Famous for its breathtaking swallow caves, Yen Island is an island in Nha Trang Bay. This location draws travelers for a variety of thrilling activities in addition to its distinctive double beach.
I. Where is Yen Island?
Yen Island (part of Hon Noi) is a cluster of islands located in Nha Trang Bay. It is about 25km from Cau Da port, approximately 13 nautical miles away. It’s quite far, so if you travel by boat, it will take about 1 hour and 20 minutes to reach the island, while canoeing can shorten the time by 2/3.
Particularly, Yen Island (Hon Noi) is the residence and habitat of thousands of swallow individuals and is also the largest swallow nest exploitation site in Vietnam at present.
II. When should you visit Yen Island?
The weather on Yen Island (Hon Noi) is similar to that in Nha Trang, both relatively mild. There are usually only two distinct seasons: the sunny season and the rainy season. The sunny season lasts from January to September, while the rainy season is shorter, from October to December.
However, because it is an island, its climate is somewhat harsher compared to other areas. For example, on rainy days, the rain is heavier, the wind is stronger, or on sunny days, the heat is more intense than usual.
With these characteristics, almost all tourists will choose the sunny season (from March to September) to travel.
III. How to get to Yen Island
Getting to Yen Island is not difficult; you can follow our guide below:
Directions from the port to the island
Yen Island Hon Noi tours do not provide pick-up services at hotels. Therefore, you have to actively move to Cau Da port to reach Yen Island. At the port, there is a private dock area in Sannest serving to transport tourists to Yen Island, Nha Trang.
There are two types of transportation options for you to choose from: wooden tourist boats (with a capacity of 45–50 seats) or high-speed canoes (with a capacity of 20–36 seats).
Taking the wooden boat: The wooden tourist boat has a slower travel time (about 1 hour) and cheaper ticket prices to Yen Island Nha Trang (490,000 VND/ticket). Therefore, this is a cost-effective transportation option that allows you more time to enjoy the beautiful scenery at sea. This mode of transportation is suitable for tourists traveling in groups and is less prone to seasickness.
Taking the canoe: Tourists who experience seasickness or cannot tolerate long travel times should choose the high-speed canoe. The canoe has the advantage of fast travel (only takes about 30–45 minutes to arrive) and departs at 8:30 am, about 1 hour later than the wooden boat.
Moreover, zooming on the sea surface with the canoe creates an exciting feeling. However, the ticket price for the canoe is quite high, around 790,000 VND per ticket. In general, traveling to Yen Island by canoe is suitable for families or groups of friends.
IV. What to do on Yen Island
On Yen Island, visitors not only have the opportunity to admire the beautiful natural scenery but also participate in experiencing the following interesting and unique activities:
1. Witnessing natural swallow nests up close
To reach the swallow caves, tourists have to navigate around rocky cliffs and cross small, winding wooden bridges. Here, you will have the opportunity to witness natural swallow nests and flocks of swallows flying in the sky.
During the cave exploration, tourists can pause and capture beautiful moments everywhere. You can take selfies with friends or capture images of small birds perched on rocks, flying over roofs, cliffs, etc. All these images will become memorable souvenirs on your journey to explore Yen Island.
2. Snorkeling to admire beautiful coral reefs
Tourists who love diving cannot miss this experience in their journey to explore Yen Island, Nha Trang. You can sign up for snorkeling services with goggles and life jackets to admire the beauty of the ocean up close. At this time, you will immerse yourself in the underwater world and admire the beautiful coral reefs.
Besides snorkeling services, tourists can also fully enjoy the underwater scenery on the glass-bottom boat. Even though you can only observe from a distance, this experience will surely not disappoint you.
3. Immersing yourself in the clear waters of the Double beach
The unique and novel Double Beach is a prominent feature that attracts tourists from both domestic and international destinations to visit Yen Island, Nha Trang. Looking from above, you will be surprised by the image of a white-sand road separating the two shores. The sand appears smooth but is composed of sand and dead corals. Especially, these two halves of the beach have hot and cold water with two different shades of blue.
Tourists can lie on the beach and admire the peaceful scenery or immerse themselves in the clear waters of the beach. Regardless of your choice, you will surely have an impressive and satisfying experience with this picturesque natural landscape.
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4. Exploring Hon Sam and Hon Ngoai
The journey to explore Yen Island does not only limit itself to Hon Noi but also offers tourists the opportunity to explore Hon Sam and Hon Ngoai. During the trip to Yen Island, the boat will approach Hon Sam for tourists to take a break and explore. Here, it is famous for swallow caves with high cliffs, highlighted by colorful swallow nests that support several small swallow birds inside.
Tourists will be guided with detailed information about the habits and lifestyles of swallows and witness swallow eggs. Since the swallow caves on Hon Sam are exposed, you can easily explore and take photos.
A relatively long distance from Hon Sam is Hon Ngoai, the location with the largest natural swallow caves in Vietnam. However, these swallow caves are not developed for tourism purposes, so only guards and swallow nest harvesters can enter.
5. Conquering Du Ha Mountain Peak
If you are looking for a tourist destination with full experiences from swimming, diving, and mountain climbing, then Yen Island, Nha Trang, will be a perfect choice. Here, you can participate in the journey to conquer Du Ha Mountain Peak on Hon Doi, with a height of 90m and 220 stone steps.
The reward at the end of the journey is not only the feeling of pride in your own efforts but also the majestic and romantic natural scenery. There, you will admire the harmonious intertwining of mountains and seas, which is incredibly picturesque.
6. Enjoying local specialties on the island
When booking a tour to Yen Island, Nha Trang, tourists will be served breakfast and lunch featuring local specialties on the island. These dishes will have unique flavors, be easy to eat, and have diverse preparation methods, providing enough nutrition and energy for tourists.
As it is the largest swallow nest exploitation site in Vietnam, dishes made from fresh natural swallow nests are considered specialties here. Therefore, besides the complimentary menu served, you can enjoy premium swallow nest desserts that are fragrant and nutritious.
7. Exciting kayak paddling
Yen Island also provides many services to bring tourists diverse experiences during their tour. Among them, kayak paddling is an exciting activity that you shouldn’t miss to experience the feeling of swaying on the sea and freely admire the beauty of Yen Island, Hon Noi.
V. Travel tips for visitors when visiting Yen Island
To ensure a smooth and memorable trip to Yen Island, Nha Trang, with many unforgettable experiences, you should pay attention to the following travel tips:
- Book tickets in advance, preferably 3 days to a week before, to avoid running out of tickets, as Yen Island tours have a limit on the number of visitors per day.
- Arrive at Yen Sao port earlier than the departure time, about 15–20 minutes, to collect tickets and complete the tour’s check-in procedures.
- If you experience seasickness, prepare medication beforehand and absolutely avoid sitting at the front of the boat.
- When visiting and taking photos in the swallow caves, remember to turn off the flash to avoid disturbing the birds in the nests.
- Tourists should never take any souvenirs during the tour or litter at any tourist destinations.
- Don’t forget to bring along a hat, cap, sunglasses, sunscreen, swimsuit, camera, power bank, etc., to be ready to participate in all experiences on Yen Island Nha Trang.
- Tours only operate from March to September. Other months will suspend operations due to adverse weather conditions such as storms and strong waves.
With these tips, you can have an enjoyable and hassle-free experience exploring Yen Island, the most unique double beach in Vietnam. Ula Travel hopes that the information provided will give you useful travel knowledge and an unforgettable vacation.
