Son Doong belongs to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, recognized as the largest cave in the world. This place owns magnificent stalactite masterpieces, underground rivers, sinkholes, primeval forests developed in the cave with unique flora and fauna... is an attractive tourist destination for many domestic and international tourists to visit and explore.
Due to the policy of nature conservation and development, Son Doong is only allowed to welcome 1,000 tourists each year. The only unit that can exploit adventure tourism here is Oxalis Adventure company.
Each Son Doong expedition consists of 10 visitors, plus 1 cave safety expert, 1 guide, 5 safety assistants, 2 cooks, 17 porters carrying luggage, food, camping equipment and 1 ranger accompanying the group. The Son Doong expedition tour schedule includes 6 days and 5 nights, including 3 nights camping in the cave.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Tourists are picked up at Dong Hoi airport (no later than 15:00) to Son Doong Bungalow Hotel in Phong Nha. After that, visitors were able to meet safety experts, guides and other members of the delegation to disseminate safety information as well as receive equipment for the journey.
Please note: Anyone who does not participate in the safety briefing may be denied entry to the tour and no refunds will be issued for the fees paid. When traveling, remember to bring your trekking shoes and backpack to the safety briefing for an Oxalis expert to check.
Day 2: Visitors get up for breakfast at 9:00 am, pack their luggage to go to Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park to explore Hang En. From here, the group started to walk down the slope to enter the dense forest of the national park, crossing a rocky slope about 350m high that is quite rough, climbing the pass and wading the stream to Ban Doong of the Bru Van Kieu ethnic minority community.
The group stopped for lunch, rested, then continued to walk through the forest and wade through the stream to the mouth of Hang Én. Visitors receive tents to camp, swim, eat, and rest here.
Day 3: In the morning, the group will explore deeper in En Cave and follow the back door of En Cave to proceed to Son Doong Cave. After stopping for lunch, visitors will wear seat belts and climb down to the entrance of Son Doong Cave.
Going down to the cave, visitors continue to cross the underground river and climb over large rocky slopes and sand dunes to reach the "Hand of Dog" area. At about 16:00, the group will arrive at the first campsite of Son Doong Cave, not far from Sink Hole 1. If the weather conditions are good, you can visit the fossil corridor, or swim in the nearby underground river before returning to the campsite. The group had dinner, rested and recuperated for the next day of exploration.
Day 4: Visitors climb the rocky slope, swerve through the arch of a small cave to reach Sinkhole 1 "Dinosaur Wang" – a prominent destination of the journey to discover Son Doong.
After lunch, the group continued to explore the "Garden of Eden" in the second sinkhole and then went to the dark cave to learn about the unique creatures living in the cave such as blind spiders, blind fish, termites, etc., admire the cave pearls and stalactite masterpieces. Late in the afternoon, the group returned to the campsite to have dinner and rest.
Day 5: Visitors wear seat belts to prepare to conquer the Vietnam Wall - one of the most dramatic and attractive Son Doong exploration activities.
After lunch, the group will leave the cave and cross the forest to return to the road where the journey to explore Son Doong cave ends. The bus returns to the hotel in Phong Nha at about 15:00-16:00.
Day 6: After breakfast, visitors are picked up at the airport or train station, ending the journey.
On the last day, visitors can choose to stay to take advantage of the tourist attractions here such as Chay Lap Water Sports Center, Paradise Cave, Mooc Water Spring...
With a price of 3,000 USD (72 million VND), the Son Doong Discovery tour is also one of the most expensive adventure tours in Vietnam today.
Photo: Oxalisadventure
Source: Oxalisadventure