VietNamNet Bridge – For those who love nature and adventurous bird watching trips, Thung Nham (Birds valley) in Ninh Binh is the best place for your experience while traveling to Hanoi.
Besides watching birds, you can also explore the caves in the mountains as well as visit orchard of tropical fruits, including star fruit, mangoes, guavas and lychees.
Thung Nham (Nham Valley) eco-tourism zone is located in Hoa Lu District, 12km south of Ninh Binh City (100km from Hanoi), deep in the mountains and far from residential area. The 350ha park has been developed for tourism but still retains its natural beauty.
Bird Valley is surrounded by tropical forest strips on Limestone Mountains, with valleys and caves.
Thung Nham Birds Garden houses more than 40 species of birds, some of them on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
The site has a rich ecosystem, including more than 100 flora and 150 fauna species.
Take a boat to the mangrove forests of Thung Nham Bird Park to watch birds. You should go to the range late afternoon about 5pm, time for bird foraging.
However, if you do not have time you can also visit at 2-4pm to be able to return during the day to Hanoi.
The best time to visit Thung Nham is in summer and spring, when the birds are busy building nests and breeding.
A two-day tour is better to enjoy the beauty here and the most wonderful time when flocks of birds appear at dawn and dusk.
Adventurous travelers may like to discover Hang But (Buddhist Cave), about 500m in length.
There are no electric lights, but the stalactites and stalagmites look magical by torchlight, including a big Buddha-shaped stalactite sitting beside an underground river.
