Visiting Cuc Phuong National Park is one of the best things to do in Ninh Binh and Tam Coc. It’s not as popular as other attractions in Trang An, Tam Coc, and Hang Mua, but it’s still a good place to visit for those who enjoy a quieter atmosphere with jungle hiking, exploring ancient caves, and spotting wildlife.
I have visited Tam Coc and Ninh Binh several times, and at the last time of my visit, I decided to take a day trip to Cuc Phuong National Park from Tam Coc. I drove Cuc Phuong on my rented scooter. Part of the day was raining, but I was still able to hike and explore the park.
It was a fun experience, even though I got bitten by quite a few leeches.
I explored the park with my own pace and scooter, so in this article, I will guide you how to get to the park, what to see, hiking trail options, and help you to decide if it’s worth it visiting Cuc Phuong National Park.
Should you visit Cuc Phuong National Park?
Most visitors to Ninh Binh and Tam Coc will visit the region’s iconic sights first such as Tam Coc, Trang An, and Hang Mua Cave. I recommend visiting Cuc Phuong National Park if you have spare day or half a day in Tam Coc, after seeing all the major sights you want to see in the area.
With at least 2-3 days in Tam Coc, you can consider adding Cuc Phuong National Park to your itinerary. 2 days is a bit rushed but doable, 3 days will allow you to explore everything at a relaxing pace.
You will need at least half a day to a day to explore the park. The driving time between Tam Coc and Cuc Phuong itself already takes 1 hour 1 way, plus a few hours hiking in the park.
Additionally, you should visit Cuc Phuong National Park if you are into jungle trekking, with a quieter atmosphere, less tourist crowds, and a cool climate. If you’re lucky, you can spot some wild animals in the forests. I spotted two peacocks in the wild and was very happy about it.
If you want to experience something different compared to the striking limestone scenery and river systems in Tam Coc, Cuc Phuong is a good choice. The park boasts the deep green of ancient forests, rustic prehistoric caves, and cool climate.
The park also has a Primate and turtle rescue and conservation center where you can learn more interesting facts about these creatures. You can combine a visit to Cuc Phuong National Park with the nearby Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary, located only 10 minutes drive away.
Overall, you should definitely visit Cuc Phuong National park if you’re into hiking in the thick rainforests, spotting wildlife, exploring prehistoric caves, and visiting the wildlife conservation center.
It’s also a good choice if you want to see different scenery from Tam Coc, off the main tourist track, quieter atmosphere, and cooler climate. Exploring Cuc Phuong will make your Ninh Binh trip even more complete.
See more: Where to Stay in Ninh Binh
Do You Need a guided tour for Cuc Phuong?
You can easily explore Cuc Phuong National Park both with a tour or without a tour. I enjoyed exploring the park at my own pace without a tour guide.
I think renting a scooter is the best way to explore the park without a tour. The ride along the 20km long road inside the park itself was very cool, quiet, refreshing, without the traffic and dirt.
Taking a guided tour means two options. Option 1 is that you can purchase a guided tour online or from local agencies that include pick up, drop off from your hotel, and a day trekking within the national park.
Option 2 is that you’ll find your way to the park, then book a local guide if you want to explore difficult trails. You can consider staying overnight at the park, then take the animal spotting tour in the evening.
There are few things to keep in mind when choosing deciding whether visiting the park with or without a guided tour:
The distance between Tam Coc and Cuc Phuong:
The distance from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong National Park is around 40km, so you need to arrange your transportation in advance. You can rent a scooter, have a private driver for a day, or take a guided tour which often includes pick up and drop off from your hotel.
You might be able to get ride share services such as GreenSM or Grab taxi from Tam Coc and Trang An to Cuc Phuong, but it can be very difficult to get one back as the park is in a local remote area. So, It’s best to arrange two ways of transport in advance when visiting the park.
The main road in Cuc Phuong is 20km long
The main paved road running though the park from the ticket counter at the entrance area is 20km long. The hiking trails start from different points along the main road, so you need your own vehicle to be able to see highlights of the park rather than just walking along the main road.
If you have your own scooter, car rental, or private driver, you can check out any stop along the main side that doesn’t require a tour guide. If you take a guided tour, they will handle the navigation for you.
Visit Cuc Phuong with a guided tour or without a tour?
If you have a scooter rental and want to explore everything at your own pace, it’s best to visit the park without the tour. This is also an economic option as you only need to pay for a 60k entrance ticket and 150k-200k VND for renting a scooter per day, plus 30k VND for petrol.
The downside of visiting Cuc Phuong without a tour guide is that you can’t visit the restricted zones that require the guide. But I think it’s enough trails, both long and short, for you to explore without a tour guide. It took me 2 hours to hike the longest one starting at the end of the paved road with several long flights of steep stairs along the trail.
You can consider taking a guided tour if you want easy transportation, good detail of the flora, fauna, and the historic man cave. The guided tour from Tam Coc and Hanoi often includes transfers between the park and your hotel, so you don’t have to worry about getting a taxi, renting a scooter, or navigation.
Location of Cuc Phuong National Park
Cuc Phuong National Park is located in Cuc Phuong commune, Ninh Binh Province. It’s around 40km west of Tam Coc, Ninh Binh City Center, and Trang An.
The exact location of the entrance and ticket counter of Cuc Phuong National Park is at 20.240979047990972, 105.71877696109257. From this location, you can drive along the main road for 20km to head to the main trailhead within the park.
How to Get to Cuc Phuong National Park from Tam Coc?
If you want to take a day trip from Tam Coc and Ninh Binh to Cuc Phuong National Park, you can rent a scooter, hire a private driver with a car, or take a guided tour.
I prefer to rent a scooter to explore at my own pace, but you can consider taking a guided tour or hire a private driver if you don’t drive. Hiring a private drive will give you more privacy and be more expensive while taking a guided tour means more economic options and sharing the trip with strangers.
Within around 40km apart, it’ll take 50 mins to get from Tam Coc to the entrance of the park, and another 30 mins drive to get from the entrance to the main trail head within the park.
Renting a scooter
I personally think riding a scooter is the best and budget-friendly way to get to Cuc Phuong from Tam Coc. I rented a scooter from my hotel for only 150k VND per day.
The average scooter rental in Tam Coc is 150k-200k VND per day. You can easily rent it at your hotel or one of the many travel agencies and rental shops on the main trip of Tam Coc.
Having your own scooter is not only convenient for getting from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong, but also important to navigate the trails and attractions inside the park. The main paved road within the park is 20km long. From the main road, it branches to trailheads and attractions.
Hiring a private driver
If you don’t drive or you travel with a group of friends or family, you can consider hiring a private driver for a day. This can be easily done by asking your hotel to help you and ask the local travel agencies.
Hiring a private driver offers you itinerary flexibility and personalized pacing. You can choose where to stop and how long to explore each place. With a private driver, you can consider stopping at the nearby Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary if you love bears.
The downside of hiring a private driver is that it can be expensive if you’re a solo traveler.
It’s better to go with a group so you can share the cost.
Taking a Guided tour
Taking a guided tour is a more budget option compared to hiring a private driver and is a good choice if you don’t want to drive a scooter. You will share the group with random travelers and follow the strict schedule.
You can book a tour online or at local travel agencies. It’s usually cheaper to book directly at local agencies as they don’t have to pay commission to the 3rd party platform. But if you want convenience booking tickets online, there are many safe platforms to look at such as Viator, or Getyourguide.
A day tour from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong ranging from 500k-1 million VND. You can consider booking a Day Trek Cuc Phuong National Park with Bear Sanctuary in one tour. I suggest booking the small group tour for the best experience.
Is it possible to get a Grab taxi from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong National Park?
Grab and GreenSM are widely operated in popular tourist areas of Ninh Binh such as Tam Coc, Trang An, Hoa Lu Old Town, and Ninh Binh city. Grab and XanhSM drivers often accept rides within a 10-20km radius, or only to popular destinations.
Since Cuc Phuong National Park is located off the main tourist track, and 40km away from Tam Coc, it can be a bit hit or miss getting a Grab driver to accept your request. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a ride from them.
If you have a ride from them, I recommend you ask them if they can pick you up later and exchange the phone number. You will text him after you finish the hike at the park. You can pay him with Grab price without using the app (so he doesn’t have to pay commission to Grab around 40% of the ride).
You can give more tips if you like him or ask him to be your private driver for a day. Cuc Phuong park is in a remote area, so it can be very hard to get a Grab taxi request back to Tam Coc.
The Grab or GreenSM taxi ride from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong National park is around 500k-600k VND per ride.
Cuc Phuong National Park Entrance Free
The entrance ticket to Cuc Phuong National Park is 60k VND for adults, 20k VND for students, and 10k VND for children.
There are couple other service package options that you can choose from:
Option 1: You can buy the 220k VND ticket, which includes Entrance fee, primate and turtle conservation program, and electric car service. This ticket is 100k VND for students, and 90k VND for children.
Option 2: You can buy the 320k VND ticket, which includes entrance fee, the primate, turtle, carnivore and pangolin conservation, ungulate and bird sanctuary, Cuc Phuong museum, and electric car ride. This ticket is 170k VND for students and 160k VND for children.
I only bought the entrance ticket because I was just interested in the hike inside the park, visiting ancient trees, prehistoric man cave, and spotting animals in the wild. If you want to explore the wildlife conservation center, you can pay extra for it.
The opening and closing time hours
The Cuc Phuong National Park is open everyday from morning to evening from 7am to 8pm. The wildlife conservation center is only open from 9:30-11:20 in the morning và 13:30-16:30 in the afternoon. They have lunch break from 11.30 am to 1.30am.
I arrived at the park during their lunch time. The staff suggested that I go inside hiking, and explore the caves and ancient trees first then come back later to the wildlife conservation center.
The evening time is for the night safari tour for those who stay overnight inside the park. If you don’t plan to stay in the park overnight and want to do the night safari, you can book with them in advance.
If your main purpose of visiting the Cuc Phuong National Park is hiking, I recommend allowing at least 3-4 hours for different self guided hikes and an extra hour if you want to see the wildlife conservation center. If you stay in Tam Coc, I’d recommend leaving an extra hour for the drive back to your hotel before dark.
The best time to visit is in the morning to lunch time, so you will have plenty of day time to do comfortable hikes and explore the park.
Cuc Phuong National Park Hiking Trail Map
Self Guided Hike at Cuc Phuong National Park
I rented a scooter from my hotel to travel from Tam Coc to Cuc Phuong Park for a day trip. I didn’t check the weather before I left, so I got caught in the rain for the last part of the ride around 15 minutes near the park.
I stopped at a minimart on the side of the road to buy a raincoat, then sat there for a while until the rain eased up. I was thinking of driving back to Tam Coc because of the rain, but then I decided to continue to get to the park.
When I drove to the park entrance, the rain was less, and there were few people at the ticket counter. I bought the entrance ticket for 60k VND to drive inside the park and do the hiking.
When I arrived at lunch time, the Wildlife Rescue Center was closed from 11.30 to 1.30pm, so the staff suggested that I go hiking first, then come back to the Wildlife Rescue Center later if I wanted (of course they have additional tickets for that).
Stop 1: Mac Lake
Mac Lake is located 1.5 km from the park’s entrance along the main road, around 7 minutes drive on a scooter. The lake was built in Ban Mac, a village that has long been home to the Muong community. There are traditional stilt houses in the area for groups with affordable prices with basic but essential amenities.
The lake has calm, crystal-clear waters that reflect the surrounding limestone cliffs and lush green forests. It’s a large lake with paved roads around the lake, and a nice setting for taking photos. It’s a popular spot to watch butterflies in the season from April to May.
There are bungalows, camping grounds, and restaurants next to the lake where you can rest and enjoy the views. You can rent a swan boat to paddle around the lake.
I just had a quick stop at the lake for some photos then continued my drive to the main trails.
Stop 2: The Cave of Prehistoric Man
The headtrail to The Cave of Prehistoric Man is located on the main road, around 20 minutes drive from Mac Lake and 25 minutes drive from the main entrance of the park.
You can park your car and scooter at the parking area, then hike to the cave. There is a small shop selling drinks and simple foods such as boiled egg, grilled meat, and snacks at the parking area.
The cave is 300m from the main road. It takes me around 15 minutes to walk up and 10 minutes walk down between the parking area and the cave.
The narrow trail is located in the lush, dense forest with tall trees and thick green vegetation, creating a cool, shaded, and secluded atmosphere.
The trail includes a flat bridge at the beginning then steep stairs near the cave. The concrete bridge and the stairs have weathered, moss-covered railings on both sides, giving it a natural, slightly aged experience.
I visited on a rainy day, the path was wet and a bit slippery, I almost fell down. Make sure to watch out for your steps while hiking the stairs.
The cave contains the shelter and grave of a prehistoric man, dated from 7.500 years ago. It was a simple cave and not very well maintained. It’s not as impressive as other caves in Tam Coc and Ninh Binh, but still a nice place to see, plus the short jungle hike was beautiful and peaceful.
Stop 3: The Arbre Centenaire Ancient Trees
The trailhead to this 3km loop self guided trail is located on the main road, 15 minute drive from the Cave of Prehistoric Man. I parked my scooter on the side of the road, and started my hike. The trail from the main road to the ancient trees is 800m and the park’s map suggests that it’ll take 15 minutes on the trail to the tree.
It took me 10 minutes to reach the ancient trees. Most people get back to the same trail to come back to their scooter parking to get their scooter. I like hiking and I found the loop on the park’s map, so I continued to the other side of the trail. Then it became a nightmare!
This side of the trail was not well maintained. I got lost to the trail many times, as not many people were checking this one. Some trees have fallen and blocked the path.
There are also many leeches trying to go inside my shoes because it is wet and there are more of them after the rain. I tried to use Google Maps and Maps.me to navigate but there was no signal. Map.me Offline version worked a bit and I finally got to the main road after 30 minutes fighting with the leeches and navigating.
This trail does not require a tour guide, so I’m allowed to go in to check by myself. But the park should notify me of the condition of the trail. If I knew it, I wouldn’t continue the path. It was easy to get lost even though it was short.
The trail is number 12 on the park’s map. If you plan to do the loop, make sure to check with the park if the second part of the trail from the ancient tree to the main road is in good condition.
Stop 4: The 7km long loop trail
This trailhead of this 7km long loop trail is located at the end of the park’s main road, 40 minutes drive from the park’s entrance.
The area is home to bungalows, camping ground, Bong Restaurant, and toilet. You can use the toilet here before starting the long trail.
The restaurant is simply in the middle of the tropical forest. Both Vietel and Vinaphone have no phone signal there. You cannot pay by card or transfer the money, so it’s best to prepare the cash. The electricity is provided by a generator.
They have grilled chicken, perk, sticky rice, and instant noodle dishes. It’s best to bring your own snack and water and don’t expect too much from the food at the restaurant.
The 7km trail is the loop trail, starting and fishing at the parking area, so you can start either direction. I start the trail from the trailhead near the toilet area. You can see some wild monkeys here.
It took me 2 hours to explore this 7km long trail. The trail is narrow with some dirt paths, paved paths, as well as steep stairs, especially at the near end of the trail.
There are clear paths along the trail with signs to the caves and ancient trees.I recommend avoiding directions that require a tour guide to get lost. With the grown trees in the path and thick jungle, it’s easy to get lost here and there are no phone signals.
The forest was wet at the time of my visit, so there are leeches everywhere, on the plants as well as on the road. You should wear leech socks, long pants, and long sleeved shirts. Tuck your pan into your socks.
Stop 5: Watching the Wild Peacocks along the main road
After fishing the last hike, I went back to the parking, drove back to the entrance area and Tam Coc. Along the park’s main road within a short distance to Bong Restaurant, I saw a peacock couple playing on the side of the road. I stopped and watched them for around 10 minutes.
I enjoyed the nice ride with fresh air and calm atmosphere within a national park.
Stop 6: Wildlife rescue and reservation center
I came to Cuc Phuong to hike, so I skipped this part. It was also a bit expensive for me at the time, so I didn’t buy a ticket for it. You can do it after or before the hike. They close at lunch time from 11.30am to 1.30pm.
If you arrive at this lunch break, you can do the hike first then come back to visit the rescue center. It’ll take around 30-60 minutes to explore the center. Take a note that the rescue center is closed at 4.30pm.
If you’re interested in seeing monkeys, turtles, and other kinds of animals, you can buy combo tickets. These centers are located right at the entrance and ticket counter. There is a guide and electric car for you if you buy these tickets.
The trails at Cuc Phuong that required a tour guide
While there are trails that you can explore by yourself, many trails inside the national park require a guide at the park. You can consider the Cloud Peak trail, which is a 4-6 hours trek to the highest peak of Cuc Phuong Peak.
The 9km loop trail (4-6h hike) to ancient trees and numerous fossils is also interesting. It’s #11 on the park’s trail map.
If you want a longer trek, you can take the 1-2 days trek visiting ethnic villages such as Khanh Village, Bang Village, Bien Village, and Cascade Waterfall.
How long do you spend at Cuc Phuong National Park?
It took me the full afternoon (around 5 hours) to just hike several trails inside the park without visiting the rescue and reservation center. This time allow me to do the 7km long trail at the end of the park (#17 on the park’s map), visit the prehistoric cave, and the trail to the ancient tree (#12 on the park’s map).
I hiked on the rainy day with wet trails so it slowed me down a bit, plus some extra time to navigate the trail when I got a bit lost at trail #12.
Common trails and places to visit for self-guided visitors to the Cuc Phuong National Park are:
- The Cave of Prehistoric Man: 30 minutes including time for hiking and exploring the cave
- Trail #12 to Ancient tree: 20-30 minutes walk there and back the same way.
- Trail #17 – the 7km loop path: 2-3 hours depending on your fitness
- Driving within the park itself: 40 minutes each way
- The Rescue and Reservation Program: 30-60 minutes
I would recommend spending at least half day at the park and visiting early to have plenty of time exploring different trails and attractions within the park.
Ninh Binh Bear Sanctuary
The bear sanctuary is located 10 minutes drive from Cuc Phuong park, so you can consider combining the visit to these two places within a trip. Entrance free without the tour guide is 50k VND per person, and with guided tours is 250k VND per person.
See more:
- Trang An or Tam Coc Boat Ride?
- 14 Best Things to Do in Ninh Binh
- 2 to 3 Days in Ninh Binh Itinerary
- Hoa Lu Old Town vs Ancient Capital
Overall, I had a great time visiting Cuc Phuong National Park. You should visit the park if you’re into hiking and want to experience the off the main tourist track destination in Ninh Binh. You can definitely do it by yourself without a tour if you can drive a scooter and hire a private driver. Taking a guided tour is also a great option if you don’t drive.