Ban Doong – Hang En Swallow Cave 2 Days in Phong Nha national park

PRIVATE TOUR – TOUR CODE: CQB01

This is a 2 day trekking tour – We visit Ban Doong village and Swallow cave (Hang En) recognized as one of the most captivating caves on earth by National Geographic in January 2011. After scrambling down a jungle mountain from an elevation of 500m, we meet with a remote mountain tribe in Ban Doong village. From here we continue to trek along the river banks of the valley Rao Thuong to reach Hang En. Late afternoon we arrive at Hang En, which is where we will set up camp. Overnight in hammocks/tents in the cave.

PRICE

No. Persons 1 2-4 5-7 8-12 Notes
Price (US$) per person 662 390 342 325 Extra porter cost US$35/porter/day

ACTIVITIES:

  • National Park, Jungle trek, Rao Thuong river, Hang En cave (Voted as the world’s best cave on NatGeo Magazine in March 2011), Minority village.
  • Start from & End at your hotel in Phong Nha town, Quang Binh province.
  • Trip finish around 4:00pm
  • Trekking distance: 30km in total
  • Adventure lavel: Medium high

ADDITIONAL INFO:
Tour can be departed from Hue. Surcharge US$ 50 per person for shuttle bus Hue – Phong Nha (one way) with 1 night at hotel in Phong Nha town (DBL/TWIN share, with breakfast)

Swallow-cave-Vietnam in Phong Nha National park

Son Doong Cave (hang Son Doong), the World’s Biggest cave, is still not open to public. However, if you want to reach as closer to the cave, you can choose long trekking and overnight in tents inside Swallow cave (Hang En) the World’s 3rd biggest instead.

INCLUSION

  • Pick-up from and to Dong Hoi city by car/van
  • Picnic lunches
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast (at the cave)
  • Entrance fees
  • Trekking gears
  • English speaking Tour guide
  • Porters (4 pax share 1 porter)
  • Private transportation

EXCLUSION

  • Hotel (Before and after the tour)
  • Breakfast and dinner before and after the tour
  • Pick-up from and to Dong Hoi
  • Personal expenses

Tour itinerary

DAY 1 PHONG NHA – BAN DOONG – HANG EN – OVERNIGHT IN HANG EN (L,D)

08:00am Car/van pick up at hotel in Phong Nha
09:30  Transfer to KM35 of Ho Chi Minh Road – West wing
11:00am arrive at KM35, start trekking
12:30pm reach Ban Doong
12:30-13:00 – Picnic lunch
13:30pm Depart to Hang En (Swallow cave)
15:30pm – Reach Hang En
15:45pm Explore Hang En
18:30pm Dinner and stay overnight in Hang En.

DAY 2 HANG EN – BAN DOONG (B,L)

07:00am Breakfast
08:00-09:00am – Visit around Hang En
09:00am Depart to Ban Dong
11:00am Reach Ban Doong, explore Van Kieu village
11:30am Lunch at Ban Doong
13:30pm Trek up to Ho Chi Minh Road
15:30pm Car pick up and transfer to Phong Nha
16:30pm Back to Oxalis Office
17:30pm -Transfer to hotel in Phong Nha. End of services.Rao Thuong hidden river inside Phong Nha National Park

“We started yesterday morning to the park and tried to get there with all the information we gathered. We made it to Swallow Cave ( En Cave) and stayed there overnight. The next morning we were heading north-west, where relating to the National Geographic map the entrance should be somewhere after 2 km. We found the location where the river disappears into the ground and then the cave.”

MAYBE YOU DON’T KNOW

Hang En (Swallow Cave) in Phong Nha National Park in Quang Binh province, Central Vietnam was voted last May 2012 by National Geographic Magazine as one of the most beautiful photos taken by NAT Geo experts. However, it’s paradoxical that few visitors know the site. That’s why we are there. From Hang En, it takes only two hours to search Hang Son Doong cave – the biggest cave passage. In a short while, we were able to spot the mouth of SwallowCave. Its beauty took by surprise. The mouth is almost 100m wide. Three huge water caves inside are separated by sloping hills which are filled with smooth sand and large rocks overlapping one another. The SwallowCave is 1.645 m long and has three mouths. One is halfway up a mountain and two others are located on another mountain which has its foot on the south-east and north-west alongside Rao Thuong Stream. All of these make the cave different from other well-known caves in the world.

According to World Wildlife Foundation report in 2000, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is one of 200 biodiversity centres of the world and one of the 60 significant sanctuaries of Vietnam. It has a unique forest type in the world: green tropical forest. The park also has 15 other types of forests. The national park was created to protect one of the world’s two largest karst regions with 300 caves and grottoes.

In January 2009, the United States-based Los Angeles Times listed Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in its recommended world’s 29 destinations to visit in 2009. For who loves adventure, you can choose between our other 2 private tours with 1-2 nights staying inside the Park.

The best time to visit the Phong Nha National Park is from November to April (dry season) to avoid the rising water level of underground rivers inside the caves.