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Marble Mountain

Marble Mountain in Da Nang is a cluster of five craggy marble outcrops made from limestone and marble and topped with pagodas. Marble Mountain is named after the elements metal, wood, water, fire and earth. There are also a host of Buddhist sanctuaries and places of worship dotted across these mountains

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Overlooking China beach
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It is just off the China Beach coastal road and easy to get to from Da Nang or Hội An where we were staying

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We went there as part of our private tour with our tour guide Andy who gave us lots of good information regarding the mountain and its sights and views. There is a $1 entrance fee to Marble Mountain and an additional $1 cost for entrance to the cave at the foot of the mountains which were included in our entire tour cost.  We took the elevator up from the road, but it doesn’t take you to the top as you might expect so there was still more walking to get to the top from the elevator.

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We were amazed and pleased to spend a couple of hours in a place that we thought was a mere tourist destination. These five marble outcrops rising strangely from the flat landscape have long attracted different religions like Buddhism which is apparent in the many beautiful Buddha statues and pagodas along the way.

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It’s quite fantastic. And challenging to climb the steep steps carved out of the rocks, and negotiate our way through some rather scary caves.

 

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Some of these climbs are quite risky, and there were a couple that I decided not to tackle. But that was fine as I found beautiful areas to sit, take in the views, admire the magnificent statues and sculptures and take photos of the lovely gardens.

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The stairs down from the mountain back to the road below were very extreme. I really struggled with their steepness and uneven surface. I took my time, concentrated and held on to anything I could while maneuvering my way down so I made it safely. But, just be careful. It was very scary.

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It is good to start early when it is not so hot  If you have the time, I suggest allowing a few hours exploring all of Marble Mountain. Also, I recommend wearing good shoes as parts of the climb are tricky and poor footwear could result in injury. Don’t make our mistake of under-estimating the physical difficulty

We found it useful to have a guide who was able to tell us more about the history and help us through some tricky parts.

Our visit to Marble Mountain was a high-light of our trip to Da Nang.   The caves are magnificent and the views are breathtaking!

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