Son Tra Peninsula

Son Tra is the wooded hill that closes the northern end of Da Nang bay, twenty minutes by road from the city beaches. A narrow road loops around and over it, passing pull-ins that look back across the city, down onto small coves, and out to open sea. The forest holds red-shanked douc langurs, brightly marked monkeys most often seen feeding in the canopy at either end of the day, along with macaques that have learned to hang around the parking areas. Near the top stands a hillside pagoda with a tall white Buddha figure, and a much photographed banyan, said to be centuries old, sits beside the eastern side of the loop.

What you actually see

• Douc langurs - the red-legged monkeys feeding in the canopy at dawn and dusk.
• Loop road viewpoints - pull-ins over Da Nang bay, the city and the coves below.
• Linh Ung pagoda - the hillside temple with its tall white standing Buddha.
• The old banyan - the huge aerial-rooted tree beside the eastern loop road.

When to go

March to August is dry and clear; autumn storms close parts of the road and can leave landslides behind. Early morning is best both for the langurs and for light over the bay, and the road is quiet before eight. Some upper sections are restricted to certain vehicle types, and cars are turned back at barriers on the steepest stretches.

Honest expectations

Parts of the loop are steep, narrow and in poor condition, and rental scooters with weak brakes struggle badly; accidents here are common. Barriers close sections without warning. The langurs are wild and often invisible without binoculars and patience. The pagoda area fills with tour buses through the middle of the day, and parking there is chaotic.

Nearby

My Khe beach and central Da Nang are minutes away, with the Marble Mountains south of the city.