Visit Phu Quoc January 2020 Visitor's Guide

East Coasting
A world away from the main tourist area
of Long Beach, the east coast of Phu
Quoc offers a chance to explore in open
spaces amongst incredibly beautiful
scenery.
by Rohan Barker
ISITPHUQUOC.INFO
It wasn’t all that long ago
that this route was described
as “adventurous”, in fact I can
remember a time when the rims
of my trusty Minsk were filled up
in 1 meter of mud but as usually
in these situations and remote as
I was there was always a couple
of locals not far away seemingly
sitting there waiting just to give me
a hand!
These days however, what
was the “adventurous route” has
become now the “scenic route”
with beautifully paved roads that
make the going that much more
enjoyable than getting stuck in the
mud.
For this journey we assume you
are starting from the Duong Dong
Town/Long Beach Area, which is
where you will start and finish the
day, if it suits you better you can
always do the below itinerary in
reverse;
Get a good breakfast down and
try to get going about 8am making
the first stage to Ham Ninh fishing
village, follow the main road all the
way to the center.
This is just a simple little town
with a lively local market that’s
best visited now on the way
through before the heat of the day
catches the lovely fresh produce
off guard.Pass by the local shops
selling all types of shells, which
26 VISIT PHU QUOC • 12 th edition JAN-JUL 2020
I don’t recommend you buying;
there will also be an array of all
different kinds of natural herbs,
which I do recommend you buying!
At the end of the main road take
a walk out to the end of the pier,
you will see some local seafood
places as you walk along, if you’re
running a bit late and its near lunch
time the are a good option for a
fresh seafood chow down (make
sure what you select is what they
actually cook!)
Once your are done at the pier
head back along the main road
until you reach the first turnoff to
the right (heading north), now your
on the scenic route that hugs the
north east coast through coastal
Cay Sao and up to Bai Thom right
at the top of the island.
Cruise along and enjoy the
scenery, at first you will notice
your getting closer to the sea
and then as you go along further
the mountains of your left seem
to become more the focus of
attention.
By now you must be ready for a
rest and perhaps lunch stop only,
I am guessing that only a few kms
further now and you will reach
Rory’s Wreck.
Set on the beach this huge
restaurant and beach bar is a
replica of a shipwreck, serving
beverages and pub food that is
worth taking a bite (try their pizza!)
they even have mini golf and an
ocean pool if you would like to get
wet!
Now that you are refreshed its
ready to take the last leg up of the
journey to Bai Thom and discover
the “Secret Farm” with Owner Mr
Sweet and see his newly established
free roaming organic farm.
Here you can discover many
varieties of plants that are grown
organically such as Pepper, Corn,
Banana, Mango, Lemon Grass, Sim
Berry, Cashew, Coconut and a cool
Hammock area, they also have many
outdoor activities including cooking
classes, camping, BBQ parties and
tree planting tours.
Once your finished discovering
the farm it’s a straight run south
down the center of the island cutting
through the Phu Quoc National Park
until you reach your destination, the
town of Duong Dong.
How to get there?
From Duong Dong head east for
12 km to Ham Ninh, then from Ham
Ninh 30 km north to Bai Thom and
then a 28 km trip heading south
back to Duong Dong, takes approx.
4-6 hours.
For more information about this or
other fantastic adventures go to
visitphuquoc.info