We were really excited about this part of our trip to Vietnam as Phong Nha looked like such a dream when researching! When referring to Phong Nha, I’m specifically talking about the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the northern part of Central Vietnam, which contains the oldest karst mountains in Asia (formed 400 million years ago). It’s also home to the world’s largest cave. It’s no wonder that it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
What’s incredible about the area is that it has so many more caves beyond the largest cave, Hang Son Doong. The park is riddled with hundreds of cave systems. There are cave adventures for everyone and every skill level. Once we arrived at our accommodation in Phong Nha we had to quickly decide our itinerary for the next three days as there were just so many options and most of them were full-day tours. After deciding on day one, we fell asleep to the beautiful sounds of the winds blowing through the trees.
Day 1 – Paradise Cave
We woke up in Phong Nha to rice fields galore. We had to leave early though to get on our way for our adventure of the day: trekking through Paradise Cave. Our driver picked us up and drove about 30 to 40 minutes through beautiful forests to the Paradise Cave complex. We were sat down and equipped with rubber sandals and a helmet with a headlight. Yes, rubber sandals. At first, we were wondering how these could be the best shoes, but wow our scepticism quickly vanished once we realised their incredible grip!
The cave entrance is set high up into the mountains, so we first had to climb hundreds of stairs from the ground floor. The stairs made it easy to go up, but the sheer humidity was quite a challenge. There was only one other couple with us on this tour, and they were really struggling during the first leg of the journey. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed seeing the forested karst peaks all around us.
Once we reached the cave entrance, wooded staircases plunged us into a cathedral-like space with an immediate array of stalagmites and stalactites. The scale of the cave reaching 72 m and 150 m wide is breathtaking. At 31 km long, Paradise Cave (or Thien Duong Cave) is the longest cave in Phong Nha. However, most people only visit the first kilometre as it’s the part you don’t need a guide for.
Paradise Cave was discovered in 2005 by Ho Khanh, the same local man who initially discovered the largest cave in the world, Hang Son Doong. The cave was then fully explored by the British Cave Research Association. They were so impressed with the cave’s interior that they named it the Paradise Cave.
Paradise Cave is part of the Vom Cave System, a system of around 70 explored caves with a total length of over 50 km. Paradise Cave is a dry branch of Vom Cave. It is formed in ancient karst with an age of 350-400 million years. The dry passage connects with the river passage of Vom Cave.
Depending on water levels, the trek is either 7km or 4km. On our particular day, it was 4km. Regardless, the trek took us through the stunningly lit tourist section of the cave until the end of the boardwalk, where our guide opened the gate for us to step down onto the cave floor so that we could begin our true caving adventure.
We walked through various sections with just the light of our head torches. The largest passage we went through was 100m wide and 150m high. It was amazing to walk in this vast cave and admire the various rock formations. We saw some interesting flora and fauna, including translucent shrimp and fish. Another interesting fact about the cave is that the temperature is extremely temperate. No matter the time of year the inside of the cave is around 22 degrees Celsius (or 71-72 degrees Fahrenheit).
We also got to swim through a section of the cave. There’s even a portable bathroom here! Alongside our tour guide, we had a porter who carried our lunch all the way in. We enjoyed our delicious meal by the cave pool after a wonderful swim. We then made our way back to the tourist section of the cave and back down the steps to our driver.
Once we arrived back at our accommodation, Phong Nha Farmstay, we took a very well-deserved shower and rested by the pool with a cup of coffee. We ran into the owner of the accommodation who invited us to join him in his Jeep for a tour of the local village, Cự Nẫm. The village suffered a lot of damage during the Vietnam War. In fact, it used to be a military station and a one-night stop for Vietnamese soldiers heading southwards. It was the gateway between the North and the South.
The owner of Phong Nha Farmstay is Australian and his wife is a local. Together, they opened the Farmstay back in 2010. They were ahead of their time as they predicted the tourism boom surrounding the caves in the area. The place is a quirky Bohemian-style lodge but is surrounded by absolutely beautiful scenery. It was a joy to ride through the dirt roads and see the local farmers working away in the afternoon sun.
Once we were dropped off back at our accommodation, we had dinner and then headed straight to bed. We were good and tired after such an adventurous day!
Day 2 – Tien Son Cave & Phong Nha Cave
The next day we got set up with a couple of mountain bikes from our accommodation and made our way to the actual town of Phong Nha. We were here in January, so the area was finishing its wet season. However, there was a heatwave, so we were lucky with lovely temperatures and sunny, blue skies.
After a 30-minute bike ride, we arrived at the Xuan Son Boat Station to head to our next cave adventure! The boat tickets are sold per boat, so to get a cheaper individual ticket you’ll need to find some other people to join you. Once we got a group together, we got on the boat and made our way to the cave area.
We first hiked up towards Tien Son Cave. The cave is located 200 metres above sea level, so we had to climb up 583 steps! It was a bit challenging because the steps themselves are quite tall. However, there are many resting spots along the way, and some have wonderful viewpoints.
Once we reached the entrance of the cave we stepped downwards into a wonderland of rock formations. Even though we had just been in Paradise Cave the day before, it was so exhilarating to be back in a cave.
Tien Son cave is less cathedral-like, but rather really packed in. Some parts we had to squeeze through to continue along the path. The cave is like a stalagmite and stalactite castle, making it a wonderful place to explore. It’s also striking because some of the rocks are very colourful.
Once we trekked back down, we hopped on our boat to enter Phong Nha Cave. It’s 7,729 metres long and contains 14 grottoes, as well as a 13,969-metre underground river. While scientists have surveyed 44.5 kilometres of passages, tourists are only allowed to explore the first 1,500 metres. You enter via the river on a boat, and exit by walking along the pathway on the edge of the cave.
Phong Nha cave is particularly famous for its rock formations bearing intriguing names such as the ‘Lion’, ‘Unicorn’, ‘Kneeling elephant’ and ‘the Buddha’. It is like an underground wonderland.
We then hopped back on the boat to the dock and proceeded to look for some lunch as it was getting quite late in the afternoon Phong Nha is literally a one-street town, so we just wandered along the road looking for a good spot. We chose one called Lantern Vietnamese Restaurant, mostly based on good reviews. It turned out to indeed be a really good spot! We got the Đậu Sốt Cà Chua (Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomato Sauce) and something very similar, which neither of us can quite remember. But we do remember the sauce being so delicious. I dream of it every day!
Before going into Phong Nha town, we had learned from our accommodation that there’s a free shuttle between the Farmstay and their sister accommodation in town. We also learned that you can drop off and pick up bikes interchangeably at the two accommodations. We decided to cycle in, but drop off the bikes and take the shuttle back to the Farmstay. We were a bit early for the shuttle, but we were able to relax by the other accommodation’s pool and have a drink.
And so ended another wonderful day of adventure in Phong Nha.
Day 3 – Bong Lai Valley
The next morning we were back on the bikes to cycle around and explore Bong Lai Valley. It’s a rural valley interspersed with small villages, farms, and interesting stops. Over the years, it has become quite popular to go on a cycling loop around the valley, stopping at various ‘attractions’. The loop is 12 kilometres long, so it makes a great half day out exploring at a leisurely pace.
Our first stop was called “The Duck Stop“. We knew it was a duck farm, but wow he had no idea how silly and fun it would be. We were first sat down and provided a surprise homemade snack, bánh xèo. We were then provided with a pair of rubber sandals to change into. One of the family members showed us around and explained the different crops grown at the farm, including green pepper and peanuts.
Afterwards, we were taken to the ducks. The service you buy is called a “duck massage”. We quickly realised what they meant by that. Essentially, the farmer pours duck food on your feet so that the ducks start pecking at your feed, giving the sensation of a massage! The next five minutes are full of hilarious tricks and lots of laughter. It’s an exhilarating and fun experience. The ducks are precious and are clearly very well taken care of. The ducks are not used for their meat, but rather for eggs and this exact tourist operation.
After being hosed down to wash off the duck-feeding mess on our feet, we thanked the farmers and workers, hopped back on our bikes, and made our way further into the valley until we reached Bong Lai Swing Nature Farm. The farm is set high up with a beautiful view of the valley. The farm also has a whole bunch of activities. You can cycle across a thin plank of wood across a large pond. If you make it across, you get a free beer. We enjoyed our time here by relaxing in the hammocks and planning a round of chess with the farm owner’s five-year-old son. He beat us. And by beat us, I mean crushed us!
We cycled back to our accommodation to pick up our bags and transfer to the Dong Hoi train station. After a long, gruelling sleeper train journey (an 8-hour long ride!), we finally made it to our next destination, Ninh Binh. Stay tuned for my next post. Otherwise, ta ta for now!
What do you think of Phong Nha? Do you like caving?
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