The Best Time to Visit Mua Cave

The most comfortable months for Mua Cave are November to April, when Ninh Binh’s long-term mean temperature is 16.6 to 23.7 °C and every month brings under 75 mm of rain. The hot, wet months are May to September: August and September bring the most rain, and in 2026 they brought the floods that closed the Trang An boats. The climb itself is best in the late afternoon, which is when the day tours reach it.

The calendar above is the day from Hanoi, from $48 in current promotion (usually $55) a person (checked November 2026); it runs all year, with a surcharge at Lunar New Year.

Month by month

Long-term normals for the Ninh Binh station, from Vietnam’s national climate standard QCVN 02:2022/BXD (Ministry of Construction). Year: 23.7 °C, 1,784 mm, 147 rain days.

March has the most rain days of the year but only 46 mm: many light-rain days. November and December are the driest. September is the wettest month, and October still carries 219 mm.

Check dates for the Mua Cave day tour

When the rivers close the boats

The climb rarely stops; the boats do.

In 2026:

• 31 July to 2 August: Trang An closed boat route 3 when heavy rain raised the water in the caves above the safe level; routes 1 and 2 kept running.
• From 21 August: Trang An replaced its three routes with one alternative route, then from 23 August stopped all visits during storm Narra until further notice.
• 16 September: Trang An ran an adjusted route, then closed from 17 September until further notice. From 17 September Tam Coc turned its boats back at the mouth of Hang Hai, with no Hang Ba, and stopped the electric car to Bich Dong.

Reviews of the day tour from the second half of October describe the Trang An boat running again. If you book for August or September, choose free cancellation: both Hanoi tours here allow it up to 24 hours ahead.

Tet

For Tet 2026 the Ninh Binh tourism department listed Trang An closed on the 29th of the last lunar month and the first day of Tet (16 and 17 February 2026), Tam Coc closed for part of each of those days (7:00 to 11:00 on 16 February, 13:00 to 17:00 on 17 February), and Mua Cave, Bai Dinh and Hoa Lu open; check the next year’s list before a holiday booking. The day tour adds a surcharge over the holiday. Weekends and public holidays are crowded all year.

The hour

The day tours from Hanoi reach Mua Cave at about 16:00, after the boat; the ones from Ninh Binh hotels at about 15:30. That is the lower light of late afternoon and the cooler end of the day. If you go on your own in the hot months, avoid midday on the steps. The viewpoint has the climb.

Pick your day

Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.