Hue

Overview

The beautiful landscapes of Vietnam are incredibly rich in their diversity, with the country able to boast some of the best mountains, waterfalls, lakes and rice terraces in the world, but Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park stands out as an example of some of Mother Nature’s finest work. The eponymous Phong Nha Cave is a subterranean world of incredible scope, both naturally and historically, and we will explore every available asset of its existence on the Hue – Phong Nha Cave Full Day Tour.

This is a day tour from Hue operated by Incredible Asia Journeys, taking a drive to Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, a boat ride into the cave and a walk around one of the gargantuan dry areas inside. You will discover why UNESCO granted it World Heritage Site status in 2003, after discovering its ancient karst rocks, officially the oldest in Asia, and its 7.7km long river (1.5km of which is available to tourists) that makes it the longest wet cave in the world. There are many rock formations to discover, as well as animals and resilient bits of flora along the path of the cave as it grows steadily darker away from the sunlight.

Phong Nha Cave has fast become an unmissable activity in Vietnam since its relatively recent discovery, and the Hue – Phong Nha Cave Full Day Tour is the best option for you to explore its fantastic interior and exterior.

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Places you’ll see

Highlights

Learning of the history of Vietnam’s DMZ and seeing the historical divide on the way to Phong Nha
Boarding the rowing boat and entering the jaw-dropping wet cave through its magical entrance
Walking through the dry caverns of the cave, snapping pictures of rock formations, fossils and any small animals visible in the darker reaches

Itinerary

Activities: Embarking on the journey to Phong Nha from Hue, stopping at the former DMZ, travelling through Phong Nha Cave by boat and returning to Hue in the evening.

Wait in the hotel at around 07.00 am for pick-up by your guide for the day. Phong Nha lies four hours away to the northwest of Hue on the other side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ). We will stop on the way at Hien Luong Bridge on the Ben Hai River, the dividing line between the two warring countries of South and North Vietnam, and the site of some intense battling during the war.

We will have lunch when we arrive at a local restaurant before entering the cave.

We board our boat after lunch and prepare to enter the longest wet cave in the world. Marvel at the forms of life inside the cave, as well as limestone rock formed over millions of years of erosion. The entrance to the cave is awe-inspiring in itself; a slanted opening cut naturally from the solid stone, surrounded by tropical rainforest and milky green waters that set imaginations whirring before visitors even enter.

Inside, our boat passes some famous limestone formations, affectionately given names such as ‘The Lion’, ‘The Buddha’ and ‘The Royal Court’. After 700m of rowing through this otherworldly realm, we will be able to walk around one of the cave’s dry sections, getting closer to the spiraling, towering pillars of rock that perfectly befit the grandeur of Phong Nha. It is here that we will find the Cham Altars, places of offering to the gods by the Cham ethnic group of Vietnam’s central regions, featuring an ancient script that is still undeciphered to this day.

Notice the differences in temperature as we proceed through Phong Nha’s three distinct sections, the entrance zone, twilight zone and dark zone, the varying conditions of which allow for different species to live according to how much light they need to survive. We will take as many pictures as possible on the way back along the river to the gaping entrance of the cave, where we will row back to land and board our bus in the late afternoon

Finish your day trip from Hue, we will arrive back at your hotel in Hue at about 20.00 pm. We thank you sincerely for coming with us on the Hue – Phong Nha Cave Full Day Tour. It was a pleasure to have your accompaniment and we very much hope to be able to serve you again in the future.

Meals: Lunch