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Cham Island Tour: UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve with Snorkeling and Sunbathing Opportunities
3.6
137 Ratings
Hội An
Experience the beauty of Cham Islands, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, on a tour that offers snorkeling, sunbathing, and a chance to escape the city noise and pollution.
Experience the beauty of Cham Islands, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, on a tour that offers snorkeling, sunbathing, and a chance to escape the city noise and pollution.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hoi An Ancient Town - From 8:00 to 8:30, a tour guide and bus from Paradise Indochina Travel will begin picking up all passengers from hotels in Da Nang city and Hoi An ancient town for the Cham Island Day Trip (Cu Lao Cham).
- Cảng vụ ĐTNĐ Cửa Đại - Once all passengers have been picked up, the group will be transferred to Cua Dai harbor for…
- Hoi An Ancient Town - From 8:00 to 8:30, a tour guide and bus from Paradise Indochina Travel will begin picking up all passengers from hotels in Da Nang city and Hoi An ancient town for the Cham Island Day Trip (Cu Lao Cham).
- Cảng vụ ĐTNĐ Cửa Đại - Once all passengers have been picked up, the group will be transferred to Cua Dai harbor for speedboat registration with the management officers before heading to the Cham Islands.
- Cham Island (Cu Lao Cham) - Upon arrival at the island after a 25-minute speedboat ride, the guide will take the group to the Cu Lao Cham museum and showroom, where history, maps, and objects are displayed. The tour includes a visit to Au Thuyen, where local boats are sheltered during big storms. Walking through the rice fields, the group will reach the over-200-year-old Hai Tang temple for a brief visit. Additionally, there will be visits to Cham’s ancient well and the seafood market, a hub for trading fresh seafood caught by fishermen the previous night.
Next, the boat will take the group to a safe area known as Dai Islet for snorkeling, which lasts for nearly 50 minutes. This is the highlight of the tour, offering ample free time for swimming and viewing the beautiful coral reefs beneath the sea.
Around 12:30, enjoy a delightful lunch at a restaurant near the beach. After lunch, passengers can relax on the beach and sunbathe before taking the return speedboat.
- Cảng vụ ĐTNĐ Cửa Đại - After a fulfilling day, passengers will board the speedboat to return to Cua Dai estuary, where transportation will be ready to take them back to Hoi An or Da Nang for a hotel drop-off. The tour concludes around 14:30.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup/drop off (in Hoi An & Da Nang)
- English/Vietnamese tour guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Speedboat, entrance fees, bottled water.
- Lunch with fresh seafood
- Snorkel, mask, life jackets
- Hotel pickup/drop off (in Hoi An & Da Nang)
- English/Vietnamese tour guide
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- Speedboat, entrance fees, bottled water.
- Lunch with fresh seafood
- Snorkel, mask, life jackets
What's Not Included
- Towels; Swimming suits
- Tips/Gratuities
- Towels; Swimming suits
- Tips/Gratuities
Additional Information
- Cham Islands comprises eight minor isles situated off the coast near Hoi An, with one island being recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
- Cu Lao Cham Marine Park is a destination for visitors looking to engage in activities such as snorkeling and lounging by the seaside.
- The island hosts quaint fishing hamlets and unspoiled sandy…
- Cham Islands comprises eight minor isles situated off the coast near Hoi An, with one island being recognized as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.
- Cu Lao Cham Marine Park is a destination for visitors looking to engage in activities such as snorkeling and lounging by the seaside.
- The island hosts quaint fishing hamlets and unspoiled sandy stretches ideal for basking in the sun and engaging in aquatic sports.
- A day excursion encompasses a visit to the museum, snorkeling adventure, a brief trek, a midday meal, and leisurely time on the beach.
- An excellent opportunity to escape the urban clamor and grime of the industrial areas of Da Nang/Hoi An. Remaining tranquil with the aid of clean air can assist in maintaining mental equilibrium.
- Group max 14 passengers on vehicle transfer
- Winter period (December to end of April) is not an ideal time for snorkeling due to low water level.
- In winter period, you will not see many fish, corals…because sea water is not very clear due to weather.
- If you expect a less touristy and pristine beach , then Summer time (June, July, August) is not a perfect option for you. Many Vietmamese, especially shool students go here everyday. So it is crowded and chaotic sometimes at the speed boat station and on the beach.
- The perfect time to go here are months September, October, November of the year.
- For further information and support, please connect us via Whats/App +84-9-8-2-8-0-4-3-9-9
Location
Cảng vụ ĐTNĐ Cửa Đại
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.6
(137 Ratings)
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Jadembartlett
Aug 15, 2024
Good! Well organised - The tour was very organised! Do not listen to the other reviews who say otherwise. I booked the night before with pickup. the pickup went super smooth and the team responded to my message fast with information on the car for pick up. The driver we had was also a sweetheart, super funny guy and gave us a mini city tour as we got to the dock. At the dock you just need to sign in (name, year of birth and nationality) then you are taken to the boat.
On the island we visit a small animal museum? where the guide gave us five minutes to go inside and look. Then he lead us to the well and finally the pagoda temples, where we were given 15 minutes to explore by ourselves. I enioyed this because I usually do not like following tours, but there was a lot of freedom to explore by ourselves here.
After we headed to the boat for snorkelling. The snorkelling was a bit of a let down as the corals are not as lively as I hoped- which is not the tours fault, but the sea is clear. At the beach we had lunch- vegetarian (squid, prawns shrimp rice, fried noodles, veg) and then free time on the beach. The beach is super clear and good to swim in and see fish. Also a few coral to see-dont touch.
The only unfortunate thing was the amount of idle time in the boat. I unfortunately got sea sick because of the idle swaying in the boat while waiting for everyone to get on after snorkelling, but I cannot blame anyone. Just want to remind those who if you get sea sick, just be the last one to get on the boat after snorkelling and you should be ok!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stephano210
Aug 13, 2024
Nice day on the island - Excellent excursion. Pick up by hotel. Not long to wait at the harbour. Of course a little chaos but that is normal in touristic places with salesmen etc. 25 minutes with the speedboot. First explanation of the island by local tourguide. Than a quick tour around the Village and visiting an old temple (20 minutes). Next stop was snorkeling for 45 minutes. The fish were o.k. not extraordinary, but the coral was beautifull. Many different sorts of coral some of which we hadn't seen yet. Then on to the lunch on monkey beach. Very good and a lot of food. Of course the monkeys came to try to steel some food. All in all a lovely day.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kcout2018
Jul 9, 2024
Cham Island Day Tour - Cham Island is a very popular destination so be prepared for lots of tourists. We enjoyed escaping from the heat so the snorkelling was refreshing. We have snorkelled in other countries so the underwater scene was a bit disappointing… not many fish!
Our tour guide was on time and got us home safely and the walk at Cham Island up to the end beach was pleasant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kiax
Jul 24, 2024
Long wait for short and average snorkelling - They picked us up and then we had to do a 1 hour drive to pick up 3 other parties - 2 of which weren’t at all ready - in one case we waited 20 minutes! At the harbour we were combined with other tour groups to form one big group on one boat. The tour then did several stops which honestly were quite boring - a small temple, a village full of hawkers, a very small museum with some dead fish in jars. When we finally made it to the snorkelling about 4 hours after the hotel pick-up we were given some cheap snorkeling gear and then into the water. There was almost no fish and no colour in the coral. We dove down and saw a few interesting things like blue star fish and a few different kinds of fish, but you reqlly needed to dive to see anything. After about 45 mins they took us to small beach where they fed us and then left us for ‘own time’ on a small
Beach where several boars were parked. The beach outside our hotel was significantly better so the last 90 minutes was really a waste of time. The lunch was supposedly to be seafood but that meant 2 prawns each, a small piece of fish to share between 4 people and a few buts of calamari in a stir fry. In addition soup, chips and noddles. We didn’t leave hungry but it was nothing special. The drive back to the hotel was fine as we didn’t have to wait for anyone. Final verdict, not really worth it but if tou want to go, find a tour that just does the snorkelling.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Culture56873782047
Jul 12, 2025
Extremely Poorly Organized – Not Worth the Money - My partner and I booked this boat tour expecting a relaxing and well-guided day, but it turned out to be one of the most disorganized experiences we've had while traveling.
The chaos started right away: I was contacted by three different WhatsApp numbers, each giving me conflicting instructions about our pickup. One said we’d be picked up by a bus, another mentioned a taxi, and in the end, it was a taxi, thankfully, the driver was very kind, which was one of the few positives of the day.
Once we arrived at the harbor, we were separated from the group and left waiting a long time without any clear communication. No one could properly explain in English what was happening or what we were supposed to do. Eventually, we were brought to a boat, and after more than an hour of waiting, we finally reached the island. As expected, it was very crowded – but that part we had anticipated.
The two "sightseeing" stops were a complete disappointment. First, we visited an old water well that honestly wasn’t worth the stop, and then we were brought to a so-called museum that consisted of 20 identical jars with the same dead fish in each. Nothing educational, nothing interesting.
Next, we were dropped off at a commercial restaurant where we had to wait yet again before snorkeling. Only at this point were we told that if we wanted to actually see the coral properly, we would each need to pay an extra 1,000,000 VND – almost the same price as the whole tour! This should have been mentioned clearly beforehand.
The snorkeling was okay, but we barely saw anything worth mentioning. The lunch was surprisingly good, but although we were told water was included, we didn’t receive any and were later charged for our drinks.
The last part of the day was three hours of free time on the beach – which was nice, but honestly something we could have easily done on our own without paying for a full tour.
The return trip went smoothly – mostly because we were suddenly allowed to join another group, which made things more efficient. But by that point, the day had already been a letdown.
This company markets the tour as a “budget” option, but €70 for two people in Vietnam is far from cheap, and this tour definitely wasn’t worth it. Poor organization, zero communication, and a lot of waiting around – we wouldn’t recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Steven_f
Sep 19, 2024
Over booked and poorly run - What could have been a great day was poorly run, tour guide was pushy and didn’t seem to
Care at all. Then to push for a tip at the end that topped it off. Would not recommend this tour to anyone, find another company
Review provided by Viator
Merryn
Aug 19, 2024
Poor customer service. - The Day before the tour, the company contacted us with our pick up time, which was explicitly written as 8:45-9:00 am. Come the next morning, by 9:40 we were rushed out of our hotel room by an aggressive bus driver shouting at us that he had been waiting outside 20 minutes for us. We couldn’t get a word in to explain that this was in fact his and the company’s fault, for poor communication, and no fault of our own. I had no missed phone calls, and was only contacted first at 8:35am on trip adviser (which we didn’t receive until on the bus), so we had no way of knowing that they had arrived early. We shouldn’t have had to take such a battering for poor organisation, where the company were at fault.
The tour felt disorganised and overbooked (of over 30 people), and lacked information about the places we were visiting.
The places were beautiful, and the snorkelling was definitely worth it. The included lunch was good, however lacked options for vegetarians.
On the way home, the same driver checked where we wanted to be dropped off, and we made it clear that we wanted to be dropped off at our original location (our hotel). He understood this, but then proceeded to drive 20 minutes in the other direction. During this, he kept bringing up the pick up situation this morning, and still wouldn’t let us explain. This was extremely unprofessional and completely not appropriate. We arrived in the city centre, where he told us this was our stop (it was not). After he realised his mistake, he still wasn’t willing to take us back to our hotel, so we had to get out and pay for a taxi.
The area and views are lovely, and I definitely recommend going, however I suggest looking into other companies that care more about their guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Laeti40000
Jul 28, 2024
Very commercial - This release is very commercial.
While waiting for our boat, we have the impression of parked with many other guests.
The boat and powerful and nice but that is the only positive.
The visit of the island is done at the pace (40mn max)
We then take to a place for a drink before leaving for the dive which is announced for an hour, but a reality of 20 minutes with several other boats all around.
She's nice, but very few fish.
We are then brought for a meal, another place; the meal is okay, but we did not stay an hour lounging as advertised either.
Quick return
Day in a hurry. No time to enjoy, unpleasant feeling
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sharynj2014
Aug 31, 2025
Fraudulent - This trip was cancelled by the operator because of weather. I was offered a full refund but have never received it.
Do not book with them
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dreamer41979323523
Jun 3, 2025
Disappointing and Chaotic Cham Islands Trip - Not Worth It - I had high hopes for the Cham Islands tour, expecting a relaxing day of snorkeling and cultural exploration, but it was a major letdown. The snorkeling, which was the main draw, lasted a mere 45 minutes with terrible visibility due to the sheer number of tourists in the water. We barely saw any sea life, which was incredibly disappointing for a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The rest of the trip felt like a tourist trap. Time on Cham Island was spent being herded toward shops pushing souvenirs, with little to no insight into the island’s culture or history. Lunch was a bland, shared meal for three that lacked any local flavor. To top it off, we were seated next to a group with rude behavior—spitting, snorting, and coughing—which made the experience even less enjoyable. Overall, this felt chaotic and like a waste of time. I’d recommend skipping this or opting for a private, eco-focused tour to avoid the crowds and get a more authentic experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
