Are you planning to travel to Hang Son Doong, the ultimate dreamland for everyone? Don’t know how to visit Hang Son Doong? Why worry, you are at the right destination. Here you can find the complete Hang Son Doong Tour travel guide.
Table of Content
- About Hang Son Doong
- How to visit Hang Son Doong?
- Where you can stay?
- What you can eat?
- Things to do
- The Hang Son Doong tour
- The Hang Son Doong tour price
- FAQ’s
About Hang Son Doong
Hang Son Doong (Mountain River Cave), the world’s largest natural cave, is believed to be about two and five million years old. It’s in the center of Vietnam’s Quang Binh province’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. The cave is a UNESCO-protected cave that stretches for over three miles and reaches a height of 650 feet. The main cavern is approximately 5 acres in size.
As you start moving towards the cave, you will cross misty clouds enveloping jungles, rivers, and microorganisms living in the darkness. The dense jungle inside the Cave gives the impression of being in the Stone Age. It is the house of limestone pearls as it looks like a treasure chest. Perhaps more amazing is the cave’s climate, which has its own weather system and produces its own clouds. It’s as if you’ve walked into a replica of Earth from hundreds of millions of years ago.
How to visit Hang Son Doong?
To visit the cave, you must travel to Dong Hoi, it is recommended to arrive prior to14:00 hrs. You can get to Dong Hoi by
By Air:
You can fly from Saigon (International airport) to Dong Hoi on a domestic airline.
By Train:
Traveling by train is a thrilling experience. It takes about 10 hours to travel from Hanoi to Dong Hoi by train.
By Bus:
To get to Dong Hoi, take the bus from Hanoi’s main district. Long journeys are made easier by the buses’ comfort.
From Dong Hoi, you’ll have a 45-minute drive along the Ho Chi Minh Highway’s Road 20. Your hiking will begin, arriving at the trailhead.
It takes a six-kilometer hike through the rainforest to get to the entrance of Son Doong, which includes going through the Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park’s small and only village. The Ban Doong ethnic minority village has nearly 40 residents, offering a glimpse into a way of life that hasn’t changed in centuries.
After passing through the village, it will be a two-day journey through the jungle that includes 17 km mountain trekking with elevation changes of up to 400 meters, knee-deep river crossings about 40 times, underground strong current river crossings, and 8km caving complete with rope climbs, steep terrain, climbing, and a 90-meter ascent of the Vietnam Great Wall inside the cave.
Where you can Stay?
You can book a hotel in Dong Hoi depending on your needs, as the guided tour begins on a different day. And, for the duration of your Hang Son Doong cave tour, to keep your belongings secure
Hang Son Doong tour you will be camping inside the cave.
What you can eat?
You can enjoy food that you like as per your taste buds, staying at the hotel in Dong Hoi. Additionally, when camping, the tour company will provide food, which will include four meals a day with bottled water.
Things to do
The things to do at Son Doong tour:
- Explore two gigantic cave ceiling collapses
- Surface and underground river crossings
- Explore unique underground rainforests.
- Sleep in some of the world’s most magnificent campsites
- Uncover the world’s largest cave with a specialist.
- Discover Hang En and camp nearby an emeral lagoon.
- 17km trekking (Moderate to hard trekking – very rocky terrain)
- Hiking
- Climbing
- 3 nights camping underground
- 8km of caving which includes rope climbs, rocky scrambling, and the 90m ascent of the Wall of Vietnam “Great Wall of Vietnam” with ropes and ladders.
The Hang Son Doong Tour
Oxalis Adventure Tours is the only company that organizes and leads this incredible Hang Son Doong Cave Tour. It gives the best opportunities to enjoy the scenic and magnificent national park as well as its stunning caves.
Oxalis Adventure Tours offers a four-day, three-night Son Doong Cave Expedition. The tour includes camping equipment, safety equipment, caving equipment, and three freshly cooked meals per day, plus snacks, drinking water, a first aid kit, and emergency rescue equipment. Throughout the trip, the expedition is assisted by a competent technical advisor, an English-speaking guide, five safety assistants, and a porter team to bring gear and prepare meals.
You’ll be able to camp inside the cave and take incredible pictures. The tour includes Hang En, the world’s third-largest cave.
Son Doong tours are only available from January to August due to annual floods. Rain can make the paths slippery and muddy, the tour is subject to change depending on the weather.
The tour is only open to active and fit people over the age of 18. The Son Doong Cave tour should be scheduled at least four months prior to the tour
Hang Son Doong Tour Price
The Son Doong tour would cost around $4000, including $3000 for the Song Doong cave tour (inclusive 10% tax and $660 for the environmental service fee). The night before – after the tour is also included.
Also Read: Ellora & Ajanta Caves: 2500 years old cave in India
FAQ’S
1. Can you visit Son Doong?
Yes, you can visit Son Doong. Son Doong Cave, the world’s largest cave is environmentally sensitive, the government of Quang Binh province released a regulation limiting the number of tourists allowed to visit the cave to 1000 per year, with each tour consisting of 10 people.
2. Is Son Doong cave open to public?
In 2013, Son Doong Cave was open to the public.
3. What is the best time to visit Son Doong?
The best time to visit Son Doong is between January to August. The tour closes between September to December because of the weather change.
4. Can solo traveler, go for the tour?
Yes, solo traveler can go for the trip.
5. Is Son Doong cave unexplored?
According to experts, the cave inside is unexplored in its entirety, which is a difficult task for technology to accomplish.