Travel Son Doong – The Largest Cave In Vietnam

Since it was discovered in 1990 by Mr. Ho Khanh – a local forester, information about Son Doong quickly attracted attention. This destination is also added to the bucket list of anyone who chooses the Vietnam holiday packages. This article enriches your knowledge with some useful information below. Keep reading for a journey experiencing the most primitive cave in the world!

What You Know When Visit Son Doong

Son Doong is the world’s largest natural limestone cave, with a 38.5 million cubic meters volume. Therefore, the expedition to this place is also considered the longest and most challenging you must prepare in advance. Some of the information you can find out is as follows:

• Exploratory journey: 25 km long through forests and mountains, including climbing over steep vertical walls, exploring caves (about 9km), canoeing, or swimming across rivers (10 – 50m wide).
• Rich terrain: rapids, limestone, deep water, slippery sand, or sinkholes.
• Diverse flora and fauna: home of snakes, scorpions, squirrels, mice, monkeys, flying foxes, bats, and other birds.
• No signal: cell phones or wifi waves are ineffective during this tour, and the guides will use satellite phones to keep in touch with the outside.

However, when you directly explore this place, you will feel completely separate from the outside, fully immersed in nature with sounds, shadows or glimmers of light, and distinct wild animals and plants. For example, cave animals are usually white and have no eyes, resulting in evolution to survive in near-complete darkness.

Reasons To Explore Son Doong

The title “the world’s largest cave” is enough to make Son Doong one of the natural tourist attractions of any Vietnam holiday packages. However, once you get here, you will surely have a more memorable experience than your expected:

Enjoy The One-Of-A-Kind Ecosystem Underneath

To become the large and massive cave it is now, Son Doong has undergone millions of years of development. Like most other caves, it is surrounded by two tropical forests, rivers, and deep pools, forming a diverse natural ecosystem.
You will be amazed to see clouds and fog hovering in the cave, leaving only a few glimmers of light and refraction-like natural illumination sources.

Drift Along The Underground Long River

You may feel the freshness and comfort during either swimming or boating in the cave’s stream, formed from Khe Ry and Rao Thuong, at En Cave. Due to the regular water circulation, this internal groundwater is always hygienic. Moreover, the aggregation from different water sources also greatly impacts the water level in each season. As in October, it can rise from 90 – 100m inside and 50m for the surrounding valleys in the rainy season. Because of that, the plants on the limestone cliffs can grow diversely.

Stargaze Gigantic Skylight

Doline 2 is the place where the magnificent, sparkling galaxy surrounds you. During the deep night, the signal from the universe and the calmness from the surrounding nature can be a great healing and motivation for any soul. On top of that, this place also receives the most light from the sun via a large sinkhole above. On rainy days, each stream of a waterfall flowing down from the cave dome or floating clouds on a sunny day are all celestial scenes that this wonderful campsite can “perform” for you.

Conquer The “Great Wall Of Vietnam”

Climbing the 90 m high calcite wall is the last challenge to end this journey, instead of you having to go out by the original path. Guides and assistants support tourists through this wall safely with full equipment like a harness and a karabiner. After the “Great Wall Of Vietnam”, visitors will use rafts to move across the top of Passchendaele pass about 500m before the end of this trip.

How To Explore Son Doong

To begin with, you must know is that the government only allows about 1000 tourists to visit Son Doong annually. This control action is part of the sustainable tourism development plan, allowing time for natural recovery and giving visitors the best experience. Thus, you must plan and book in advance; sometimes, your turn will be long. Secondly, only Oxalis Adventure Tours is the exclusively licensed company to organize these cave tours. After arriving in Dong Hoi, the company staff will take you to the starting place of the journey in about 40 minutes. Also, exploring Son Doong requires high physical fitness, which involves trekking through the jungle, crossing rivers, and climbing steep inclines. Preparing your body for the physical demands at least six months before the tour is essential.

During the first two days, if your fitness is not strong enough to participate by the expert’s judgment, you must stop your journey without a refund. Last but not least, you need to bring the right clothes, shoes, and personal items. For example, bring breathable clothing, grippy hiking boots, anti-mosquito cream, a first aid kit, or a sharp camera. Using what you know will make your journey easier and reduce unexpected accidents.

How Much Is Your Trip?

The 6-day, 5-night journey costs 3,000 USD/person, including 10% VAT, and you must pay in full at the time of booking confirmation. This price consists of the following:

• Entrance fee and environmental services: 600 USD
• National park management and monitoring fee: 20 USD

Other services in the tour, such as:

• Shuttle bus at Dong Hoi airport
• Food and drink: tea, coffee, and meals on a fixed menu
• Accommodation: Visit Son Doong Bungalow in 1 night, camping in the cave within 3 night, and the last one at Chay Lap Farmstay
• Safety equipment: seat belts, headlights, gloves, insurance, and other equipment
• Travel insurance: with a maximum compensation of 10 million VND (equivalent to 425 USD)
• Delegation members: 1 expert, 1 guide, 6 safety assistants, 2 chefs, 17 porters of furniture, food, and camping equipment, and 1 ranger of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.

In Sum

A journey of nearly a week is not enough for you to explore the underground world and the magnificent constructions inside Son Doong. However, this journey is worth trying once, giving you closer connections with nature, the universe, and even deep within yourself. After enlarging your information, you should prioritize this destination in your Vietnam holiday packages and book a reservation immediately!

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