For those who like to discover the beauty of nature and conquer challenges, they should not miss a chance to participate in a tour of adventure called “Emeralda Ninh Binh” held by the Viet Adventure Tourism Company.

As an introduction from some of our friends, we registered to participate in an adventure tour to discover the wild and magnificent beauty of the Van Long Nature Reserve in Ninh Binh Province.

It is the first adventure tour organized by this company. The tour lasts two days and one night with activities like riding motorbikes through fields, climbing mountains and rowing boats.

After two hours of driving from Hanoi to Ninh Binh Province, we arrived at the Emeralda Ninh Binh Resort & Spa to check in and prepare for bike race in the early afternoon.

There were 50 tourists from different countries participating in the trip. After resting in the morning, we started riding on the 30km dyke around the Van Long Nature Reserve to discover the natural beauty.

It was a lot of fun to enjoy the cool air and behold the peaceful landscape of the gorgeous countryside with the howling of the langurs (Pygathrix cinerea) which confirms all the postcard fantasies about Vietnam.

In 1960, a 30km-long dyke was built on the left bank of the Day River to protect the area, turning Van Long into a submerged area covering 3,500ha.

It has become an ideal place for many species of emigrant birds. The lime stone mountains are also submerged in water, forming a beautiful landscape considered a “Ha Long on land”.

Foreign experts discovered over 40 species of white breeched langurs (Trachypithecus delacouri) in the area together with many species of plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Vietnam, such as nux vomica tree, Lat hoa (Chukrasia tabularis) and white-collared bear.

Here is the home of belostomas, an insect that is nearly extinct. This species only lives in a clean water environment.

Crossing the dyke, we turned on a path leading to a small village near the reserve. The path was so rough that sometimes we had to carry our bikes on our shoulders to avoid plunging into the ditch.

On the chapped fields after harvest, there were only paddy roots left and some buffalos grazing. Despite some troubles, we finally finished the first trip safely to begin a new challenge on the waterway.

On the boats, we enjoyed fresh air and we seemed to be lost in a fairytale world of amazing scenes. All tiredness vanished and was replaced by a feeling of relaxation. We ended the first day of the tour with a delicious dinner.

The next day, we participated in running and mountain climbing events from Van Long Wharf to Kem Cham Mountain. Kem Cham Mountain with steep cliffs posed a great challenge for amateur climbers like us.

However, thanks to the enthusiastic instruction of coaches together with modern equipment, we finally conquered the mountain. We then crossed over a river using a cable.

When we arrived on the other bank of the river, we continued the trip by crossing another part of the river by basket boat.

It was very difficult to control the boat to cross the dammed up area because it requires many difficult techniques. Some of us failed to row the boat and sunk it. However, we all successfully finished the course.

The tour left a long-lasting impression on all participants due to the beautiful and peaceful scenery of the area and it brought about interesting experiences to those who like adventures.

More information about the tour:

Viet Adventure Tourism Company

150 D2, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City

Tel/Fax: (84) 835 129 974

Web: ww.vietadventure.vn/ourteam

Email: info@vietadventure.vn

Source: VNP