A trip to Salangane Island

[nguyen to loan]

As Salangane Island is far from the mainland, tours need to depart very early in the day and so we woke up bright and early to be at Cau Da Wharf at 6:30 a.m. for our great trip.

Nha Trang is a tourist attraction however tourists who travel to Vietnam sometimes overlook one of its treasures – the kingdom of salangane. 

The cruise departs at 7:30 a.m. with a light breakfast prepared for tourists as the ship smoothly surfs on the waves. The warm sunlight and delightful surroundings got us ready for our tour of the island of salangane, a species of swift which is famous as the producers of the edible bird’s nests.

Discovering the salangane is an interesting experience but the ideal time to visit the island is from March to September – as that is the season when salangane’s make nests.

The first stop of the trip was Du Ha Cave which is located behind Noi Islet which produces most of the nests among the 24 salangane islands in Nha Trang city.

It was fun to admire the salanganes hovering in the sky or perching over rock peaks and we felt the long journey was worthwhile.

The cruise moved to Sam Island where we witnessed hundreds of albatrosses flying on glistening sun beams and shining on blue and white waves. After that is was time to admire the colorful coral.

Finally, the cruise arrived at Noi Island’s sandy beach where a temple is dedicated to worship the salangane. In front of the temple is a spacious yard under the shade of old trees, giving guests the perfect spot to take a rest. Tourists can also climb 100 steps to Du Ha Peak to take in a wonderful panoramic view of Noi Island.

You can dip in the water to refresh yourself and enjoy bird’s nests before you return there.