Why travel this route
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is the reason Quang Binh exists on the traveller's map, but the famous cave is only one of hundreds. The Tu Lan system, west of the park, is where you can actually get wet, get muddy and camp underground without a specialist permit.
This is a genuine expedition run with local safety teams, porters and cooks. You carry a day pack; they carry everything else, including the food that appears, remarkably well cooked, in the middle of a jungle valley.
- Trek through limestone valleys and river crossings to reach the cave mouths
- Swim into the Ken, Tu Lan and Song Oxalis caves with a helmet lamp and a guide beside you
- Camp inside a cave, or beside a river in the jungle, depending on conditions
- Swim in waterfalls and cold natural pools between sections
- Eat meals cooked over a fire by the local team, which is better than it has any right to be
- Cross terrain almost nobody sees — the trailheads are farm tracks, not car parks
Where you sleep, night by night
Two nights out of Dong Hoi, with one night camping in or beside the cave system.
| Stop | Nights | Why we stop here |
|---|---|---|
| Quang Binh | 2N | Phong Nha-Ke Bang: a limestone massif holding some of the largest cave passages on earth. |
What you actually do
Six to eight hours of trekking on each full day, with river swims and short climbs on wet rock. Difficulty around 4 out of 5.
- Jungle and valley trekking with river crossings
- Cave swimming and exploration with helmet and headlamp
- Overnight camping in a cave or riverside camp
- Waterfall and natural pool swims
- Meals cooked over an open fire
- Learning the geology of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang massif
Good to know before you book
You need to be able to swim, and to be comfortable in dark, enclosed and wet spaces. Helmets, headlamps, life jackets and camping gear are provided.
Plan this trip with us
Tell us your dates, how many of you are travelling and what you would like to change. A trip planner in our Hanoi office replies within one working day with a day-by-day plan and a price.