Hang Tien Discovery
You can still go on an adventure vacation in Quang Binh in just one day, by trekking to Hang Tien, a sizable dry cave in the Tu Lan Cave System. The day includes hill climbing, swimming in natural lakes, and caving. The spectacular stalactites, the swirling cave arch, or the layered cave floor that resembles terraced fields will take your breath away.
Visitors that join Oxalis' tour to Quang Binh - Hang Tien will experience the following:
- Explore the largest dry cave in the area. The circular dome inside the cave has a particularly unusual and remarkable structure.
- Experience trekking through the jungle: 80% of the route is spent in a tropical forest with a variety of plant life. This is a totally unique rainforest experience for nature-loving visitors.
- Hang Tien features an unusual formation with layers of rimstone pools and giant columns and stalagmites several meters in height.
- Lunch is served next to a picturesque stream, with a nearby waterfall.
- The water from the Rao Nan Stream having been underground for some kilometers emerges by the lunch area of the Hang Tien tour, creating a breathtaking natural creation: a natural infinity pool. Guests taking part in the Hang Tien Discovery tour have the chance to swim in the cold, crystal-clear blue water.
Itinerary
The schedule of Hang Tien Exploration is subject to change due to weather conditions. The path can be quite muddy and slippery when it rains.
Safety briefing - Hang Tien 1
Between 07:00 - 07:30 you will be picked up at your accommodation in the Phong Nha area, and taken to the Oxalis Tan Hoa office. There will be a safety briefing, and you will collect safety equipment and sign the release form. After the briefing a short drive will bring you to the start of your one day adventure. This Hang Tien exploration trek will begin by ascending a hill into the forest. The first 15 minutes will be mainly uphill but you will soon reach the top and start to descend to the river valley. You will then stop to have a quick snack here down the valley to get some more energy before exploring Hang Tien 1 Cave.
Reaching the valley floor, the group will hike over the dry rocky riverbed, with the spectacular entrance of Hang Tien enticing you on. Trekking into the cave, you will be surrounded by calcite formations cloaked in green plant life. The striped limestone layers are clearly visible on the walls and roof.
As you go further inside guests will see more amazing sites. A swirling dome high in the roof and layers of calcite resembling terraced fields. Keep on going deep inside the cave and discover the mysterious attraction and impressive cave formations that mother nature created in Hang Tien.
Tan Hoa – Phong Nha
Returning from your Hang Tien exploration, you have time to swim, take pictures, and enjoy lunch next to the natural pool in the heart of the mountains. To conclude your Vietnam cave discovery trip, you will trek back over the hill and down to the road to board the bus and return to the Oxalis Tan Hoa office for a shower and a cold drink. The bus will then return the group to Phong Nha around 19:00–19:30.
Please note:
To prevent being late for the tour departure, you must arrive in Phong Nha before 6:00 AM on the day of the departure and be ready for the pickup at 07.00.
It is advised to reserve a seat on the SE3 train leaving from Hanoi/Ninh Binh to Dong Hoi station, or the SE8 train leaving from Da Nang/Hue to Dong Hoi station if you wish to go to Phong Nha by rail in the morning of departure (It is recommended to book an additional shuttle bus from Dong Hoi station to Phong Nha).
For those who arrive in Phong Nha early on the day of the tour and want to take a little time to relax before embarking the Hang Tien one day adventure, Oxalis offers a free dorm room service with 6 comfy mattresses at Oxalis Home (Oxalis Office). If you intend to use the service, do let us know in advance.
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Weather and climate in Tan Hoa - Hang Tien area
The Tu Lan - Hang Tien area has 4 seasons in a year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter). Due to the weather and for conservation, Hang Tien Discovery tours are only operated from November to mid September yearly. From December to March the weather will sometimes be cold interspersed with sunny days. April and May are spring months with cool air. From June to August, are the warm months of summer.
However, most of the time visitors trek under the forest canopy or inside the cave with a temperature of 22 to 25 degree Celsius. This is also a perfect time to enjoy the “infinity swimming pool” near the campsite. Hang Tien Discovery is the ideal itinerary for your 1-day Quang Binh cave discovery tour.
Each season has its natural features to enjoy, and visitors can check the weather at Hang Tien or Tu Lan via “Accuweather” before joining an Oxalis Adventures caving tour.
Preparation for the Hang Tien Cave Discovery
Fitness preparation for Hang Tien Cave Discovery
The Hang Tien Discovery trek is rated as level 3 (moderate) in the 6 level adventure scale of Oxalis Adventures, designed for people with a passion for experiencing nature. This trekking adventure scale is based on the physical fitness and health of average active people, not runners or athletes or intensively active people. Anyone can join these caving adventures easily if they play sports and are reasonably active. You can learn more about "the Physical Activities" recommended by Oxalis Adventure for visitors to prepare for their adventure tour.
Items to bring on tour
It is necessary to be well prepared for the trip because the Hang Tien – Quang Binh 1 day discovery is a long hiking tour with a variety of terrain. Guests will be asked to wear appropriate clothing for safety reasons, good for moving in the jungle, river crossing, or exploring the cave as well as avoiding dangers and risks from sharp rocks, snakes, insects, or poison ivy. Long trousers and long sleeved shirts should be worn for trekking. Trekking shoes play a very important role in Oxalis Adventure tours in Vietnam, such as this. Visitors must choose a good and well fitting pair of shoes for rocky steep mountains and should NOT buy waterproof footwear for river crossings as they will retain water. Please test your shoes before the trek. Besides, guests also need to prepare personal items for 1 day’s trekking in the jungle. The Oxalis Phong Nha tour consultant will give you helpful advice before joining the Hang Tien Discovery Tour. You can learn more about the "List of items visitors need to prepare" here.
Adventure level
After many years of operating adventure discovery tours, Oxalis has created an adventure scale to help tourists visualize and choose the right caving trip for their fitness and health. This scale is not to be applied to other companies with different conditions and terrains. The easiest level anyone can join and the most difficult level 6 requires regular exercise and some trekking experience. Hang Tien Discovery, though only a one day adventure, is still quite demanding, with challenging terrain. Guests should have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy the Hang Tien Discovery tour.
Adventure Level 3 · Moderate
Requires: Regular physical activities or sports
Number of guests per tour: Maximum 12 guests; 16 years old and above
Expect: Rocky terrain, steep hills, long trek
- 1-day tour
- Moderate trekking
- 8km of trekking including 1.5km of caving
- 300m elevation gain
- Swimming in the natural stream
- There will be some rocky terrain
Communication on tour
Hang Tien Discovery Tour is an adventure tour in Quang Binh with a challenging difficulty level and is operated in a remote forest with physical challenges, far from external support such as medical assistance, hospitals etc. The Hang Tien Discovery Tour follows jungle trails, many hills up and down, and no paths are suitable for vehicles. There is no phone signal, no wifi, and no charging facilities.
Each Oxalis cave tour is equipped with 1 satellite phone for the guide to contact the office in case of emergency. Guests can only use the internet and phone at the village before and after the Oxalis tour. During the tour, Oxalis staff will keep in touch by radio if required.
Emergency Response Process
Oxalis Adventure has an established "Emergency Response Protocol" that includes on-site first aid and rescue if an accident occurs during trekking or cave exploration. We organize many training courses for first aid, rescue, and evacuation, and have rescue teams for each tour operation area. The specialized equipment is imported from abroad and complies with European standards. Due to the remote location, rescue teams and medical assistants will take from 30 minutes to 2 hours to reach the location. Therefore, the safety of visitors is the top priority of Oxalis in any activities related to caving in Vietnam. For Experts and Sales consultants to give suitable advice, guests are required to fill in their fitness and health information in the Booking form honestly. They are also required to update the information to the Oxalis consultant 45 days before the tour departure.
Safety when joining the tour
This is always the top priority of Oxalis Adventure to ensure the safety of both visitors and Oxalis’ staff on any trip, including one day adventures. We only use high-quality equipment meeting international standards, mainly imported from France, the UK, and Switzerland. The tour guides must undergo professional training and be tested for skills regularly. Only qualified guides may lead an Oxalis tour. Visitors can learn about the "safety management" and " safety equipmen" that Oxalis uses here.
Dangers, risks and how to avoid them on tour
Any adventure activities will always contain risks and these must be carefully managed. Oxalis tours take place in remote locations without easy access to medical care. Hence a lot of work goes into managing and reducing risks to the lowest level possible. Please always follow the instructions of the tour guide and safety assistants.
You can learn more about "Adventure Safety Tips" here.
Bathing at campsites
The campground on Hang Tien Discovery Tour is located next to the river and pools so guests can swim here. All swimming activities are supervised by safety assistants. Soap and shampoo cannot be used in the rivers and pools. At the campsite are water storage tanks to store clean water for drinking and cooking. During heavy rain the river may turn brown and muddy. For conservation reasons, visitors must use bio-shampoos and soaps. Washing should be done at the campsite and not in the river.
Toilet at the campsites
The Hang Tien tour occurs in a remote jungle with no power or infrastructure and for conservation and hygiene, Oxalis has created environmentally friendly toilets, called "Oxalis Composting Toilets". The toilet is inside a tent, and consists of a normal toilet seat on top of a box. Inside the box, is a bucket and waste bag to collect all waste and toilet paper which is provided. Nearby is a container of rice husks.
After finishing, cover the waste with a generous scoop of rice husks. This ensures a dry composting process, which does not smell, and covers the waste from insects.
When the buckets are full, the porters will change them and bury the waste in a designated location in the jungle. This will biodegrade and turn into fertilizer.
Visitors are required to use the composting toilets for both urination and defecation. Urination outside the toilet or inside the cave is not allowed because of the smell and impact on cave formations and the cave ecosystem.
Hand washing facilities are provided.
How to get to Phong Nha - Tu Lan
Phong Nha is 45 kilometers from Dong Hoi City, the headquarters of Quang Binh Province (about 40 minutes by car). You can travel to Dong Hoi in a variety of ways, including by flight, train, and sleeper bus.
* Visa: Vietnam provides visa exemption for citizens of ASEAN countries (30 days), and 15 days for citizens of (United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belarus, Russia).
* International airports: There are 3 main international airports for international flights: Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Noi Bai International airport (HAN) and Da Nang International Airport (DAD). From Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Ha Noi, travellers can book domestic flights to Dong Hoi Airport (VDH). From Da Nang, traveler can catch a train or bus to Dong Hoi/Phong Nha.
- Airplanes: There are many flights with Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Pacific Airlines, and Bamboo Airways, daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to Dong Hoi.
- Trains: Many SE trains run daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City stopping at Dong Hoi Station.
- Bus: There are many day or night buses from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hue to Dong Hoi or Phong Nha daily.
You can see more details of “transportation to Phong Nha" here.
Around 7.00am on the tour day, all participants will be picked up from a hotel in the Phong Nha region.
Tour booking process
This is an adventure tour, and it requires a lot of logistical support. To avoid disappointment and complications, guests should choose the best tour for their fitness, abilities and interests. Reading the tour information carefully will help visitors make the right choice for their trips. The booking process includes the following steps:
- Visitors carefully read the tour program and self-assess their health and physical fitness. Appropriate training and preparation may be necessary.
- Guests carefully read the tour highlights and activities to ensure they choose the tour that most interests them.
- Guests fill in the personal information on the booking form themselves. They are asked to give honest answers about their fitness and health.
- After the reservation is made, the Oxalis consultant will contact you within 48 hours to review the information and give guidance for the next steps. If you have not received any news from Oxalis’ within 48 hours, please give us a direct call or check the spam box in case Oxalis’ emails are in there.
- After approval, guests will be asked to pay 100% of the tour cost to confirm the booking.
- Leading up to the departure, your Oxalis consultant will regularly contact you to support you with the preparation of items as well as physical fitness. Or you can contact us for questions.
- 45 days before departure, guests are asked to update their health and fitness to Oxalis.
Tour prices and availability
For conservation and safety at Tu Lan - Hang Tien, the tour has a limited annual number of visitors. The tours are operated from November to September (closed from September to October.) Tours depart on a fixed schedule and each individual can book and join with others. In addition, Oxalis also has a small number of tours for special groups or filming crews. Please see the tour departure schedule in the calendar below, the dates in bold are available. If you don't see the calendar appear, please wait a few seconds or press F5. The date in bold is the first date of the tour schedule.
Terms of tour cancellation
After completing the reservation, visitors will be required to pay 100% of the tour cost to confirm the booking. Guests can receive a full refund if the cancellation is 7 days before departure. Any cancellations less than 7 days before the departure date are non-refundable. Please see the cancellation terms here for more information.
Hang Tien Cave Discovery tour price includes
The cost of the Hang Tien Discovery Tour is 2,000,000 VND per person, which covers the VAT (10%), entrance fee, and service fee for the protection of the forest ecosystem. The following services are included in the tour:
- Service team: There will be a guide, a safety assistant, and a chef.
- Food and Drink: Oxalis provides food, water, tea, and coffee during the journey (not including extra requirements). Dishes are based on fixed menus, vegetarian and vegan will be provided if ordered.
- Safety equipment: Oxalis will provide safety equipment such as helmets, harnesses, headlights, gloves etc.
- Travel insurance: Oxalis buys travel insurance for all guests participating in the tours with a maximum compensation of VND 10,000,000. Visitors are asked to buy comprehensive travel insurance for themselves before joining the tour.
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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