Private & tailor-made · 1–4 guests
Marble Mountains Private Tour from Da Nang: Caves, Lady Buddha and Stone Carvers
Five hours with your own guide: the Lady Buddha on Son Tra before the coaches arrive, the caves of Thuy Son at the hour the sun comes through the roof, and a carver’s yard at Non Nuoc where the chisel is still in use. Every entry fee is paid before you travel.
A sample day at a glance
What changes when the day is yours
A private car for your group alone
Private, 1-4 guests, and nobody outside your party is added to it
Your own licensed local guide
Fluent in English and explains the shrines, the legends and the wartime story of each cave — to your group alone, not a van of strangers
Collected at your own hotel
Anywhere in Da Nang. No meeting point to reach on your own, and no shuttle round of other hotels
Every entry fee prepaid
The mountain, the elevator and Am Phu cave are bought for you. Nothing is collected from you at any gate
No shop stops, in writing
No detour to a marble showroom that pays to have you delivered
The caves at the right hour
We reach Huyen Khong while the sun still falls through the roof, not when a coach timetable allows
Duration
5 hours
Departure
07:30 hotel pickup
Pickup
Any Da Nang hotel
from · $39 · / person · ›Check your price ›
Choose your group size · price is the total for the group
Solo traveller$135 BOOK →2 guests$140 BOOK →3 guests$150 BOOK →4 guests$155 BOOK →Free cancellation up to 3 days before · every tour tailored on request
The morning, stop by stop
This is a sample day: add, skip or linger over any stop and we will adjust it. Times follow the 07:30 pickup and are set so the group reaches Huyen Khong while the light is in it.
Hotel pickup · 07:30 · anywhere in Da Nang
Lady Buddha at Linh Ung Pagoda, Son Tra
08:00 · about 40 minutes · on foot, mostly flat
No entry fee at this stop
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The 67-metre statue of the Bodhisattva of Mercy stands on the Son Tra peninsula facing the bay. Arriving at eight means the terrace before the tour coaches, and your guide explains why fishing families come here to pray and who the eighteen stone figures in the garden are.
Drive south · about 25 minutes · along the beach road
Thuy Son: Linh Ung pagoda, Tang Chon and Van Thong caves
09:15 · about 75 minutes · elevator, then stone steps
Entry and elevator included
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The elevator saves the first climb. From the terrace by Linh Ung pagoda your guide leads a loop most visitors walk past: the quiet shrines of Tang Chon, the narrow chimney of Van Thong that opens to the sky, and the Vong Hai viewpoint over Non Nuoc beach. The loop is planned to end at Huyen Khong while the light is still in it.
Huyen Khong cave
around 10:30 · about 30 minutes · steps down into the cave
Included in the mountain ticket
4 photos · tap to enlarge
The largest cave on the mountain, a lofty hall with shrines cut into the rock. On sunny mornings beams of light fall through openings in its roof. Your guide shows you what the cave was used for during the war, a detail that is easy to walk straight past.
Down the mountain · by the steps or the elevator · about 10 minutes
Am Phu cave
11:15 · about 30 minutes · steps inside
Entry fee included
1 photo · tap to enlarge
At the foot of Thuy Son, a cave laid out as the Buddhist underworld: the bridge between life and death, the courts of judgement, and a steep climb towards a slit of daylight that stands for heaven. Your guide tells the story behind each scene, which otherwise reads as strange sculpture.
Non Nuoc carving yard
12:00 · about 30 minutes · flat
No entry fee — and no obligation to buy
4 photos · tap to enlarge
A working yard in the craft village below the mountains, where statues are still roughed out by hand before they are polished. You watch a carver at work, try the chisel on a practice block, and leave without a sales pitch: we have no arrangement with any showroom.
Back at your hotel · around 12:45 · 5 hours after pickup
Five hours, one mountain, your group only
No stops we did not tell you about, nothing to pay at any gate, and any part of it can be changed.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$135 BOOK →2 guests$140 BOOK →3 guests$150 BOOK →4 guests$155 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›What is in the price
Included
- Private car and driver
- Licensed local guide, fluent in English
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Da Nang
- Marble Mountains ticket, elevator and Am Phu cave
- Time with a Non Nuoc stone carver
- Bottled water
Not included
− Lunch and drinks beyond the water we provide
− Anything you choose to buy in Non Nuoc
− A tip for your guide and driver — never expected, always welcome
− Travel insurance, which we recommend you carry
Is this the right tour for you?
A good fit if
You want to know what you are looking at in each cave, not only photograph it.
You want to be in Huyen Khong while the light is in it, not when a coach timetable allows.
You are travelling as a couple, a family or a small group and want the morning to bend around you.
You want one price that covers everything, with nothing to settle at any gate.
Look elsewhere if
You are one person on a tight budget.
Steep stone steps are a real problem for someone in your group.
You have under five hours before a flight.
You also want Hoi An old town on the same day.
If you want to finish the day in Hoi An, with lunch and a boat on the Thu Bon at dusk, the full day adds it without rushing the caves. See the Marble Mountains and Hoi An day. Or tell us what you want to see, and we will plan a day around it.
Questions before you book
About the day
How long is the tour and when does it start?
It runs 5 hours door to door, departing 07:30 hotel pickup from your hotel. The early start puts you at the Lady Buddha before the coaches and in Huyen Khong while the light is still in it.
Where do you pick us up?
At your own hotel, with no meeting point to reach on your own. Free pickup and drop-off at any Da Nang hotel. Hoi An hotels: Transfer surcharge +$25. Your guide waits in the lobby for 20 minutes.
How many steps are there?
About 156 steep stone steps lead up Thuy Son. The elevator covers the first stretch, but the caves, the Van Thong chimney and the viewpoint are reached on foot, and Am Phu has steps inside. If the steps are not possible for someone in the group, your guide will plan the lower caves, the Lady Buddha and the carving yard instead.
Can we change the route or the pace?
Yes. This is a sample day and every part of it can be adjusted: skip Son Tra, spend longer in the caves, or add a stop at the beach. Tell us before you book and we confirm the plan and an all-inclusive price in writing.
Does the guide speak good English?
Yes. Your guide is a licensed local who speaks fluent English and explains the shrines, the legend of the five elements and how the stone is carved as you go.
Booking and practicalities
Is the price per person or for the whole group?
For the whole group, from one to four guests: four people pay less each than two, and the car is the same car. Children under 5 travel free and do not count towards the group size; from 5 a child counts as one guest. Groups of five or more travel in a larger vehicle — message us for a quote.
How do I pay, and when?
Two ways: pay the full price online by card, or pay a 30% deposit online and the rest in cash on the day of the tour, in US dollars or Vietnamese dong. We can also send a secure payment link on WhatsApp. The booking is confirmed once the online payment goes through, and your pickup time and guide’s name arrive in writing.
Can I cancel or reschedule?
Yes — free cancellation up to 3 days before departure for a full refund, and free rescheduling subject to availability. Within 3 days of departure, 30% of the tour price is charged because the car and guide are already committed. Date changes are arranged over WhatsApp.
What should I bring, and do I need cash?
Shoes with grip for worn stone steps, a hat, and clothing that covers shoulders and knees for the pagodas. You do not need cash at any gate, since every ticket is bought for you; if you chose to pay the balance in cash, bring it for your guide.
What happens if it rains?
The caves are sheltered, so a shower changes little apart from the light in Huyen Khong. October to December is the rainy and storm season in central Vietnam. The Thuy Son elevator can close in heavy storms and Son Tra gets windy, so on those days your guide reorders the stops around the weather.
Book the Marble Mountains half day
Private car and licensed local guide, hotel pickup, every fee already settled.
Group total · everything included
Solo traveller$135 BOOK →2 guests$140 BOOK →3 guests$150 BOOK →4 guests$155 BOOK →Price is the total for the group · free cancellation up to 3 days before
WhatsApp · +84 368 938 081Want a different route, pace or group size? We will plan your day and send you an all-inclusive quote. ›