Vietnam's Hidden Wonder: Son Doong Cave

Oxalis Adventures is the only tour provider that can lead tours into Son Doong Cave, the largest cave in the world. Only 1,000 people can visit the tour each year, and the terrain provides challenging hiking, rappelling and climbing.

The Son Doong Expedition is five nights and six days long. We spent our first night at Son Doong Bungalows in Phong Nha, Vietnam. The bungalows were basic, but the service and amenities were excellent. We received our debriefing and met our team over a fantastic spread of home-cooked Vietnamese food, and the excitement built!

The next morning, a bus picked us up for a scenic drive to the starting point of our adventure. We hiked through the jungle and waded across several rivers, finally entering the third-largest cave in the world, Hang En. Here, we swam in cold water inside the cave and enjoyed a sauna (!!) followed by a feast of freshly prepared Vietnamese cuisine. After dinner, we shared stories around a camp fire with our new friends.

The next day brought more jungle trekking, a visit to a local village and entry into Son Doong. Entering the cave was the most hair-raising part for me — we rappelled down a near-vertical rock wall, plunging back-first into the great unknown. While I was terrified, I was never far from a safety guide and I never truly felt like I was in danger.

Long story short, we spent two nights inside Son Doong's cave. We slept in tents that had already been set up for us and enjoyed amazing cuisine prepared onsite for every meal. The scenery was unbelievable-in certain areas, the roof of the cave had collapsed, allowing sunlight in. This resulted in the unfettered growth of plant life, so there were basically mini-jungles scattered around the cave. Amazing rock formations were everywhere, the most famous of which is known as "The Wedding Cake," where we could climb up and stand under a sunbeam.

The icing on the (wedding) cake was the Great Wall of Vietnam, a 90-meter vertical rock wall which you must scale to escape the cave. I cannot describe the sense of accomplishment (and relief) I felt upon reaching the top of the wall!

Our tour included one more night in Phong Nha, at the Chay Lap Farmstay. Here, we picked off the remaining leeches, did laundry and enjoyed a final dinner with our newfound friends!

Son Doong Cave is surely one of the unsung wonders of the world! Not for the faint of heart or out-of-shape, the trek is challenging but doable with proper preparation. Oxalis Adventures is a top-notch provider, focusing on preserving the natural wonders in this area. There is also focus on helping the community and providing their customers a safe experience while delivering exemplary service.

This trip report is part of our ongoing series on travel to Vietnam. In need of further inspiration? Check out Kim Reynolds’ guide, A Solo Trip Through Vietnam.