In early May, Jungle Boss Tours - an adventure tourism company that is exclusively exploiting a number of cave exploration tours in Quang Binh, announced the discovery of a mysterious lake located in a sub-branch of Thung Cave, in Thoong Valley (hung Thoong) located in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. The hanging lake is named Floating Lake. Mr. Le Luu Dung, Director of the company, said that the expedition team stumbled upon this lake during a regular inspection of the safety system and checking the water level of the underground river in Thung Cave this summer.
Floating Lake is located about 15 m above the water level of the main river tributary, and the naked eye looks like it is suspended on the cave wall. This lake is quite special by a system of stalactite walls surrounding it along with stalactite columns protruding as if floating on the water, with a "surreal" beauty.
About a week after the discovery of the lake, the expedition team returned and found that the lake water level had dropped by 2 m. Mr. Dung said that the lake water level has now recovered but the cause of the water receding has not been determined. Experts question that the water in the lake seeps itself through the limestone walls and flows into the underground river in Thung Cave. When the water level recedes, the lake reveals huge dome-shaped stalactite blocks (pictured). "In June, the expedition is expected to survey this lake more closely," Mr. Dung said.
According to Mr. Dung, the discovery of the Floating Lake in Thung Cave "is a blessing in the process of exploiting adventure tourism", and at the same time brings visitors new experiences in the journey of exploring caves in Quang Binh. Every year, Quang Binh always has new discoveries about caves as well as the internal ecosystem, further strengthening the position of Quang Binh's "Cave Kingdom" .
Floating Lake is considered a "specialty" of Thung Cave because this cave has countless huge calcium pools with different depths. The Floating Lake is one of the calcium pools created during the formation of the cave, which took place between 3 and 5 million years. The depth of the lake is estimated to be about 7-8 m. Inside Thung Cave, there are also many deep lakes that do not see the bottom with jade green water when shining a flashlight. Thung Cave is also a place to collect water from the upper Doong region and pour into Hung Thoong stream, then flow underground to Tra Ang cave.
Thung Cave is considered by cave experts to be special and unique compared to other caves in Quang Binh. In addition to the cave formation and cave structure that occurs due to the erosion of water through the limestone mountain formations, Thung Cave is a long water cave with many underground rivers flowing underneath. The geological movement process also created a relatively large sinkhole in the middle of the cave.
Hung Thoong expedition tours are allowed to be put into operation by the People's Committee of Quang Binh province from the beginning of 2023. The chain of cave systems in Thoong valley includes Round Cave, Hung Cave, Shung Cave, Hung Thoong Stream, Ma Da Lake. The cave exploration programs are designed with a route of 3 days and 2 nights with different difficulties.
The tour to explore the caves in Hung Thoong is for guests from 15 years old and above, no more than 20 people per group, which is exploited in all months of the year, except for storms or floods. At the request of the Provincial People's Committee, the management and exploitation unit must monitor the weather to ensure safety, arrange a reasonable sightseeing route, do not duplicate and bring the best experience.
According to VnE
Image: Le Luu Dung