The Mua Cave Viewpoint

The Mua Cave viewpoint is the summit of Ngoa Long, the Lying Dragon, reached by about 500 stone steps from the ticket gate in Khe Dau Ha village, Ninh Binh. From the top you look south over the Tam Coc valley, its river and rice fields between the limestone towers. The ticket is 150,000 dong; the day tours give the climb and the photos about an hour and a half.

The calendar above is the day tour from Hanoi that ends at Mua Cave, from $48 in current promotion (usually $55) a person (checked November 2026), the ticket included.

The steps

About 500 stone steps lead from the grounds to the top of the Lying Dragon. Guests on the day tours call it a small but steep hike, challenging in the heat and worth it for the views, and the tours budget about an hour and a half for the climb, the summit and the walk down. Wear shoes with grip; the tours that list what to bring name comfortable walking shoes, a sun hat and sunscreen.

Check dates for the climb at about 16:00

What you see from the top

South, the Tam Coc valley: the river winding between rice fields and karst towers, the route the Tam Coc rowing boats take through three caves. North and west, the edge of the Trang An massif, the core of the World Heritage area UNESCO inscribed in 2014. The ridge itself is the dragon of the name; the grounds below hold a lotus pond.

muacave.org covers the place itself, from the disputed step count to sunrise and sunset times at the summit.

When to climb

The day tours reach the gate at about 15:30 to 16:00, after the boat ride, which puts the climb in the lower light of late afternoon. One guest on the hero tour climbed in the morning and found it a good decision; the itinerary does change with the weather and traffic. Midday is the hottest slot. Ninh Binh’s long-term mean temperature is 29.2 °C in July and 16.6 °C in January, by the national climate standard. When to go has the months.

The walk to Tam Coc

If you are staying near Tam Coc, the Tam Coc boat wharf is 3.5 km on foot from the Mua Cave gate by the shortest walking route, about 47 minutes, or 4.4 km by road, about nine minutes in a car. That makes Mua Cave and the Tam Coc boat an easy pairing on a day of your own; Trang An or Tam Coc compares the two boat rides.

Pick your way up

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.