By Mr. Phoenix - Hoang Anh Nguyen, Cat Ba Nomad · Last updated 24 August 2026 · Written on Cat Ba Island

Cat Ba National Park is the reason the island still looks the way it does. It covers the forested spine of the island, it is the core of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, and you can walk into it for 80,000 VND. This is what the routes actually involve, what they cost, and which one is right for the shape you are in.

The park in one paragraph

The park protects tropical limestone forest, freshwater wetland, mangrove and coastal karst, and it forms the terrestrial core of the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, designated by UNESCO in 2004. The reserve covers 26,419 hectares, split into 16,417 hectares of land and 10,002 hectares of sea. Surveys inside it have logged 2,026 species, including 741 plants and 142 terrestrial animal species. It is also the only home of the Cat Ba langur, of which fewer than 70 survive.

Park headquarters sits at Trung Trang, roughly 15 kilometres from Cat Ba Town, about 25 minutes by scooter or taxi along the island road. Every trail starts from there.

Practical basics

Route 1: Ngu Lam Peak, the one almost everyone should do

3.6 kilometres round trip. Roughly 45 minutes up and 30 minutes down, so budget 1.5 to 2 hours including time at the top. Graded moderate, which here means a real staircase of tree roots and worn limestone rather than a groomed path.

The trail starts behind the visitor centre, passes the botanical garden and the butterfly garden, and climbs through Kim Giao forest, home to the rare and slow-growing Kim Giao tree. The last section is a scramble over exposed rock to a small metal viewing tower. From it you get 360 degrees over the forested karst and, on a clear day, out to the bay.

The final ten minutes are steeper than the photos suggest and the limestone is slick after rain. This is the section where people in flip flops turn around.

Route 2: Park to Frog Lake to Viet Hai Village

14 kilometres, graded challenging, five to six hours of walking. This is the serious option and the most rewarding one. The trail crosses the interior of the park, passes Frog Lake and its flooded willow forest, then descends into Viet Hai, a village inside the park boundary that had no road connection for most of its history.

Almost nobody walks back. The standard structure is to trek in, eat lunch in the village, then cycle the flat 5 kilometres to the pier and take a boat back across Lan Ha Bay to Ben Beo. Done that way it becomes a full day that ends on the water, which is a much better day than an out and back.

Take a guide on this one. The route is not consistently marked, phone signal disappears in the middle section, and the descent is the part where ankles get turned.

Route 3: Trung Trang Cave

Not a trek, but worth attaching to either of the above. A 300 metre limestone passage with lit paths and heavy stalactite formation, ten minutes from the park entrance. Entry is 80,000 VND, sometimes bundled with park admission. It is genuinely cool inside, in both senses, and it is the easiest thing in the park to do with children or with knees that have opinions.

Which route, honestly

What to bring

• Two litres of water per person. There is nowhere to refill on the trails and the humidity here averages 85 percent.
• Real shoes with grip. Wet limestone is genuinely slippery. This is the single most common cause of injury in the park.
• Mosquito repellent. Strongest in the wetland sections around Frog Lake.
• Long sleeves you can roll up. The forest sections have thorny scrub at shoulder height.
• Cash. The ticket window does not reliably take cards.

When to go

November to April. Those months are drier, cooler and clearer, with January and December averaging only 20 mm of rain across six to nine wet days. July and August average 250 to 280 mm with up to 17 rainy days and carry real typhoon risk, and the trails turn genuinely unpleasant. Full breakdown in our month by month weather guide.

Whatever month you pick, start early. The gates open at 07:00, the first two hours are the coolest of the day, and the wildlife is only active before the heat arrives.

Ticket prices, and why you will see three different numbers online

Cat Ba National Park does not charge one flat fee. It sells tickets by route, which is why one blog tells you 80,000 VND and the next tells you 160,000 VND and both are technically right. Here is the actual structure.

Buy the 120,000 VND route ticket if you plan to do Ngu Lam and the cave in the same morning, which most people do. It is cheaper than paying the two separately. Fees are revised periodically, so confirm at the window, and bring cash.

The full trail list, with honest timings

Most guides only mention Ngu Lam. The park has considerably more than that, and the longer routes are where it gets interesting.

None of these enter the strict protection zones on the coastal cliffs, which is deliberate. Those are closed so that the last of the Cat Ba langurs are left alone.

Getting to the park gate

The park headquarters at Trung Trang sits about 14 kilometres north east of Cat Ba Town and 9.4 kilometres south west of the Gia Luan ferry terminal. Riding it takes roughly 25 minutes on a good road.

Scooter hire in Cat Ba Town runs about 200,000 VND for a day, which is the cheapest way to reach the gate if there are two of you. Agree the price before you take the keys, photograph any existing damage, and test the brakes on the flat. If you would rather not ride, a taxi with an agreed return fare and waiting time is usually better value than paying twice, and every guided trek includes the transfer.

Frequently asked

Next up: 15 best things to do on Cat Ba and how to get around the island.