The Heritage Tour allows visitors to experience both Phong Nha and Paradise cave systems. 

It starts on a local boat tour taking you upriver to an underground journey 1,500m through the underwater system. You are dropped off halfway through the cave and free to make your own way out on foot. The tour ends with a trip to Paradise Cave, first found in 2005, and given its name for its awesome cave entrance and incredible cave formations.

Itinerary:

08:00 Pick up the tourists at Dong Hoi, travel to Phong Nha
08:45 Get on the boat visit Phong Nha cave
11:30 Have lunch at restaurant
14:00 Visit Paradise cave
17:30 Turn back to Dong Hoi

The end of tour

Price: 1.155.000 VND ~ $55 /person ( Join with group tour)

Included:

• Transportation
• English speaking guide
• Entrance fee
• Lunch
• Boat trip

Excluded:

• VAT
• Other expenses

After visiting the impressive Paradise cave, Visitors will have the chance to zipline and kayak on Chay river. A special tour for someone who would like to explore the cave and nature. In this tour, visitors can see the vast primary forest, Kayaking on the Chay river along the rustic villages.

Chay river is a romantic river flowing along Chay and Tram Village. With the strong blue color, Chay River is very beautiful and cool in hot summer.

Dark cave is opened for exploring tour where the visitors can walk and swim inside the cave. It is fantastic for someone who joins in tour to see the limestone formation and a lot of fossils of this cave.

Itinerary:

08:00 – 08:15 Our car and tour guide will pick up guests at hotel in Dong Hoi, you will explore Dark cave (located in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, 20km about Phong Nha cave, 65 km about Dong Hoi and 1h10 minutes driving). Dark cave is really amazing where you can experience many adventure activities

11:45 Lunch at Dark cave restaurant

13:00 Visit Paradise cave – the longest dry cave in Asia (located in Phong Nha – Ke bang National Park’s core zone, 25km about Phong Nha cave, 75 km about Dong Hoi and 1h20 minutes driving)at the rest of the day.

17:00 – 17:30 Back to Dong Hoi city. Tour ends

Tour price: 1.365.000 vnd ~ 65 USD/ person ( Join with group tour)

Included:

• Transportation ( from Dong Hoi)
• English speaking guide
• Entrance fee
• Lunch
• Boat trip
• Safety equipment for the cave tour.
• Kayak, Zipline to Dark Cave, ” Bathing” Zipline.

Excluded:

• VAT
• Other expenses

The cave is called the dark cave because it is made of mostly basalt in addition to limestone. The basalt is a black hard rock, giving it its dark name. Basalt and limestone surrounding you, you squished through the passage using only your headlamps.

By the time we got through the passage, you are covered in mud and ready for another swim. This time you can go further into the cave, where the width was probably 100m and the depth is deeper than anyone could touch. As you swim, you have to duck under huge stalagmites and balance between limestone columns to get to the next big opening.

One the way back, everyone turn out their lights during the long swim stretch and you can swim in darkness. It is surreal. Probably the coolest thing you have’ve done.

Itinerary:

08:00- 08:15am Our car and tour guide will pick up guests at hotel in Dong Hoi, you will explore the most impressive Phong Nha caves (50 km about the city, 45 minutes driving). After 25 minutes on boat, visitors will arrive Phong Nha cave, take a couple hours to see the cave. This cave is called as water cave, is famous for its rock formation which has been given names such as the “Lion”, the “Fairy Caves”, the “Royal Court”, and the “Buddha”.

12:00 Lunch at local restaurant in Phong Nha village before exploring National Park in the afternoon

01:00 – 04:00pm visit Dark cave, Dark cave is really amazing where you can experience many adventure activities

Activities: Muddy bath, ziplining, swimming, kayaking, soft caving and walking

Tip: Bring swim suit and towel

05:00 – 05:30pm Back to Dong Hoi. Tour end

Price: 1.260.000 VND ~ $60 /person ( Join with group tour)

Included:

• Transportation ( from Dong Hoi)
• English speaking guide
• Entrance fee
• Lunch
• Boat trip
• Safety equipment for the cave tour.
• Kayak, Zipline to Dark Cave, ” Bathing” Zipline.

Excluded:

• VAT
• Other expenses

Hang Toi, the Dark Cave, so called, not because of the lack of light, but because of the dark stone within. This tour will pickup from Hue / Dong Hoi city or Phong Nha by mini van. You will do kayak on Chay River to explore the Dark cave with some basic instruction of team leader in a beautiful and rustic village

We also provide you headlight and specialized equipment, you can have wonderful experience of taking the adventurous tour to discover Dark Cave, swimming in the cool water of Thuy Tien lake inside the cave and taking mud bathing, very cool. Get to start now

Duration: 13 hours

Pickup from: Hue/ Dong Hoi/ Phong Nha – End: Phong Nha/ Dong Hoi/ Hue

Price: 882.000 vnd ~ $42 /person for group tour ( Pick up & Drop off from Hue/ Dong  Hoi)

Itinerary:

In the morning: 6.30AM. The bus and tourist guide pick up guest at Hue City. Depart for Paradise cave, stip at La Vang Hollyland and pass DMZ of Quang Tri, the Macnamara electronic line, 17th parallel, Ben Hai river, Hien Luong bridge.

Have lunch at the restaurant at Xuan Son town

In the afternoon: The bus pick up guest at Zipline Center:

– Fly like a bird gliding over the spectacular mountains and river in the exploration of Dark Cave.
– Explore the Dark Cave with specialized equipment, swim in the clear and fresh Thuy Tien Lake. Soak in the mud as a ealth therapy.
– Kayak in the romantic Chay river, float along with many intersting games in the river.
– Santo a sectaccula landing in the river and get ready for the new challenge.
– Back Hue about 7:30 – 8:00 PM. Tour the End!

Included:

• Bus (A/C)
• Lunch
• Safety equipment for the cave tour.
• Kayak, Zipline to Dark Cave, ” Bathing” Zipline.
• English speaking guide
• Water bottle and towel on bus ( 02 bottles/ day/ pax)
• Tourist Insurance

Excluded:

• Breakfast, dinner
• Personal expenses and things not above mentioned

Clips and photos:

Watch more clips at our channel

More photos here

Phong Nha Cave Tour  - the longest river inside the cave

The Park is considered a paradise for researchers and explorers of grottoes and caves and is the home to 140 families, 427 branches, and 751 species of precious plants

Phong Nha – Ke Bang is a national park in the center of Quang Binh province in north-central Vietnam. It protects one of the world’s two largest karst regions with several hundred caves and grottoes. Its name derives from Phong Nha cave, the most beautiful one, with numerous fascinating rock formations, and Ke Bang forest. The plateau is probably one of the finest and most distinctive examples of a complex karst landform in Southeast Asia.

- Daily Group Tour: 6h30 – 7h30 (everyday)
- Tour to Phong Nha: 672.000 VND ~ $32
- Tour to Paraside Cave: 840.000 VND ~ $40
- Included:
* Transportation
* Local Tour Guide
* Entrance ticket fees
* Lunch at Phong Nha Restaurant
* Boat on the river to Phong Nha Cave
* Insurance in Vietnam
Contact for private tour:
* Phone: [+84] 3932-499
* Hotline: [+84] 916-860-552 (Cindy)
* Email: info@abstravel.asia
- Distance:
* Hue City – Phong Nha Cave: 220km (3,5h)

Location:
Geographically, the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (PNKBNP) is located in central Vietnam, about 500km south of the capital, Hanoi, within the Quang Binh Province.
The western boundary of the Park partially forms Laos-Vietnamese border, which is only 42km from the sea. The Park is found within the geographical co-ordinates of 170 20′-170 48′ N and 1050 46-1060 24′ E in Bo Trach and Minh Hoa Districts.

Recognition by UNESCO in 2003

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was first nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998. The dossier submited to UNESCO was for the recognition of Phong Nha nature reserve as a world natural heritage under the name “Phong Nha Nature Reserve”. The reason given for the nomination was that this nature reserve satisfied the criteria of biodiversity, unique beauty and geodiversity (criteria I and iv).
It was recognized as a world natural heritage site at the UNESCO’s 27th general assembly session being held in Paris in June 30th – July 5th, 2003. At the session, delegates from over 160 member countries of UNESCO World Heritage Convention agreed to include Phong Nha-Ke Bang park and 30 others worldwide in the list of world heritage sites. Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park meets with criteria viiii in accordance with UNESCO’s appraisal scale since it displays an impressive amount of evidence of earth’s history and is a site of importance for increasing human understanding of the geologic, geomorphic and geo-chronological history of the region.

Physical features:

Criterion (viii): Phong Nha is part of a larger dissected plateau, which also encompasses the Ke Bang and Hin Namno karsts. The limestone incontinuously demonstrates the complexity interbedding with shales and sandstones. This, together with the capping of schists and apparent granites has led to a particularly distinctive topography.

The beautiful river over 21km inside the cave

Looking into the caves, you may recognize discrete episodic sequences of events, leaving behind various levels of fossil passages, formerly buried and now uncovered palaeokarst (karst from previous, perhaps very ancient, periods of solution); evidence of major changes in the routes of underground rivers; changes in the solutional regime; deposition and later re-solution of giant speleothems and unusual features such as sub-aerial stromatolites. The location and form of the caves suggest that they might owe much of their size and morphology to some as yet undetermined implications of the schists and granites which overlay the limestone. On the surface, there is a striking series of landscapes, ranging from deeply dissected ranges and plateaux to an immense polje. There is evidence of at least one period of hydrothermal activity in the evolution of this ancient mature karst system. The plateau is probably one of the finest and most distinctive examples of a complex karst landform in SE Asia.

Mouth of Phong Nha Cave

Cultural heritage:
The oldest evidence of human occupation of the area are Neolithic axe heads and similar artefacts found in some of the caves. There are some relics of Ham Nghi King, a final King of the Nguyen dynasty before the French colonial period, at the Maria Mountain in the north of the Park. Currently the Arem, Ma Coong and Ruc ethnic groups live in two villages in the core zone of Phong Nha Ke – Bang National Park. Until 1962 these indigenous people lived in the forest in houses made of bamboo and leaves or in the caves, living from forest products and hunting. They used simple tools and their clothes were made from the bark of a toxic forest tree (Antiaris toxicaria) and lianas.

Beautiful Stalactites – Phong Nha Cave are formed by the deposition of calcium carbonate and other minerals, which is precipitated from mineralized water solutions over 4 million years ago

Since 1992 the Government of Vietnam has set up two new settlements for these 475 people, who are the two smallest ethnic groups in Vietnam. These people are familiar with a number of economically valuable species, especially precious timber such as Mun and Hue (Diospyros spp., Dalbergia rimosa), and oil-extraction from species such as Tau (Hopea hainanensis) and many medicinal plants. The Phong Nha Cave has long been a site of religious and touristic importance, with an old Cham Temple discovered in the cave and it was a site of worship in the ninth and tenth centuries. During the war with the USA the Phong Nha – Ke Bang forest and caves were a garrison and weapons store for the Vietnamese army.
Conservation value:
Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is of high conservation value as one of the largest areas of intact forest habitat remaining in Vietnam. As part of a continuous forest block with the neighbouring Him Namno Biodiversity Conservation Area in Laos it forms one of the largest areas of forest on limestone karst in Indochina. The presence of tall lowland forest, which is regionally threatened as a habitat type, in the National Park increases the area’s conservation value.

Tourist activities:
The number of tourists has increased dramatically since the park was listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Tourism activities in the area are the responsibility of the Trading and Tourism Department of Quang Binh province, with 280 international standard rooms in the province and 8 vehicles with capacities of 4 to 15 seats for tourist transportation. The forest guards of Son Trach commune in Bo Trach district are placed on tourist security duty.
Quang Binh Province has invested into upgrading the Phong Nha-Ke Bang visitor site to turn it into one of Vietnam’s major tourist destinations.

Multiple eco-tourist projects have been licensed for development and the area is being heavily developed by the province to turn it into a major tourist site in Vietnam. Phong Nha Ke Bang is part of a tourism promotion program called: “Middle World Heritage Road” which includes the ancient capital of Hue, the Champa relics of My Son, the city of Hoi An, nha nhac and the Space of Gong Culture in the Central Highlands of Vietnam.
Tourist activities in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park are organized by local travel agencies and vary in form:
Tour for expedition of caves and grottos in boats and with professional cave expedtion means.
Ecotourism, discovering the florae and fauna in this national park in the Ke Bang Forest.
Mountain climbing: There are extreme sloping mountains here with a height of over 1,000 m, which is a real challenge for adventurous climbers
In order to facilitate the increasing flow of tourists to the site, the Dong Hoi Airport was constructed and is due to be operational at the end of 2008.
Phong Nha-Ke Bang, together with Ha Long Bay and Fanxipan of Vietnam, is listed as a candidate for 7 new world natural wonders vote. As of February 12, 2008 it ranked 10th in the voting list
In summary, Phong Nha displays an impressive amount of evidence of earth’s history. It is a site of very great importance for increasing our understanding of the geologic, geomorphic and geo-chronological history of the region.

Bi Ky Grottos (mean evidence of Cham Scripts still on the wall)

Tour to Paradise Cave, Vietnam – the longest dry cave in the world

If anyone has not seen the January edition of National Geographic, you should. Mark Jenkins and renowned photographer Carsten Peters visit the newly discovered Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park caves in central north Vietnam. The largest cave accessible to man at this date, there are a long windy network stretching as far as 200km in some parts.

- Daily Group Tour: 6h30 – 7h30 (everyday)
- Tour to Phong Nha: 672.000 VND ~ $32
- Tour to Paradise Cave: 840.000 VND ~ $40
- Included:
* Transportation
* Local Tour Guide
* Entrance ticket fees
* Lunch at Phong Nha Restaurant
* Electric Car to Paradise Cave
* Insurance in Vietnam
Contact for private tour:
* Phone: [+84] 3932-499
* Hotline: [+84] 916-860-552 (Cindy)
* Email: info@abstravel.asia
- Distance:
* Hue City – Phong Nha Cave: 220km (3,5h)
* Hue City – Paradise Cave (Thien Duong Cave): 250km (4h)

In February, the crew of “Where 2 Next?“, a pilot television series about no-destination traveling, stopped in at Paradise Caves, part of the new Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park cave system that just opened to the public on December 24th, 2010. It was magical. Barely anyone there, we were of course, too rushed for time, and trying to take it all in was almost a futile effort. Besides the principal photography for the show I managed to shoot off a few stills to try to capture a rough perspective of the scale and beauty of this cave. Definitely a highlight of our trip for me, the Paradise Caves were unlike anything I have ever seen before in my life.

Paradise Cave (Thien Duong Cave) is newly-discovered cave in Quang Binh Province. Its length is 31 km. The widest spot is about 150 meters. It brings a fantastic beauty that make tourists in Vietnam Tourism praise

It was discovered in 2005 but after five years of mining, paving the way, building the up-and-down way, Paradise Cave is opened by Truong Thinh Group in September 2011.

Tour to Paradise Cave

Tour Itinerary:

• 6h30 Tour guide pick you up from your hotel in Hue and depart for Quang Binh. On the way, stop for sightseeing La Vang Church, where Virgin Maria appeared in 1798, and then visit the Citadel of Quang Tri, shooting photo at Hien Luong Bridge, Ben Hai River (latitude 17 division from south to north of the country during 20 years from 1954 to 1973).
• 11h30: Lunch at Phong Nha Restaurant
• 12h15: continue to Paradise Cave to explore the glamor of Asia’s longest dry and beautiful than the Phong Nha is inherently Natural Wonders of the World with the beautiful of nature given chemical.
• Tour will back to Hue and finish around 7h30 pm

ABS TRAVEL GROUP to Paradise Cave

It’s about 60km to the northwest from Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh, lies between Phong Nha – Ke Bang Forest, belongs to Son Trach Commune, Bo Trach District.

According to experts, Paradise is more beautiful and magnificent than Phong Nha and Tien son.
A local named Ho Khanh said that Paradise Cave was discovered and attracted the attention of many scientists, explorers, international community, tourists in Vietnam travel.

Mouth of Paradise Cave – Vietnam

The British Cave Research Association (PCRA) organized to explore and published it. It’s 31.4 km in length, width varies from 30 to 100 meters.
The largest spot is 150 meters height from the bottom up ceiling of about 60 meters.
Dr. Howard Limbert, a member of PCRA said that it may be the longest dry cave in Asia.

It’s about 7km from Ho Chi Minh Highway (West Branch) to the Km16. Over 6km of the way is quite flat on the smooth ground land, under the canopy layer of forests with the blowing cool wind. But there is a road which far 300m from the cave, tourists in Vietnam travel must climb across the side of sharp cat-ears stones

These photos were taken while I was shooting the pilot episodes for the new Travel show “Where 2 Next” in Vietnam. Visit the W2N blog here: www.where2nexttv.wordpress.com

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Hang En (Swallow Cave) adventure tour (2days /1night)

Hang Én (Swallow Cave) in Phong Nha Caves in Quang Binh province in central. However, it’s paradoxical that few visitors know the site. The Swallow Cave is 1.645 m long and has three mouths. One is halfway up a mountain and two others are located on another mountain which has its foot on the south-east and north-west alongside Rao Thuong Stream. All of these make the cave different from other well-known caves in the country.

• Duration: 2 days and one night
• Rate: Pls contact us to get it

From Hang En, it takes only two hours to search Son Doong – the biggest cave passage, voted last May by National Geographic Magazine as one of the most beautiful photos. This is the best tour in Phong Nha – Ke Bang

How to get there:
After reaching Km No. 35 on the Ho Chi Minh Path, we followed a small path that led to a primeval forest stretching as far as our eyes could see. Hang En (Swallow cave) is located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It takes explorers 5 up to 6 hours of walking through a 9 kilometer long forest path from Truong Son Highway to reach the mouth of Son Dong cave.

From Hue:

• By train: Day or night trains from Hue, you will get to Dong Hoi city about 3.5 hours
• By night bus: Sinh cafe
• And buy daily tour to Phong Nha Cave and Paradise Cave

From Hanoi:

• By train: Night trains start in Hanoi, you will get to Dong Hoi city about the next morning.
• By air: There are 4 flights per week (Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun)
• By night bus: Sinh cafe, Hoang Long, Camel bus.

From Saigon:

• There are 4 flights per week (Sat, Sun, Tue and Thur)

Best time to travel:

• From December to May, August to September

Day 1: Saigon/Hanoi/Hue – Dong Hoi City

8:00 am:  Pick you up from Hue and transfer to Dong Hoi City. Stop for sightseeing and photos at Ben Hai River and Hien Luong Bridge at the Parallel 17th on the way where our country was partitioned during the war (1954-1972). And then visit Vinh Moc Tunnels. Luch on the way

Arrive in Sunspa Resort in Dong Hoi about 5 p.m

or Pick up you at the airport of Dong Hoi / railway station and transfer to hotel. Relax, free time and enjoy on the beach. Overnight at Sunspa Resort. Lunch and dinner at your own account at the hotel

Day 2: Dong Hoi – Phong Nha Ke Bang (Lunch/Dinner)

08:00 Our local guide will meet you at your hotel in Dong Hoi and brief the tour plan before we leave for Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park’s core zone to discover Son Doong Cave.
11:45 We reach Doong Village, a secluded village in jungle. We will have picnic lunch in the village. After lunch we begin a trek through jungle toward En Cave (Swallow Cave).
14:00 We reach En Cave, a beautiful cave with over 2km in length and 49m in height. We will explore the cave, taking photo then set our camp near a stream. Our support team will catch fish in the stream to cook our dinner.
18:00 Have dinner and sleep in tent.

Summary

• Transfer: Private transfer 3hrs
• Activity: Trekking, camping, En Cave discovery
• Meals: Lunch, Dinner
• Local guide: Yes
• Support team: Yes (porters, rangers)
• Accommodation: Camping

Day 3: Hang En (Swallow cave) – Dong Hoi (Lunch)

08:30 Breakfast at the campsite before we trek toward Doong Village where we have lunch break before driving back to Dong Hoi Town.

Trip ends.

Summary

• Transfer: Private transfer 3hrs
• Activity: Trekking
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch/Local guide: Yes

Touring Rate: Pls contact us to get it

Inclusion

• Permission to discover the cave
• Transfer two ways from/to Dong Hoi
• English speaking guide
• Porters & Cook
• First-aid kit
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary
• Drinking water
• Entrance fees
• Personal expenses

What to bring
Trekking boot, sun block, hat, anti-insect repellent (mosquitos & and leeches are majority), warm clothes for cold weather, rain coat, toiletries, original passport.

Note on client safety
We reserve the right to deviate from this itinerary for any reasons, including road and weather conditions or for any other factor which may influence client safety

” Trekking” đến Hang Én

Rào Thương River

Photos and clip: