Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Central Vietnam
Two nights inside the limestone
The national park most itineraries skip, given the two nights it needs: one dry cave, one wet one, a boat into the mountain and a morning under the trees.
Overview
Why Phong Nha needs two nights
Phong Nha-Ke Bang is a limestone plateau on the Lao border, full of caves that were mapped properly only in the last few decades. It is inland from the main coastal route, and that is why it stays quiet: getting here costs a flight to Dong Hoi and a forty-five-minute drive, and a single day does not repay the effort.
Two nights lets you see three quite different things. Phong Nha cave is a river that runs into the mountain, and you go in by boat. Paradise cave is dry, enormous and walked on a boardwalk. The Dark cave is the opposite: no lights, a zipline across the river to reach it, mud to the waist and a swim out. Together they give you the scale and the character of the place.
We do not sell Son Doong. It is run by one licensed operator on a small number of permits a year, and books out far ahead; we will tell you how to apply.
- Length
- 3 days, 2 nights
- Start and finish
- Dong Hoi airport or station
- Transfer
- About 45 minutes to Phong Nha
- Fitness
- Steps, swimming, mud
- Closed
- Wet caves shut in the flood months
- Best months
- March to August
Nights
Where you sleep
Both nights are in Phong Nha village, not Dong Hoi, so the caves are fifteen minutes to an hour away rather than an hour and a half. The better places sit a little outside the village among the rice fields and have views of the karst.
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Dong Hoi to Phong Nha, and into the mountain by boat
Your driver meets you at Dong Hoi airport or station and the drive west to Phong Nha village takes about forty-five minutes, through rice fields that give way to the first limestone hills. Lunch and check-in.
At 14:00 you walk down to the river landing, where a local boat carries you upstream for about half an hour to the mouth of Phong Nha cave. The engine is cut at the entrance and the boat is paddled into the dark along the underground river, with the formations lit from the water. On the way back you can climb to Tien Son cave above it if your legs are willing. Back at the guesthouse by 17:00.
Day 2
Paradise cave in the morning, the Dark cave in the afternoon
The first chamber of Paradise cave
Leave at 07:30 to be at Paradise cave when it opens, about an hour’s drive into the park. From the gate an electric cart covers part of the approach, and then there are around five hundred steps up the hillside to the entrance. Inside, a wooden boardwalk goes about a kilometre into a cave that runs more than thirty. The chambers are high enough to lose the ceiling in the dark, and the air is cool all year.
After lunch you reach the Dark cave. You cross the river by zipline, swim into the entrance with a helmet and head torch, wade through a passage to a pool of soft mud, and come back out to kayak on the river. It is wet, a little cold, and very good fun. Bring swimwear and clothes you do not mind staining. Back by 17:30.
Day 3
A forest morning, then Dong Hoi
A gentler last morning in the park’s forest with a local guide: a trail of about two hours under old trees, often ending at a small waterfall where you can cool off. Lunch in the village, then the drive back to Dong Hoi for your flight or train in the afternoon.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 465 | from 580 | from 885 |
| 4 travelling | from 380 | from 475 | from 725 |
| 6 travelling | from 345 | from 430 | from 655 |
Cave entrance fees, the river boat and the Dark cave equipment are all built in, and they account for more of the price than on a city trip. If you want to add an overnight cave expedition with a licensed specialist, that is priced separately by them, not by us.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Two nights in Phong Nha at your chosen tier, with breakfast
- Private car and driver from and back to Dong Hoi
- Local English-speaking guide on each day
- The river boat to Phong Nha cave
- Entry and equipment for Paradise and the Dark cave
- Lunches on all three days
What it does not include
- Flights or trains to Dong Hoi
- Dinners and drinks
- Overnight cave expeditions
- Visas, insurance and tips
Practical
Water levels and what to pack
This is the one central trip where the season is not just a matter of comfort. From roughly October to December the rivers rise, the wet caves close and the roads into the park can be cut. We do not sell this trip for those months without a written backup plan, and we would rather move your nights than send you to closed doors. The central coast’s storm season runs from September, and Phong Nha takes it hard.
Pack swimwear, a quick-drying top, sandals with a heel strap and a pair of shoes with grip for the Paradise steps. The caves are cool; the walk up to them is not.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
The Paradise steps and the Dark cave ask something of your body; if you cannot manage five hundred steps in heat, or cannot swim, the programme needs changing and we will change it. People uneasy in enclosed spaces are usually fine in the big lit caves and not in the Dark cave, so skip that afternoon. And if your holiday falls in November, keep Phong Nha for another trip.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Can children do this trip?
Children from about eight manage it well and usually rate the Dark cave as the best day of their holiday. Under that, we swap the Dark cave for more time on the river.
Do I need to be able to swim?
For the Dark cave, a little. Life jackets are provided and the swim is short, but you should be comfortable in water out of your depth.
Can I get here from Hue?
Yes, by road in about three hours to Dong Hoi and forty-five minutes more to the village, or by train to Dong Hoi. We can start the trip from Hue instead.
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Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399