Vietnam - The Rough Guide to Southeast Asia on a Budget - page 862

THE WORLD'S LARGEST CAVE
Found by local hunter Ho Khanh in 1991 and explored for the first time by British cavers, led by
Howard Limbert, in 2009, Son Doong cave ( W sondoongcave.org) is a natural phenomenon. It
is the world's largest cave - almost double the size of Malaysia's Deer Cave, the world's second
largest. It is 449m tall at its highest point, its caverns are big enough to accommodate an entire
city, and where the roof has collapsed, enormous skylights have allowed two separate jungles
to flourish, with 50m-tall trees home to monkeys, eagles, hornbills and other wildlife.
Access to the cave is very limited, with a view to preserving the pristine environment. Oxalis
Adventure Tours (see p.866) have permission to take a total of 224 visitors into the cave during
the course of a year in small groups. The ultimate caving adventure, the six-day expedition
involves more than two dozen porters and expert guides. Everything is carried back out of the
cave, even the composting toilets. At the time of writing, the cost of this expedition was $3000
per person, with at least $1000 going to the national park; tickets are snapped up almost
instantly on release.

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visitors are only allowed access to a small
part of it. To reach the cave, which is
fairly high up, you either have to take a
steep set of steps or else a more circuitous
trail up the side of the small mountain.
Uneven steps lead down into the
deceptively small entrance, but as soon as
you enter, you immediately feel like the
Hobbit in the lair of Smaug - tiny and
insignificant compared to the sheer size
of the cavern, its twisted and sculpted
rock formations glimmering with quartz
fragments in the subtle light. A
boardwalk takes you into the bowels of
the earth, with numerous viewpoints
along the way.
Paradise Cave lies around 14km
southwest of Son Trach. here are a couple
of restaurants at the car park and buggies
will ferry you the 1.5km to the steps that
lead up to the cave ($5 return per buggy;
buy ticket along with entry ticket).

Near Son Trach, you pass a cemetery
filled with tombs sporting multicoloured
towers; most villagers still practise kin
worship and come to tend the ancestral
graves. Almost directly opposite is a
brand-new Catholic church; many
villagers have converted to Catholicism
over the last couple of years in return
for financial incentives provided by
American missionaries.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
By plane The airport is 6km north of Son Trach; taxis cost
around 90,000VND.
Destinations Hanoi (4 weekly; 1hr 20min); HCMC (4 weekly;
1hr 45min).
By bus There are no public buses to Son Trach. The
nearest town on the public bus route is Dong Hoi, 50km
southeast; open-tour buses can drop you off here on
request. Transfers can be arranged between Dong Hoi
and Son Trach through Phong Nha Farmstay (see p.866).
A convenient daily shuttle minibus runs between Easy
Tiger (see p.866) in Son Trach and Hue Backpackers (see
p.873) in Hue, departing at 7.30am and stopping at the
Vinh Moc tunnels at the DMZ along the way (500,000VND).
Destinations

Ho Chi Minh Trail Loop
A spectacular and sometimes steep
section of the Ho Chi Minh Trail ribbons
its way through the park. he Eight
Ladies' Cave , in which eight young locals
died when they took shelter during an
American bombing, makes a poignant
stop. he bombs dislodged a rock that
sealed the cave, making it their tomb.
he road running back towards Son
Trach passes the Nuoc Mooc Eco-trail
(daily 7am-5pm; 60,000VND), a set of
wooden walkways next to a turquoise
waterhole fed by a subterranean river, and
a wonderful place to swim and sunbathe.

(from Dong Hoi) Hanoi (9hr-12hr 30min);
Hue (2hr 30min-6hr).
By train North- and south-bound trains pass through
Dong Hoi; the train station is 3km west of the centre.
Destinations (from Dong Hoi) Hanoi (7 daily; 9hr-12hr
30min); Hue (9 daily, 2hr 30min-6hr), HCMC (5 daily; 22hr
-25hr 30min).

INFORMATION AND TOURS
Services The cash machine in Son Trach works most of
the time, but bring plenty of cash just in case. Bicycles
($3-5/day), and motorbikes ($7-10/day) can be rented
from guesthouses and hotels.