The best price to visit Mua cave

PostedMarch 30, 2024

Located in Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province, Mua Cave is a renowned tourist destination in Vietnam. It blends ecological exploration with the majestic beauty and mystique of nature, along with the historical and cultural charm of Vietnam’s ancient architecture.

The cost of visiting Mua Cave is generally reasonable; however, to get the best price, it’s advisable to research, negotiate prices, and pre-book services to minimize unnecessary expenses.

Additionally, consider joining organized tours, as they often offer more reasonable ticket prices when factoring in transportation, tour guides, and other amenities.

Check out the best Mua Cave tours in 2024:

Types of Expenses When Visiting Mua Cave

When traveling in general and specifically visiting Mua Cave, there are various expenses to anticipate and calculate beforehand to ensure a complete and cost-effective trip.

Transportation Costs

There are several transportation options to reach Mua Cave, depending on your location:

For detailed information on routes and transportation methods, refer to: “5 Ways to Transfer to Mua Cave: Fastest, Shortest, Cheapest Way?”

Self-driving by motorcycle or car

Advantages: Flexibility in route selection and travel time for sightseeing and exploration in surrounding areas.
Disadvantages: Requires more physical effort (since you’re driving yourself) and transportation costs are typically higher. While many people assume that motorcycle travel is cheaper, you need to consider cases where the vehicle encounters issues on the road, which could significantly increase your transportation costs.

For example, let’s consider the distance from central Hanoi as an example – approximately 100km:

If traveling by motorcycle, you’ll spend about 50,000-70,000 VND for fuel; 150,000-200,000 VND for wear and tear or repairs (if you don’t have a motorcycle, you can rent one for 120,000-250,000 VND/day depending on the type of motorcycle in Hanoi).
Thus, you’ll spend over 200,000 VND for motorcycle travel (or 300,000-350,000 VND if you need to rent a motorcycle) for a one-way trip.
If opting for a car, the costs are usually much higher. If you need to rent a car, you’ll spend around 800,000-2,000,000 VND/car/day depending on the type of car; about 150,000-250,000 VND for fuel for a one-way trip; you’ll also need to allocate around 200,000-500,000 VND for potential vehicle issues requiring repairs.

And a special note when driving to unfamiliar places is to ensure compliance with traffic laws; otherwise, you’ll need to factor in fines into your travel expenses!

Traveling by Bus or Shuttle Bus

Advantages: The cost can be considered the cheapest, especially when opting for bus travel as it is a public mode of transportation with very affordable fares. Relatively safe, and you won’t need to drive yourself, just sit on the bus, enjoy the scenery during the 1-2 hour journey.
Disadvantages: Because these are scheduled transportation options, they will only take you to bus stations in Ninh Binh without directly reaching the Mua Cave ecological area. You will need to incur additional expenses to hire a taxi or motorcycle taxi for further transportation. Additionally, the routes of these vehicles are predetermined.

The transportation cost when choosing bus or shuttle bus from Hanoi is about 70,000-150,000 VND for one-way, depending on the type of vehicle. Then you need to take a motorcycle taxi (around 70,000-100,000 VND) or a taxi (around 150,000-200,000 VND) to reach the Mua Cave ecological area.

Other Transportation Options

There are many other transportation options you can choose from. If you are traveling from the central or southern provinces, you can choose long-distance bus routes, trains, or flights.

The common feature of these vehicles is that they have specific stops, and you will need to use other means of transportation to reach the exact location of the Mua Cave ecological area.

Accommodation Costs

When visiting Mua Cave, you can choose to stay in guesthouses in residential areas, romantic homestays, or modern hotels depending on your needs and preferences.

Typically, choosing guesthouses or homestays will provide a more exciting experience as it allows you to experience and get closer to nature, away from the modern architecture of the city.

However, it is also important to note that you should choose the most suitable option for yourself and your budget because after all, you are enjoying a trip – where you want to have the most comfortable time for yourself.

Typically, accommodation costs range from 700,000-4,000,000 VND per room per night depending on the type of room. To choose the most suitable option for yourself as well as your budget, you can refer to the details in the following article: “[A Traveler’s Guide] Where can stay near Mua cave.”

Food Costs

Similar to choosing suitable accommodation. In the Mua Cave area, there will be common dishes or traditional local specialties such as: Burned Rice, Ninh Binh Fermented Pork Roll, Ninh Binh Grilled Fish, Pillow Cake, Crab Noodle Soup, …

I especially encourage you to try the local specialties because you may not always have the opportunity to enjoy those dishes or at least you will not be able to find the exact taste when enjoying them elsewhere.

However, it must be said that sometimes some dishes may not be entirely suitable for you. So, you can order and try a little bit before listing them on your menu.

Typically, the typical dishes at Mua Cave, Ninh Binh are quite affordable, mostly around 30,000 VND/portion. Do you want to know details about local dishes at Mua Cave and the best restaurants to choose from? Check out the article: What to Eat near Mua Cave.

Cost of Visiting the Mua Cave Ecological Area

Mua Cave tour ticket in 2024

Ticket price: 100,000 VND/person over 1m; children under 1m tall will be free

The ticket includes:

Entrance ticket to Mua Cave tourist area.
Mua Cave tour ticket.
Visit ticket to Mua Temple.
Visit ticket to Thung Nham Bird Garden.

Electric car ticket:

Ticket price: 40,000 VND/person/round trip (both ways)
Electric car tickets help tourists move from the foot of the mountain to the top of Mua Mountain and vice versa.
Children under 1m tall are free of electric car tickets.

Combo ticket:

Combo ticket price: 120,000 VND/person.
The combo ticket includes:
Tour ticket.
Electric car ticket (2 trips).

The cheapest options for visiting Mua Cave

In general, the cost of visiting Mua Cave, whether you depart from any location, can be divided into 2 types:

Fixed costs such as: accommodation costs, food costs, tourist attraction costs.
Variable costs: transportation costs when you choose different types of vehicles or with different distances.

A small suggestion to save costs while still enjoying a complete trip is that you can choose professional pre-arranged tours. With such a ready-made package, the prices offered by tour organizers will surely be very attractive!

The Cheapest Options For Visiting Mua Cave

But if you prefer to explore and experience on your own to customize the most appropriate options, you can refer to the cheapest options to visit Mua Cave from different areas as suggested below:

Cheapest cost to visit Mua Cave from Hanoi

The cheapest combo to visit Mua Cave from Hanoi will include:

Travel by bus with a cost of about 400,000 VND for a round trip.
Stay 1 night in Ninh Binh or Mua Cave area with a price of about 700,000 VND/room (you should go with friends and relatives to share room costs for savings) – if 2 people go, the cost will be about 350,000 VND/person/night.
Food costs about 100,000 VND/person * 2 meals = 200,000 VND

In total, the cost of visiting Mua Cave from Hanoi when traveling on your own will be about 950,000 VND/person for a 1-day, 1-night trip, which is very reasonable, right!

Cheapest cost to visit Mua Cave from Halong Bay

There are some bus companies running routes from Halong Bay to Ninh Binh, where Mua Cave is located. Bus ticket prices range from 180,000 – 250,000 VND/person/way. The travel time is about 4-5 hours. Here are some reputable bus companies on this route:

Kumho Bus:

Ticket price: 200,000 VND/person/way.
Schedule: 7:00, 10:00, 13:00, 16:00.
Pick-up point: Bai Chay Bus Station (Halong Bay)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Hoang Long Bus:

Ticket price: 180,000 VND/person/way.
Schedule: 8:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00.
Pick-up point: Bai Chay Bus
Station (Halong Bay)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

The Sinh Tourist Bus:

Ticket price: 220,000 VND/person/way.
Schedule: 7:30, 11:30, 14:30, 17:30.
Pick-up point: Bai Chay Bus Station (Halong Bay)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Therefore, the cheapest combo to visit Mua Cave from Halong Bay, if you apply the same formula as above, will be similar to traveling from Hanoi. However, the waiting time on the bus will be twice as long.

Cheapest cost to visit Mua Cave from Cat Ba

There are many bus and bus companies running routes from Cat Ba to Ninh Binh, where Mua Cave is located, with ticket prices ranging from 140,000 – 200,000 VND/person/way. The travel time is about 3 – 4 hours. Here are some reputable bus companies:

Cat Ba Discovery:

Ticket price: 180,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 7:30, 11:30, 14:30
Pick-up point: Cai Vieng Port (Cat Ba)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Tuan Chau Tourist:

Ticket price: 160,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 8:00, 12:00, 15:00
Pick-up point: Gia Luan Port (Cat Ba)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Hoang Long:

Ticket price: 140,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 8:00, 12:00, 15:00
Pick-up point: Bai Chay Bus Station (Halong Bay)
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Therefore, the cost of visiting Mua Cave from Cat Ba will be about 340,000-400,000 VND for transportation and about 550,000 VND/person/night (with the option of traveling with 2 people to share room expenses). Then the total cost of visiting for 1 day and 1 night will be less than 1,000,000 VND. You may spend more to buy souvenirs or have snacks at night, and the total cost will be around 1,500,000 VND/person.

Cheapest cost to visit Mua Cave from Sapa

There are many bus and bus companies running routes from Sapa to Ninh Binh, where Mua Cave is located, with ticket prices ranging from 200,000 – 350,000 VND/person/way. The travel time is about 5 – 6 hours. Here are some reputable bus companies you can refer to:

Green Lion:

Ticket price: 250,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 7:00, 13:00, 19:00
Pick-up point: Sapa Bus Station
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

The Sinh Tourist:

Ticket price: 300,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 7:30, 12:30, 17:30
Pick-up point: Sapa Bus Station
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Sapa Express:

Ticket price: 220,000 VND/person/way
Schedule: 8:00, 14:00, 20:00
Pick-up point: Sapa Bus Station
Drop-off point: Ninh Binh Bus Station

Therefore, the transportation cost from Sapa to Mua Cave will be about 200,000 VND round trip higher than from Hanoi to Mua Cave. The total cost for visiting Mua Cave for 1 day and 1 night will be about 1,150,000 VND/person.

Cheapest Cost To Visit Mua Cave From Sapa

I hope that with the information provided by Bookingvietnamtour, you can choose for yourself the most suitable itinerary as well as accommodation, and experience the most appropriate place with the most optimal cost. See you at Mua Cave soon!