Son Tra Peninsula One Day Trip: cc, Little Santorini Cafe and Sunset at Ban Co Peak
Hi Traveler, have you ever wondered about the best places on the Son Tra Peninsula in Da Nang? This blog provides a Son Tra Peninsula one day trip Da Nang. To give you more information and help you decide on your next destination. Son Tra Peninsula isn’t just about the Lady Buddha statue. From the huge statue at Linh Ung Pagoda, to the photogenic Son Tra Marina, to the sunset at the top of Ban Co Peak. We will guide you through our experiences here step by step.
What is Son Tra Peninsula Da Nang
Locals call it Monkey Mountain, and it is the green heart of Da Nang. The peninsula is a protected natural forest area. So, you can easily meet the rare red-shanked douc langur right by the road while you drive up. The Lady Buddha statue at Linh Ung Pagoda is 67 meters tall, and it is the tallest Buddha statue in Vietnam. Well, as I said, Son Tra Peninsula isn’t just about the statue, the top of the mountain, Ban Co Peak offers the most beautiful panoramic view of the whole city. Up there you will also find the famous statue of the god playing chess.
Son Tra Peninsula from our experience
For this article, we will talk about our experience once we did a full one day trip around the Son Tra Peninsula. We travel from central Da Nang, first stop was the path up to the Lady Buddha statue.
The road winds up the mountain and the view opens up more and more the higher you go. We arrived at the Lady Buddha campus. Walked around Chua Linh Ung, stopped for a snack, and also saw the wild monkeys crossing right near the parking area, don’t worry, they mostly keep their distance, just don’t feed them.
After Lady Buddha, we continued to Son Tra Marin. Which some travelers also call Little Santorini because of the white and blue buildings by the sea. This is one of the most photogenic spots in the whole of Da Nang. We ordered from the menu, spent time in both the outdoor and indoor spaces, and tried the salted coffee (Cà phê muối), which cost us 135k VND for our order. It has a strange but good taste, sweet, creamy, and a little salty on top, worth trying at least once.
Last stop of the day was Ban Co Peak, for sunset. We think this is the best way to end the trip, from our experience, go with a small time reserve because the road can get complicated near the top when many people head up at the same time for sunset.
Son Tra Peninsula One Day Trip Da Nang : Our guide for Journey
Son Tra Peninsula location: Son Tra Ward, Da Nang, about 10 kilometers northeast of Da Nang city center.
How to get there: You can rent a motorbike, take a Grab/Bolt car, or book a taxi from central Da Nang. It takes around 20–30 minutes to reach the base of the peninsula.
Opening hours: The peninsula itself is open all day, but Linh Ung Pagoda and the Lady Buddha statue area are best visited during daylight hours, and Ban Co Peak is best for sunset in the late afternoon.
Ticket price / Entry fee: Entrance to the Son Tra Peninsula is free.
Is there an entry fee for Son Tra Peninsula?
This is a common question because in some countries you may need to pay an entrance fee to enter a protected natural area. However, at Son Tra Peninsula, entry is free, you just need to bring your own transport, since there is no public bus network inside.
Best Month to visit Da Nang Vietnam
- March – September: Best season, dry and sunny weather, clearest views from Ban Co Peak
- October – February: Rainier season, mist can cover the peak, roads can be slippery
Things to do on Son Tra Peninsula
- Visit the Lady Buddha statue and Linh Ung Pagoda
- Look for the red-shanked douc langur along the road
- Take photos at Son Tra Marina (Little Santorini)
- Try the salted coffee (Cà phê muối) at Son Tra Marina
- Watch the sunset from Ban Co Peak
- See the bronze chess-playing statue at the top
A few honest tips from our experience
- Fill up your gas tank before you leave, gas stations are rare inside the peninsula and almost impossible to find once you’re up the mountain
- The phone signal sometimes drops on the peninsula, so download an offline map before you go
- If you want to ride up to Ban Co Peak, you need a manual scooter, automatic scooters are not allowed up for safety reasons, the road is steep. By the way, there are manual scooter rentals right at the gate for 100–150k VND
- Go to Ban Co Peak with a small time reserve for sunset, the road gets busy and complications happen
- Son Tra Marina gets crowded, especially for photos, so early morning is a good time if you want it quieter
Where to stay in DA Nang
If you are staying in central Da Nang, you are close enough to do this whole trip in one day without needing to stay near the peninsula itself.
Here, you can check out our video to see more of the exact route, costs, and the salted coffee tasting: Son Tra Peninsula One Day Trip Video
Feel free to DM me here on IG @fj.at.pattaya or @snny.travel.blog.
You must be logged in to post a comment.