3-day Itinerary Cham Island
15 km off Hoi An’s coastline lies Cham Island. It can be visited through a day tour, but it’s definitely worth staying overnight to explore the island a bit more.
How to travel from Da Nang to Cham Island?
There are two ways you can travel to Cham Island. Either by ferry or by speed boat. At the time of writing, prices are the same (around 350K / Person for a retourticket)
The main difference though is the Speed boat takes only 20 minutes, and the ferry takes around 1.5 hours.
Should you take your motorbike?
Cham Island has many steep hills and roads. Therefore it’s recommended to leave your motorbike at the docks. For around 20K it can be stored several days. On entering the island you will get many offers to rent a motorbike. We managed to rent one for 150K a day (6 euro) and this was a more expensive offer.
Where to stay?
There are quite a few homestays available. For around 300K a night it’s possible to stay at a place with a dock- and sunset view. There are also other options. A good friend stayed at a homestay somewhat more uphill, with monkeys crowding the backyard!
Best place to eat!
Around the docks, there’s a local market with many small restaurants. Don’t expect any fancy places, if you love seafood you’ll have a great time. If you’re keener on pizza, hamburgers and the best cocktails on the island, you’re gonna love Chàm’s Corner Lookout. The lovely lady here provides you with the best advice and guides you around. She’s also an excellent English speaker.
Day 1
7.30 Arrival at Hoi An Docks
8.10 Speedboat Leaves
8.30 Speedboat Arrival at Cham Island
8.30 – 9.30 Travel to your homestay
9.30 – 17.00 Go around by boat (Around 1 million, 40,- euro), snorkeling, enjoy 2nd town and Pagoda, visit the beautiful beaches, enjoy seafood and beer, and return to the docks and homestay.
17.30 – Enjoy the sunset, and relax.
Day 2
8.00 – 9.00 Breakfast
9.00 – 10 Visit the pagodas (Link / Link)
10.00 – 14.00 Drive around and explore the North Side of the Island
14.00 – 15.00 Lunch
15.00 – 18.00 Explore the South Island side
19.00 – Return to Homestay and relax
Day 3
4.30 – 6.00 Leave homestay and find a beautiful spot to watch the sunrise.
7.00 – 10.00 Relax (and sleep) at homestay
11.00 – Breakfast
12.00 – 17.00 Do some snorkeling at one of the beautiful beaches. rent snorkeling gear. Costs: 25k, 1 euro
Day 4
7.00 Take the speedboat back to Hoi An
7.30 Arrive back at the Hoi An Docks.
Tips / Pointers.
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There’s a lot of military force on the Island. Drone flying is prohibited.
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On exploring be careful not to take wrong turns, you will be halted and sent back by mentioned military.
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Plastic bags are not allowed.
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At the moment of writing (April 2021) the main road on the Northside of the island is under construction making it impossible to drive around.
