The amazing natural beauty of Ly Son volcanic island.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Ly Son Island was formed from volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. With its pristine scenery and majestic ancient volcanic craters, Ly Son has always been a popular destination for many tourists.

Ly Son Island

Ly Son is an island district belonging to Quang Ngai province, located 17 nautical miles from the mainland. The district covers an area of ​​approximately 10 square kilometers and has a population of about 22,000 people. Ly Son District comprises the main island and the smaller island. The area contains traces of 10 volcanic craters, including 3 located underwater. Ly Son Island boasts many ancient volcanic craters, beautiful beaches, and pristine scenery. In addition, Ly Son is famous for its fresh seafood, especially its garlic. On average, Ly Son Island welcomes about 250,000 tourists annually.

Ly Son island district, viewed from above (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

The "golden" time to explore Ly Son Island.

The peak tourist season in Ly Son Island runs from April to August each year. During this time, the weather is quite pleasant, making it ideal for tourists to explore the entire island. For the rest of the year, the sea is rough and unfavorable, preventing passenger ships from departing. If you must visit Ly Son during this period, you should closely monitor the weather forecast to avoid being stranded on the island.

Every April, Ly Son island district organizes many cultural and sporting events that attract tourists (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

How to get to Ly Son Island?

Ly Son Island District is located 17 nautical miles from the mainland. Tourists can reach the island by passenger ferry, departing from Sa Ky Port (Binh Chau Commune, Binh Son District). There are 8-10 high-speed ferry trips to and from the island daily. The journey from the mainland to the island takes approximately 45 minutes. Tourists can also book flights to Chu Lai Airport, where there are shuttle services to Sa Ky Port, a distance of over 40km. Alternatively, tourists can travel by car or train to Quang Ngai City, which is about 25km from the mainland. For convenience, it is recommended to book ferry tickets in advance. Detailed information on ferry departure times and booking procedures can be found on cangsaky.com.vn.

Taking a high-speed ferry to Ly Son Island will be a memorable experience for tourists (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

Accommodation

Ly Son Island District has 133 accommodation establishments including hotels, guesthouses, and homestays. Many accommodations cost only 250,000-300,000 VND per day. If you want to experience the feeling of immersing yourself in pristine nature, you can camp at Hang Cau Cave or stay at homestays on Be Island.

Homestays by the beach allow visitors to immerse themselves in pristine nature.

Beautiful scenery in Ly Son

Ly Son Island consists of the main island and the smaller island. The main island is where passenger ships from the mainland dock. From the sea, visitors can see the majestic ancient volcanoes. Most of the historical sites and scenic spots are located on the main island. Thoi Loi is the largest volcano on Ly Son Island. Its peak is over 149 meters high, making it the highest point on the island. The volcano has a base diameter of 1.4 km and a crater diameter of 0.35 km. The inner walls of the Thoi Loi crater are steep, with a deep central area forming a lake. The eruption of Thoi Loi volcano created spectacular landscapes, especially Hang Cau cave.

The Thoi Loi volcanic crater has become a reservoir providing water for agricultural production in Ly Son.

Hang Cau Cave was formed by volcanic eruptions approximately 1 million years ago. Later, sea waves eroded and carved deep into the base of the mountain, creating a fairly large cave. Formed through multiple volcanic eruptions, the Hang Cau cave cliffs are likened to a "sandwich" with many layers of sediment stacked on top of each other. Over millions of years of erosion, these sedimentary layers have gradually become visible.

On the main island of Ly Son, there are two famous temples: the Cave Temple and the Grotto Temple. The Grotto Temple is located on the eastern side of the island. It is situated in a cave at the foot of the Thoi Loi volcano. This is the largest cave in the cave system on Ly Son Island. The Grotto Temple is located in a cave that is 24 meters deep, 20 meters wide, and 3.2 meters high. Inside the temple are many altars dedicated to Buddha and the ancestors of An Hai village. Because it is located in a cave, the atmosphere inside the temple is cool all year round.

Entrance to Hang Pagoda.

Duc Pagoda was built in 2008 and features a 27-meter-tall statue of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. The pagoda has three shrines, originally rock caves located on the cliffs of the Gieng Tien volcanic mountain. Besides visiting Duc Pagoda, tourists can climb 139 stone steps to the summit of Gieng Tien mountain and immerse themselves in the vast expanse of the sea and islands.

Duc Pagoda has 3 shrines formed from rock caves on the cliff of Gieng Tien volcanic mountain (Photo: Bui Thanh Trung).

The Tò Vò Arch is also an interesting destination for tourists. This is a rare natural rock arch in the world . The rock arch was formed from volcanic sediments millions of years ago. The Tò Vò Arch is about 20m long, with the top of the arch 4m higher than the eroded sea surface, and the narrowest point about 2m wide. Besides the Tò Vò Arch on land, there is another rock arch in Lý Sơn located off the coast of Bé Island. This rock arch was discovered by archaeologists in 2014. The rock arch was formed from volcanic rock and has an identical structure to the Tò Vò Arch on land. The rock mass forming the arch extends nearly 100m, with the arch itself about 20m long. From the seabed up, the highest point of the arch is about 5m. Tourists can participate in scuba diving tours to admire this fascinating rock arch.

The Tò Vò Arch is a rare geological formation in the world (Photo: Quốc Triều).

Besides the scenic spots, visitors can explore the Am Linh Temple, the whale skeleton exhibition, and the Hoang Sa and Bac Hai Naval Squadron exhibition. Be Island is located more than 3 nautical miles from the main island. From the main island, it takes about 15 minutes by speedboat to reach Be Island. It boasts a pristine environment and beautiful beaches. On Be Island, visitors can experience breezy coastal roads, admire ancient sedimentary rock formations, and the Dun islet. Many homestays are located along the beach on Be Island. This is a beautiful spot to watch the sunset or sunrise.

The beach on Be Island is surrounded by volcanic rock (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

Ly Son specialties

Like many other coastal and island regions, Ly Son is also famous for its fresh seafood. Besides fish caught near the shore, visitors can enjoy sea urchins, king crabs, or conch. In addition to seafood, Ly Son is also renowned as a land of garlic. The island district has approximately 300 hectares of land dedicated to growing onions and garlic. Ly Son garlic is considered to be of the highest quality compared to garlic grown elsewhere.

King crabs that live around Ly Son Island are very delicious (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

Experiential activities

In Ly Son, tourists can participate in many exciting activities. They can go scuba diving to admire coral reefs, explore the underwater To Vo Arch, and go fishing near the shore. If visiting Ly Son during the onion and garlic planting season, tourists can join the locals in the fields like real farmers. The onion and garlic fields are also an ideal photo spot for tourists visiting Ly Son.

Onion and garlic fields on Ly Son Island (Photo: Quoc Trieu).

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/thien-nhien-ky-thu-tren-dao-nui-lua-ly-son-20240405114634829.htm