Active and nature trips in the Mekong Delta
Tours · Pricing
What an active trip costs, line by line
Every trip on this site says On request. That is not a way of hiding the price; it is because the number of riders changes it more than anything else. This page shows what a quote is built from, the published ground costs we work from, and how a cheaper quote for the same route is usually made.
Why the trips say On request
An active trip has two kinds of cost. Some are per person: a park ticket, a meal, a bed. Others are per trip: the guide's days, the support vehicle and its driver, the fuel for 470 km to Chau Doc and back, a park boat that costs the same whether it carries two people or ten. In the Mekong Delta the per-trip costs are the larger share, so the price per person for two riders can be well above the price per person for six.
A single 'from' figure would only be honest for one group size and one month. So we quote each enquiry on its own, in writing, with every line named. The quote states the hotels or homestays by name, the vehicle, the guide days and the fees, and you can compare it line by line with anyone else's.
Sources: OSRM / OpenStreetMap road model, queried 11 Oct 2026 · checked .
What a quote is made of
| Line | Per trip or per person | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | Per trip | A private English-speaking guide who rides or walks with you, every day of the trip |
| Support vehicle and driver | Per trip | Transfers, bags, water, spare bikes; tolls and fuel |
| Bikes and helmets | Per person | Bike sized to your height, helmet, bottles; repair kit carried |
| Boats | Per boat or per person | Park boats are often per boat (Tram Chim); others per person (Tra Su, U Minh Ha) |
| Entry tickets | Per person | Parks, forest sites, cable car down from Cam Mountain |
| Rooms | Per room | Guesthouses, homestays, town hotels, named on the quote |
| Meals | Per person | As listed on each trip page; water and fruit throughout |
Published ground costs we work from
These are third-party figures, published by the parks, by the press or by travel publishers, with the date we read them. They are not our prices, and they change. We include them so you can see the floor under a quote.
| Item | Published figure (VND) | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| Tra Su entrance / rowed sampan / bike hire 2 h | 120,000 / 70,000 / 50,000 | Vietnam Coracle, 2025–26 |
| Cam Mountain cable car return / down only | 350,000 / 180,000 adult | Mia.vn, June 2026 |
| Tram Chim entry / park boat up to 10 people | 20,000 / 700,000–1,200,000 per boat | Nông nghiệp & Môi trường, Oct 2024 |
| U Minh Ha entry / boat | 10,000 / 150,000 per person per hour | Mia.vn, May 2026 |
| Mui Ca Mau ticket / mangrove boat | 30,000 / 800,000–2,200,000 per trip | VnExpress, Oct 2024 |
| Homestay or guesthouse room | about 150,000–300,000 a night (Sa Dec figure) | VnExpress, Jan 2026 |
| Can Tho city hotel | about 500,000–800,000 a night | VnExpress, Oct 2023 |
| Dat Mui farmstay | 300,000–1,000,000 a night | VnExpress, Oct 2024 |
| Bus Ho Chi Minh City–Can Tho | about 170,000–260,000 | redBus, undated |
Published fares and fees, checked October 2026; confirm before booking.
Sources: Vietnam Coracle, Tra Su, modified 28 Jul 2026; Mia.vn, Cam Mountain prices, 17 Jun 2026; Nông nghiệp & Môi trường, 25 Oct 2024; Mia.vn, U Minh Ha, 28 May 2026; VnExpress, 48 hours in Ca Mau, 11 Oct 2024; VnExpress, Sa Dec guide, 17 Jan 2026; VnExpress, 48 hours in Can Tho, 27 Oct 2023; redBus Vietnam, Saigon–Can Tho · checked .
What moves the price, most to least
- Number of riders. Guide, vehicle and park boats are shared. Two riders carry all of it between them.
- Distance from Ho Chi Minh City. Ca Mau and Chau Doc each mean about five hours on the road each way; Ben Tre less than half that.
- Second guide. From five riders we add a sweep rider, so nobody rides alone at the back of a narrow lane.
- Room choice. A homestay and a town hotel can differ by a factor of three or more.
- Weekends and holidays. Flood-season weekends at Tra Su and Tram Chim, and the Sam Mountain festival days, push up room prices and crowd the sites.
- Bikes. Bringing your own takes the bike hire off the quote; e-bikes, where available, add to it.
What we leave out, and why
- Travel insurance. You need a policy that names cycling and hiking. We do not sell insurance; your own insurer knows your health and your home rules.
- International flights and visas. You book these yourself; Vietnam's e-visa is applied for online through the immigration portal.
- Drinks other than water, and meals not listed. Evenings in Chau Doc or Ca Mau are easy to do on your own and cheap.
- Tips. Boat rowers at Tra Su receive only a small share of the fare and tips are appreciated; we leave the amount to you.
How a cheaper quote for the same route is usually built
If another quote for the same route is 25% lower, these are the usual reasons. None of them is dishonest in itself; they are choices you should know about.
- No support vehicle on riding days. You carry your own water and nobody can pick up a tired rider.
- The driver doubles as guide. Then nobody rides with you.
- 'Cycling' that is mostly van. Check the kilometres per day. A 'cycling tour' with 8 km of riding is a coach tour with bikes in it.
- Shared park boats at Tram Chim instead of a private boat, with departure times set by other passengers rather than by the birds.
- Rooms described by star rating, not by name. Ask which property.
- Tickets excluded. Tra Su, Cam Mountain and the cape add up when paid on the day.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Why is your quote higher than a group tour I found?
Usually because ours is private, includes a guide who rides with you and a support vehicle, and names every room. A group tour shares those costs across more people. If price matters most, a group departure may be the right choice.
Do you publish a price list?
No. Group size and month change the price too much for one number to be true. We quote in writing, per person, with every line named.
Which currency do you quote in?
US dollars by default. Park fees on this site are shown in Vietnamese dong because that is how they are published.
Are fees really included?
Yes, for every activity listed on the day. If a park changes its fee between quote and travel, we tell you before you pay the balance.
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Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates or a month, how many are riding or walking, and how active the group is are enough to start. We reply by email with questions or a written quote that names the route, the km per day and every fee.