Ninh Binh, Vietnam

Why go

Two hours south of Hanoi the flat delta suddenly grows limestone karsts, hundreds of them, standing straight out of rice paddy and river. At Trang An you sit in a small metal boat and a woman rows you, often with her feet, through caves cut under the rock and out into valleys with a temple at the end. It takes three hours and it is one of the calmest things you can do in Vietnam. Cycle out to Hang Mua and climb five hundred steps for the view down over the Tam Coc river bend, especially in late May when the rice turns gold. Sleep in a homestay in the fields and hear nothing but frogs.

Good to know

• Fly into Hanoi (HAN), then about two hours by road or train
• Two or three nights, easy to combine with Hanoi and Ha Long Bay
• Choose Trang An over Tam Coc if you only do one boat trip
• Rice is green in February to April and gold in late May and early June

Best February to May, and September to October.