last picture, folks are wearing masks. Bird Flu risk?
No, they’re wearing those to keep the sun off their face. Most women wear long sleeves, gloves and masks anytime they’re in the sun to avoid getting dark skin.In the fields and small towns, it also keeps the dust and exhaust fumes away.
OMG, your photos are soooo gorgeous!!! I would have paid $100 for that boat ride. $5 seems like a crime, haha.
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Agreed. I considered doing it a second time ;)
Whoaaa, those hills. They’re beautiful.
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Gorgeous photos again. Thanks for taking us along on the trip.
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