Lauren Sharman is a journalist and travel editor at the Daily Mail. British journalist once experienced the journey to explore the world's largest cave in Vietnam, Son Doong. The following article published on Daily Mail tells about the things you remember after the trip:
As the sun dipped below the horizon, I pitched my tent on the sand. Those accompanying were also busy preparing mattresses for the night. Leaving the tent door open, I lay on my sleeping bag and looked out at the splendor that surrounded me.
The group set up a tent on a very special sandbank, deep in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, inside the world's largest cave, Son Doong. Exploring this place makes you think you are walking inside the Earth.
This is truly the most "surreal" camping spot I've ever been to. As I looked from the tent door, I took a deep breath as I saw the sun shining its enchanting light throughout the cave dome space.
The sound of tiny drops of water in the distance echoed like a gentle lullaby at night, while I was surrounded by giant limestone walls.
Early in the morning, the space was foggy. When people saw the first rays of sunlight passing through the cave entrance, they thought of the dense forest above. Now, after 2 days of climbing over rocks using ropes and ladders, I know this place better.
The journey started when a minibus dropped the group off at 9am at the top of the valley and then headed into the jungle. Water seeped through their shoes as people waded through rivers and streams, but the shoes had the grip needed to climb the steep slopes to the campsite at Hang En.
Just arriving at the cave entrance, I thought I was being tricked into arriving at Son Doong cave earlier than scheduled. Hang En is the third largest cave in the world with a ceiling up to 145m high and a width of about 200m. The scale of the cave is very impressive, the only sound heard is the chirping of swallows. The tour guide said: "The cave is named after a bird because they nest here a lot."
At Hang En, while the porter (guide and porter) prepares dinner, visitors can swim in the river. After that, we recharged our energy to prepare for the next day, which required trekking through caves, wading rivers and climbing slopes.
When lowering the altitude by rappelling down to 80m, I realized that Son Doong cave was still hidden very deep. The entrance to the giant cave gradually appeared when you lowered yourself down and the temperature immediately dropped sharply.
After many climbs, everyone reached the second campsite located right inside the majestic Son Doong cave. It was the moment we all waited for and shared the feeling of entering another world. The cave wall is so high that words cannot describe it and you have to tilt your head up to see.
Sunlight shines through the cave entrance into the cave, highlighting the green color of the plants below. It was sunny but not hot enough so the sand underneath and my feet were still cool.
In this desolate scene, everyone was surprised to see toilets and changing tents already set up. The night stay here becomes more comfortable and I look forward to a good night's sleep in this "dark cocoon".
The next day the group climbed steep rock walls and wriggled through small crevices to reach the forest in the cave. The quiet, cold air brings freshness that is hard to find anywhere else. At that time, we walked and shared the faint rays of light with bats, spiders, fish and even scorpions. But the only thing I saw were the silhouettes of bats when they swooped down from the cave ceiling at dusk or when disturbed by visitors' headlamps.
When the tour guide announced that I didn't have to cross the river anymore, I was really happy. I stopped to change into a new pair of dry socks.
When I left the cave, I watched the sun go down again and everything was in full view. This was a beautiful moment after many days underground, but I would still trade another dark night if I could return to explore Son Doong cave.
Son Doong is known as the largest cave with a length of nearly 9km, inside there are jungles, underground rivers, its own ecosystem and weather, and a space estimated to accommodate a 60-storey building. As noted by Oxalis, the cave may be larger than announced because people have not really surveyed it all.
Although discovered by local people in 1990, it was not until 2013 that Son Doong officially appeared on the tourist map with an expedition launched that year.
Only 1,000 visitors (divided into groups of 10) are allowed into Son Doong each year and only one tour organization is allowed. Therefore, the 6-day trekking itinerary here quickly fills up.
