Remote Con Dao Beach, 5 days

On arrival at Con Dao Airport or boat pier, you are met by hotel  staff and transferred to you hotel by shuttle bus.  You check  in your hotel and have free time for a well-earn rest in Con Dao. This isolated archipelago consists of 16 islands, and becomes famous by the geographical location, notorious history and legend. The main island in place is  Con Son which is only 45 –minute flight from Ho Chi Minh, but it feels a world away. This rugged mountainous island has only one main road winding its way from the small airport through Con Son Town to the  tiny port in southern part where the local life moves slowly and everything revolves around the sea. Without scene of skyscrapers and traffic jams, Con Son is a quiet town with crumbling colonial buildings and a promenade following the waterfront. There are numerous sandy beaches around Con Son Island.  They  make this island a secluded paradise off the southern coast of Vietnam. You can spend the days swimming  and walking along on  Bai Nhat Beach and Dam Trau Beach, hiking in the jungle, riding a scooter along deserted coast roads.

Today, you can have an early swim, make fun on the  beach, stroll along the seaside, relax in the wave sound and see the local fishing boat sailing out. The sun is like naughty child, rising up from the deep sea, painting the sky with red  and showing its face to the whole world.  You leave all stress behind and join your preferred  activities.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

Con Dao History – 1/2 Day

The guide pick you up at hotel for a half-day sightseeing of major sites in Con Dao . We go across the  infamous time of this archipelago, which has left its traces in many prisons built around Con Son Island. The largest jail in place  is  Phu Hai, which dates from 1862 and was used to immure thousands of people, with up to 200 prisoners in each detention building. They  were kept naked, chained together in rows, with one small box serving as a toilet for hundreds. The bygone scene has been recreated by emaciated mannequins. There are also many solitary rooms for prisoners considered to be particularly dangerous. Upon leaving Phu Hai Prison, we head  towards the Tiger Cages. They have been typically  built  in tiny size to hold prisoners like animals. The brutal torture along with  the horrible living conditions has brought the Tiger Cages to become one of the most interesting attractions in Con Dao.  We continue seeing  the  Con Dao Museum, a famous historical relic in Con Dao. This gleaming mansion displays many artifacts and documents reflecting the brutal prisons and the dark chapter from 1862 to 1975. The sightseeing tour is followed with the Hang Duong Cemetery, a resting place of over two  thousand prisoners who died in the brutal prisons on the island. This excursion ends with a transfer back to your hotel.

The wonderful white sandy beach is a major attraction of Con Dao Island. You  spend your day to swim  in turquoise sea or simply  laze along seaside. The clear crystal water teeming with many species of marine life sets against the colourful coral gardens, make Con Dao an ideal place for sea lovers.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Con Dao Diving  – 1 Day

The isolate archipelago of Con Dao is formed by sixteen  island and islets, most of which is national park. Today we visit one of these islands on a day trip out. The guide will pick you up at hotel for a short drive to the boat pier. We embark on a local boat and sail out to one of the fabulous islands.. There are over 25 diving sites to choose from. However, the guide recommend the best places to dive depending on the water and weather conditions.  The guide will provide some useful information about this secluded area and the diving activities. We get down to the warm and clear water to explore the seabed. The untouched and pristine corals are usually found in place, but you see sometimes two-metre cobia, stingrays, barracuda, turtles, moray eels, batfish, clownfish and cuttlefish. These  colorful fish schools to make a show welcoming you to their paradise in the waters. We come back to the support boat for a rest and lunch. There is a second dive this afternoon to explore the amazing variety of underwater life. This excursion ends with a transfer back to your hotel.

The sunrise over beach is nothing short of spectacular. You set your alarm and wake up early to see  the fabulous sun rising from  the water horizons and bringing a new morning. You start the day with a walk along one of the best beaches in Con Dao and a dip into the warm water. Getting off the beach, you can spend your time to join one of our optional activities.

 OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES: Con Dao Fishing – 1/2 Day

The large coral reefs are wonderful home to many species of fishes in Con Dao. We start the  fishing tour with a short transfer to the boat pier and  embark on a local boat for a trip out to Con Son Bay. The boat captain will find out a favorable fishing spot, which is always depending on the local weather and the water conditions. Along the way, we sit back in either the sun or the shade, and enjoy the scenery of  rough islands and beautiful bay.  On arrival at the fishing spots, we receive the assistance from the boat captain and enjoy some soft drinks while waiting for the fish to bite. The typical fishes found  include mackerel, snapper, sailfish and flathead. They are usually big in Con Dao  since this remote water  is less overfished. We get an interesting feeling of fishing, which is hardly found anywhere out of this island. Whatever you catch can be grilled on board for your barbecue lunch. We can continue fishing or get down to the clear water with snorkels to explore the local marine life and corals.  The excursion ends with a transfer back to your hotel.

The beach vacation comes to an end today. You may have free time to continue the exploration of Con Dao Island, do the last shopping or simply look back upon your trip images before your airport transfer.