Caving in
Oxalis began tours
to Hang Va (known for
its stalactites) in February,
while new tours to Hang Tien
started in July. A more intrepid
version of the Tu Lan tour will
run from January 2017, with
bouldering, swimming
and abseiling
on offer.CAVE CRAZE
Vietnam is putting caves on the map — literally. This year
alone, 57 have been discovered in the UNESCO-listed Phong
Nha-Ke Bang National Park
A speleologist’s special
You can tell a cave is pretty spacious when it accommodates a
jungle and a river within its walls — as is the case for Vietnam’s
Son Doong. However, despite its jaw-dropping proportions, the
world’s largest cave has seen fewer visitors than the summit
of Mount Everest. Just 640 people are permitted to visit Son
Doong in 2017 and, understandably, these limited spaces are
highly sought after — 300 spots were snapped up within 20
hours during the first round of sales in August.
The second lot of tickets will be available for purchase on
15 November, each costing a hefty 67,500,000VND (£2,330).
Oxalis Adventure Tours is the only operator permitted to run
tours to the cave.
Each five-day tour requires more than 25 porters and
cooks, a tour guide, two cave experts and two park rangers.
The expedition includes camping, caving, knee-deep river
crossings and 31 miles of trekking. oxalis.com.vn
STEPHANIE CAVAGNARO
Going underground //
The 57 new caves discovered
in Phong Nha-Ke Bang
National Park this June have
a combined length of 12.4
miles and offer the potential
for tourism in the future
�iscovered
in 1 9 9 1
Son Doong is...
650ft tall and 490ft wide
260f� high
sta�agmites
Vietnam
CLOCKWISE: Son Doong cave; Hang Va cave; setting up camp in Son Doong cave
November 2016 23WHAT’S NEW // SMART TRAVELLER