The Cave to End All Caves

27^th-28^th April 2016

I’ve seen a fair few caves on my travels so I find them almost as interesting as I find temples these days. However, when I heard about Hang En Cave in Vietnam and, more importantly, saw the photos I could not resist. It’s the world’s third largest cave and you can spend the night in it. Its much more accessible than the world’s second largest cave in Malaysia and the biggest one Son Dong which is just next door to this one.

The pictures for Son Dong looked even more impressive and the tour would include Hang En but cost US$3000 and takes 5 days. I opted for the cheaper US$300 tour of Hang En. Its still expensive relative to South East Asia but it was the only thing I’ve really splashed out on and it certainly seemed worth it.

The river by the office

It was a very early start waiting for the pickup. Whilst I was waiting I got talking to a guy in my hostel who was also going on the tour, Joss. I ended talking to him all day and people thought we were friends before the trip.

We got taken to the office where we met out guides. (I forgot to write down their names and now I can’t remember). They were really nice. The girl spoke very good English and was really chatty. She had some interesting stories outside of the official tour guide information.

Still at the office

The view from the office was already pretty good so it boded well for a good day. We repacked our bags with what we needed plus some equipment we were provided with and piled onto the bus that would take us to the starting point. On the bus we had some icebreakers. We each introduced ourselves and answered some funny questions.

First break

The starting point was at the side of the road in the middle of nowhere where they have built a small shelter. We set off on the 6 hour hike that would take us to the cave. The track started with a steep downhill section which I thought would be very fun at the end of tomorrow when we had to clamber back up.

Into the jungle

First of many butterflies

First river crossing

Our guide told us a few things about the jungle as we trekked down the hill but I mainly just chatted to Joss about Game of Thrones! At the bottom of the hill we came to the first river crossing. There would probably have been a way to cross it without getting our feet wet but our guide told us we would be getting more than just our feet wet very shortly anyway.

Picnic lunch

Making soggy spring rolls

Before we got to the big rivers we had lunch. The was much more food than I thought there would be. I like to eat a lot and there's always the chance that there's not enough or enough of the stuff I like. This was quite the spread though. Our guide taught us how to make Spring Rolls but the rice paper was thick and rubbery and not at all nice to each raw. I ate a few cheese baguettes instead.

Minority Village

After lunch we trekked through a minority village in one of the most stunning locations I have ever seen. Its in a valley with mountains all the way around. It used to be a bit further down the valley nearer the river but there was a historic food in 2010 and they moved house, litteraly.

Very isolated

I never really thought about the hill tribe people in Vietnam. I guess I assumed it was a old fashioned way of life that no longer happens. Obviously I was wrong. There are hundreds of these villages and they still largely live in the traditional way. Each tribe has their own language and dialect. This village is so isolated. The only way out was on the track we just came down so you can’t really just nip to the shop.

New school

Oxalis (the tour company) work with the village for there tours and help them where they can. They employ the local people and built them a school. They will also take them into town if they need to go. The mother said she has everything thing she needs except for fish oil for cooking so they only thing they would really need would be medical.

The village was made up of one huge family with an old man as the leader. They still go to traditional festivals where they can meet people from other villages and arrange matches for their children. It was really interesting to learn about the village but the break was over and on we went.

The river to the cave

Epic scenery

We walked up the valley towards the entrance of the cave. We had to cross the river about twenty times (that’s no exaggeration). Sometimes we would just get our feet wet, sometimes it went up above our knees.

COWS!

Baby cow

Me watching cows

Thousands of butterflies

This valley is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. The steep mountain sides of either side are covered in a thick jungle that looked amazing but also the wildlife here was amazing too. We could hear monkeys in the trees but we couldn’t see them. There was also a ridiculous number of butterflies. Huge swarms of them would be sat on the river bank and would fly up as we got near and we would walk through them. It was almost magical.

The cave!

Side entrance

Eventually we spotted the big entrance to the cave. This used to be where the river flowed but the ground was shoved up during an earthquake and now the river flows out of a sneaky side entrance which is where we entered.

Inside the side entrance

Team working hard

There’s quite a big team of people involved in each tour. Way more than just the two tour guides. There were porters who brought the stuff you didn’t want to carry, people to set up the campsite and people to cook. All locally employed people.

The main entrance

Yes this is a real picture

Once inside the cave we climbed up a steep rocky section to make our way into the cave. When we got to the top every jaw dropped. This place was HUGE! Those tiny things in the picture are real size tents, not miniature.

Climbing our way in

There was a bit of a climb down to get to the campsite which was slow going as no one was watching where they were going. Heads kept turning up and around trying to take in this magnificent site. One of the golden rules of the camp was not to look up with your mouth open as you might be catching more than just water.

EPIC!

My digs

Going for a swim

We moved in to our tents before going for a swim in the river which was very nice after the sweaty hike. I really didn’t like the floor of this river though. I expected it to be sandy but it was really gooey and sloppy. It was horrible to stand on. Makes me shudder just thinking about it.

The outside world

After that quick bath I had a little wander around the cave. We would do the proper exploring the next day. The light was coming from the old entrance at the top of the cave and was like a window to the world. You felt completely separate in here with the rest of the world continuing out there.

The kitchen!

We had another excellent meal prepared by the chefs and we all got to know each other a little bit more. We played a game of Werewolf where there is a secret werewolf in the group killing people and you have to guess which one. It was a lot of fun although I really wanted to be the wolf. The last game was quite intense as there were only three villagers left when we finally caught the wolf. I would have got it wrong if it hadn’t been for our guide giving me a small hint in the final round.

When it went dark you could almost convince yourself you were outside as you couldn’t see the walls or the ceiling. Especially when I looked up and saw stars blinking at me, then I realised it was a firefly.

I got into my tent and I tried to sleep but it was a little difficult. Its roughing it but it was comfortable enough. I just couldn’t sleep. I laid there listening to the rain…oh wait, that’s the birdshit coming down from the millions of birds that are flying in and out of the cave. They are swallows apparently.

Up the side of the cave

It was another early start with a bumper breakfast. Then we put on our helmets and head torches again ready to explore the cave. We climbed up the rocky side of the cave to get an awesome view of our campsite. We spent some time there so that everyone could get their pictures.

So incredibly epic!

This is where the river used to flow but it doesn’t get wet up here anymore and the sand has turned black with birdshit or maybe it is just a massive heap of birdshit we were walking in.

Cave formations

The old river bed

Mights or tights?

Our group learning stuff

We carried on through the cave looking a million year old cave formations. Our guide started the spiel on how they were all formed which I’ve heard many times so I wandered around playing with my camera. I got some good shots if I do say so myself. Although better lighting would have helped.

Super old fossils

Cool shot

The group

I admit I’ve seen better formations. I will still marverling at the scale of this place though. Even here, where the ceiling was lowest, it was still impressive. I thought too how so few people in the world have seen this. It was only discovered in 2009 and the tours started even more recently. I counted myself lucky I could get to see this amazing natural wonder.

Heading for the exit

WOW!

We continued clambering up and down a few times to get to the exit of the cave which is the most incredible sight I have ever witnessed and that’s no exaggeration! The exit was even bigger than the entrance and here the jungle had crept in and around the cave entrance. The were countless birds flying in and out of the cave at the top and, at the bottom, there were swarms of butterflies floating around by the river. It was just beautiful.

Birds

I took some time taking photos and getting the ultimate profile picture and then I just sat there taking it in. Our guide must have said “ok lets go” about four times. No one wanted to leave. It was just too amazing!

Heading back through the cave

Back to the camp

Eventually we did get going though and we made our way back to camp and then set off on the long hike back to the road. Joss and I led the way again and we helped Maria cross the rivers. She might have been the oldest in the group but she certainly wasn’t lacking in adventure. She was travelling alone in Vietnam but she had been to countless other countries over the years. She had some really interesting stories.

As we went back through the minority village we came across the next group that were on their way in. I found the two people I had met on the bus to Phong Nha and told them it was shit and they needn’t bother. They didn’t believe me for some reason.

We had lunch at the same spot we had eaten the day before and then it was time us to take on the hill that would take us back to the road. We divided into two groups, the fast group and the ones that wanted to take it a bit slowly. Obviously I was in the fast group. I prefer to power through. We even stopped a couple of times too many in my opinion.

Joss, Maria and Me; the dream team

We made it. The fast group were half way through a beer by the time the slow group caught up. We all gave them a round of applause, especially Maria. I had grown fond of her over the couple of days. She told us an amazing story about when she met Prince. She managed to sneak her way into a VIP section of a club at her home in LA and spotted him sitting alone at a table. She asked if she could sit and talk to him for a while and he let her. He asked her if she’d been at the show that he had just done and she said she hadn’t. After a while she thanked him for allowing her to talk to him and left. It was a much better story when she told it!

That evening, back in town, I met up with Joss, Maria, Mark and his Aussie wife and we went for dinner. It was an open invitation to the whole group but some were leaving straight away and some were just too tired. We chatted for a while with a few beers and reflected on our experience.

I’ve been very lucky, I’ve done and seen some really cool things since I’ve been travelling. This has to be up there as one the best things I’ve ever done. The cave was incredible and on a scale that I have never seen before but the whole experience was awesome. The trek, the village, the group I was with. It was all just so amazing.