'No hotel' island in Binh Thuan, visitors come to change the air, camp overnight

When it comes to Binh Thuan tourism, in addition to famous destinations such as Phu Quy Island, Ke Ga Cape, Bau Trang, Mui Ne fishing village, Ong Dia rock beach (Ham Tien ward, Phan Thiet city), ... there is also a place that still retains its wild and peaceful beauty that is not known to many tourists. That is Cu Lao Cau. Photo: Nguyen Thanh Tuan.

Cu Lao Cau (also known as Hon Cau) is a small island in Phuoc The commune, Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan province. It is 1.5km long, has an area of ​​about 140 hectares and is completely separate from the mainland. Tourists liken it to a "green paradise" because of its beautiful, pristine scenery. Photo: Azid Giau.

According to locals, the island is so named because there is a lot of spinach on the island.

To reach Cu Lao Cau, visitors can currently only access by canoe, motorboat or fishing boat with many options for departure points such as Ca Na port, Phuoc The port or Lien Huong ferry. Travel time at sea is about 30 - 50 minutes, depending on weather conditions as well as the type of vehicle used. Photo: Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha.

On this island, the weather is divided into two distinct seasons, including the South wind season and the North wind season. In which, the North wind season lasts from July to December of the lunar calendar, the weather is often stormy, the sea is very rough. Visitors should check the weather forecast before planning their experience at Cu Lao Cau to have the safest and most enjoyable trip. Photo: Nguyen Viet Hung.

The South wind season lasts from January to June of the lunar calendar every year, and is considered the most ideal time for tourists to visit Cu Lao Cau. At this time, the weather here is cool, the sun is not too harsh and the sea is calm, the waves are gentle, suitable for tourists to explore and experience, participate in outdoor activities, and immerse themselves in nature. Photo: Duc Nam.

What is special about Cu Lao Cau is that the island has almost completely retained its original pristine beauty, without commercial services for visitors. Therefore, many tourists who have been here say that there are no hotels or motels on the island for guests to stay overnight. The most popular form of accommodation is to pitch tents and camp right on the beach. Photo: Khanh Tuan.

“In Cu Lao Cau, there are only 1 or 2 small hotels, but the cost is quite high and there may be power outages in the middle of the night because people use solar power. However, I find the experience of camping, sleeping in tents, enjoying nature and the cool sea air the most interesting,” said Phuong Thao, a tourist from Hanoi.

However, Cu Lao Cau is still a tourist destination loved by many tourists and sought out to experience because of its beautiful natural scenery, clear blue sea, and many attractive activities such as scuba diving to see coral, rowing, swimming, etc. Photo: Azid Giau.

Not to mention, although it is just a small island, Cu Lao Cau still has many interesting check-in spots that visitors should not miss such as Yen cave, Ba Hon cave, Gia Long well, sea turtle conservation area or beautiful beaches, coral reefs, ...

The Sea Turtle Conservation Area is also an attractive destination for tourists when they set foot on this island. When visiting here, visitors will hear presentations about the living habits of turtles and necessary sea turtle rescue skills, thereby raising awareness of environmental protection and preserving the habitat for surrounding animals. Photo: Halo Nguyen.

Finally, after experiencing all the activities and visiting famous destinations on the island, visitors can look for some beautiful rock outcrops and canyons to take check-in photos. Photo: Tran Le Ngoc Thang.

In addition to unique check-in locations, Cu Lao Cau also attracts tourists because of its many famous specialties at affordable prices. Currently, there are very few restaurants and eateries on the island that serve on-site dining, but tourists can contact the locals and ask them to prepare some local delicacies to enjoy such as shrimp, fish, snails, clams or moon crabs. Photo: Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ha, Azid Giau.

When coming to Cu Lao Cau, tourists also need to pay attention to a few things to have an interesting and meaningful trip such as: Prepare or rent a life jacket to ensure safety; Ask for permission from the border guards if you want to stay overnight; Bring drinking water because the island is still scarce in fresh water; Clean up all areas on the island when leaving, do not litter, preserve the landscape and the inherent wild beauty of this island; Bring an umbrella, apply sunscreen carefully to avoid sunburn;… Photo: Loan Truong./.