IF YOU HAVE EVER THOUGHT OF VIETNAM AND ITS WONDERS, OR MUST-GO-TO DESTI-NATIONS-SON DOONG CAVE IS AT THE TOP.

Among the wonders of unique natural & cultural heritage in Vietnam, Son Doong cave is something that is on the tip of the tongue when Vietnamese people are talking about what we have and what we're proud of. A cave that is officially confirmed as the largest natural cave in the world, five times the size of Malaysia's Deer cave, which had held the title until then.

I. The Unique World Inside A Cave

Son Doong Cave is considered to be one of the few on Earth that has its own jungle, river and climate. This was described by the National Geographic team as one of the most captivating caves of the world.

ENOUGH SPACE FOR AN ENTIRE NEW YORK CITY BLOCK COMPLETE WITH 40-STORY SKYSCRAPERS

LUSH TROPICAL JUNGLE GROWING INSIDE THE CAVE

The cave keeps on surprising the world. The ceiling collapsed hundreds of thousands of years ago forming gigantic windows which allowed sunlight to penetrate into the darkness. This explains the lush tropical jungle, tall tropical trees, palms and even ferns..

Where the ceiling collapsed, forming what we call dolines if you are lucky, you may be able to witness the spectacular natural sunbeams. These shine into the cave at particular times of the year.

These scenes are so surreal that no words or photographs are enough; you need to see it in person to totally believe it!

UNDERGROUND RIVER AND THE GREAT WALL OF VIETNAM

Son Doong has a large underground river, with small waterfalls. A distinctive part that cannot be missed while exploring Son Doong Cave is climbing up the 90-meter-high calcite wall named ‘The Great Wall of Vietnam’. With safety harness & ropes with the support of a safety advisor; you will conquer this massive wall and should be proud of it forever.

THE CAVE IS SO HUGE THAT IT EVEN HAS ITS OWN CLIMATE

Son Doong Cave could be considered one of the world’s most unique caves, the size is so massive that the cave creates a separate climate inside it, and there are clouds forming throughout the day. Imagine this, adventurers could feel like they are on another planet, experiencing a different atmosphere.

II. The Story Behind Bringing Son Doong Cave To The World

This outstanding creation of the world would have remained undiscovered if a local man – Ho Khanh hadn’t accidentally approached the cave entrance during his wandering through the jungles of Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park looking for food & timber.

It has been more than 20 years since Son Doong Cave first found by Ho Khanh; nearly 10 years since its official debut to the world. From an anonymous cave remaining untouched for millions of year, Son Doong Cave is now well-known by the world of scientists, explorers & adventurers all around the world.

  • In the 1990s, Ho Khanh while out on a hunting mission, stumbled across an opening in a limestone cliff and moved forward to investigate. Later on, he coincidentally met two members of The British Vietnam Caving Expedition Team - Howard & Deb Limbert; and mentioned about the possibility of a cave with clouds and river inside.
  • Their attempts to discover the cave failed several times and the exact location of the cave remained lost for 18 years, until 2008 when Ho Khanh found that opening again. He carefully took note of the path with the hope of taking Howard, Deb & an experienced team back for further investigation.
  • In 2009, the team finally announced the existence of this cave after naming it Hang Son Doong – Mountain River Cave.

    The breaking news hit the world; Hang Son Doong was at 5.5 miles long and 550ft wide – confirmed as the largest natural cave in the world. Son Doong Cave is located deep in the Phong Nha Cave System of the World Natural Heritage Site, known as Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park.

  • Owning that incredible creation of the world was a bit overwhelming for the locals and they weren’t prepared for this. Knowing this would be an amazing opportunity for the tourism industry of Quang Binh & Vietnam, Oxalis Adventure started to work with the local government and members of the British Cave Research Association to operate expeditions into the cave, and of course, bring the cave to the world for the first time in 2013.

    Due to the safety & conservation issues, a limited number of adventurers are allowed to visit the cave each year and the price for this four-day-three-night journey is US$3,000 – an impressive number for a caving tour in Vietnam.

    At first, not so many people believed in the possibility of doing this journey. They didn’t know if was worth the thousands of dollars, was it safe to spend four days and three nights in the wilderness of jungle & caves? With the support of the members of the British Cave Research Association, Oxalis Adventure soon proved the possibility of doing a safe quality tour into the world’s largest cave.

III. The Making Of A World-Class Quality Expedition

The detailed itinerary of Son Doong Expedition is carefully designed by the operations team, with the safety advice of BRCA members. Oxalis Team carried out inspections; setting up equipment, trails & campsites before the official opening in 2013.

The team has have carefully inspected the routes, paths to minimize the impact; the itinerary needs to show the best parts of the cave whilst at the same time maintaining conservation and protection. Adventurers & the team will follow the exact itinerary under the observation of the Park rangers. No rules or regulations of the National Park are breached.

Since safety is the top concern of Oxalis, all of the safety equipment that is used on the tour is internationally certified from top-brand manufacturers. They’re checked regularly to make sure all of the adventurers & team members are safe throughout the tour.

Son Doong Expedition is a high-maintenance project. We use the best quality equipment, made by stainless steel or inox, so as not to damage the structure & resources of the cave, both now and in the future. All of the attached equipment in the cave is reported to the Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park authorities along with their approval. No permanent structure exists; they can all be taken out at the end of the season.

Oxalis Adventure Team is formed by excellent individuals from all around the world. The cave experts are made up of members from the British Cave Research Association, some of who were the original explorers of many of the caves highlighted on our tours. These experts hail all the way from the UK and are always present on the Son Doong Expedition.

They have, on average, about 25 years of caving experience apiece. Their knowledge of the caves is vast and wide, so you can expect them to answer any and all questions you have during the expeditions.

Guides on Son Doong Expeditions are senior-level, fluent in English and highly trained in outdoor safety, first aid, rescue, and emergency procedures. They are also internationally qualified and granted the membership of the British Cave Research Association (UK).

The backbone of our tours is the porter team under the leadership of Ho Khanh (the man who found Son Doong Cave). Without them, there would be no ropes to climb, no mouthwatering dinners, or tents to sleep in. They’re made up of some of the strongest, energetic jungle men around. They are attending recurrent training every year to enhance their operating skills, ability to handle emergency situations & even English knowledge. They carry their packs as if they are as light as feathers, and they are known for not only their strength but also their enthusiasm for nature.

Our growing consultants, operations, administration and accounting teams are a dedicated crew who work hard day and night to make sure your caving adventure is ready to go when the roosters start calling each morning.

IV. After Millions Of Years Waiting, Son Doong Cave Is Truly The Journey Of A Lifetime

Since no words or pictures could describe the otherworldly beauty of Son Doong Cave, you need to witness it for yourself. The cave is now becoming a hotspot for adventurers, photographers & scientists from all around the world. Due to safety & conservation matters, only a limited number of adventurers are allowed to visit the cave every year. It is a fact that fewer people have visited Son Doong Cave than have stood on the legendary Mt. Everest.

Son Doong Cave brings to us not only the world’s most amazing sights, sights that have been hidden for millions of year waiting to be woken up, but also a wonderful opportunity for Vietnam to show its world-class natural beauty. This is just the beginning of the marvelous, outstanding natural landscapes of Vietnam that must be explored, and will surely put Vietnam on the top destination’s bucket list of anyone.

INFORMATION OF SON DOONG EXPEDITION 2020

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Whether you prefer long treks, camping in a cave, sleeping under the stars in the jungle, swimming underground in river caves, explore the huge dry caves or just taking an exploratory day trip, Oxalis Adventure Tours can provide the right amount of adventure just for you.

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