Visiting caves in Phong Nha of the most extraordinary travel experiences in Vietnam. The 7 kilometres long, the biggest caves in the world are located in the Ke Bang National Park.
Located in central Vietnam, Phong Nha is famous for its enormous cave systems, underground rivers, and dramatic limestone mountains, making it one of Southeast Asia’s top adventure destinations. The most popular way of exploring the caves is by organized boat tour.
Visiting caves in Phong Nha.
Ke Bang National Park is located in Quang Binh province. When I was there for the first time in 2015, there were only 2 guesthouses to stay in the closest city 😉 Both were so busy that people were queuing to get a place in a dorm room /forget about private rooms ;)/.
These were mostly backpacker places with amazing atmosphere and friendly staff. Almost 100% of visitors were aiming to explore the beauty of the surrounding caves, waterfalls and Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
Caves in Phong Nha were one of the most incredible places I have visited in Asia. The region is full of amazing landscapes, natural wonders and local stories. Having such a thrilling attraction, there are now a number of very high-standard guesthouses. Check below for the best prices and places to stay near the caves.
Here are the best Phong Nha tours | Tripadvisor:
Most popular cave tours in Ke Bang National Park.
Ke Bang National Park is one of the most incredible places I have visited in Asia. The region is full of amazing landscapes, natural wonders and local stories. Here are the most popular caves in Phong Nha:
- Son Doong Cave – the world’s largest cave
- Paradise Cave – famous for its massive chambers, wooden walkways, and incredible stalactite formations. Stretching over 31 kilometres, it’s considered one of the most beautiful dry caves in Asia.
- Phong Nha Cave – reached it by traditional dragon boat along the Son River before entering the spectacular underground river tunnels. Best tour: 1-Day All-inclusive Phong Nha and Paradise Cave
- Hang Tien
- Dark Cave – one of the most adventurous caves in the area, combining ziplining, swimming, kayaking, and natural mud baths. Dark Cave – best tour
Trip to Hang Tien world’s biggest cave.
Phong Nha is the largest cave in the world with a total passage of over 44km. Many of the caves in the complex can be explored by boat, the deepest water is 31 meters, and the cave is 80 meters high. The locals say the cave is so big that it would fit in a warship.
You can explore the cave by walking the bridge spreading along the cave.
The river that flows into the cave is called „Lipstick” in the Vietnamese language. In December, during the wet season, the monsoons accumulate lots of sand from the surrounding calcareous mountains to merge with the river flowing into the cave. The sands change the water colour into red – which gave the origin for the river’s name. Here are the most interesting options for cave tours.
Tu Lan Cave system - central Vietnam.
Tu Lan is the whole cave system with a length of over 20 km. The longest cave, Hang Tien, was explored for the first time in 1992. During summer, the cave dries, but during the monsoon season, when heavy rainfall occurs, the cave is filled with kilometres of water – the river called ‘Lipstick’.
The cave formations will blow your mind. First of all, the place is carefully prepared to welcome tourists. Secondly, it is very nicely organised to showcase the beauty of the cave wonder. This is definitely one of the most amazing places on earth.
The impression is compounded by the shadows of highlighted huge stalactites and stalagmites formations and their reflections in the surrounding waters.
The caves are 400 million years. Only 1cm of these rocks needs 100 years to form. While sailing inside the cave, you will see indoor sandy beaches. This is the only cave in the world where you can find this phenomenon. The sands are brought by the monsoons, chaning completely the landscape of the whole area.
Trekking in Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park.
Trekking prices were very high in 2016! For a one-week trek, you had to pay almost 3000$. 3-day trekking costs around 600$. That’s why I picked one day trekking 🙂 which includes visiting two of the main caves in the area.
There are plenty of activities to do in the caves – you can swim in the indoor river, do some rope climbing, kayaking and mud bathing are great fun. And of course, the survival tours are the most exciting option for me. The expedition leads through tight tunnels and most of the trail is pure climbing. There are no lights in the tunnels, so if your headlights brakes you are going to face a thrilling adventure.
Most of the caves were opened around 2005, but with every year they open more and more cave trails. For some caves it took 2 years before they become safe enough for people to access. Every trekking you purchase includes an insurance.
Where to stay in Phong Nha National Park?
Remember, I said in 2015, there were two guesthouses in the town? Mine was a dorm with 22 beds in the room 🙂 Including two sick people (they did not move for 2 days)/ and 3 backpackers with broken legs/arms (after motorbike accidents – very typical in Asia).
But it’s not a case anymore – there’s plenty of wonderful accommodation options – I was shocked by how amazing the stays the town is currently offering, here are few top-rated places:
- Phong Nha Memory Homestay – $20/per night Delux Double Room,
- Fabulous Fuuny Monkey Homestay – $15/per night for a double room,
- Phong Nha Coco Riverside – $15/per day per double room,
- Phong Nha Midtown Hotel – $7/per day delux double room,
- Thao Nguyen Homestay – $15/per day double room.
If you still go for dorms, be prepared for a crazy welcome and organisation. 😉 At the reception, 5 people are confused with every single aspect of reception & booking work! There are thousands of paper sheets flying around.. with about 30 people queuing for checking in or out. At the reception area, there is a small restaurant with a seating and waiting room.
So after 30 minutes, I finally heard: “room no hab” which means „room don’t have”, even when I made a reservation in advance. They took me to another building and pointed at the bed located in the corridor on the first floor, saying with a big smile – ‘Free!’ 🙂 Ohh no no no, I’m not sleeping here for sure! I booked a bed in a dorm not in a passage.
My Vietnamese adventure!
In the guesthouse, the boss gives us free beer and asks if we can sleep on the couch located in the dorm room. Well, it’s not a big problem for me, so I agree. But they shortly discover that there are few non-reserved beds.
They are so happy discovering this fact that you simply cannot be angry with them. After lying down on our beds, the staff takes all the spare couches in the room and everyone is on their smartphones. So there are 26 people in the room… which doesn’t bother me to fall asleep.
Explore the region!
Every cave has its God stamp. It’s like all the stairs leading to asian temples are wound with dragons. They paint on the front gates or beside paintings. They symbolise wisdom and strength. To explore the beauty of the region – rent a boat tour along the river and caves.
Visiting caves in Phong Nha and exploring the whole region was one of the most magnificent times I spent in Southeast Asia.
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