It's sometimes difficult for me to believe that Mother Nature could have made such a beautiful world with such a diverse range of landscapes. The central region of Vietnam faces many challenges, particularly flooding, which occurs every year when the rainy season appears, but at least she did not take everything. Thousands of spectacular limestone mountains and rivers, as well as a lot of rain, have been created by Mother Nature for Quang Binh. That is why so many caves here were formed in such a spectacular manner.
I awoke very early in the morning, stepped out of my comfortable sleeping bag, and saw the cook and porters preparing breakfast for us. I had guessed that they awoke at 4 a.m. I attempted to wash my face with river water before grabbing my camera and photographing the sunrise. The others awoke around 7 a.m., had some coffee and were ready for breakfast.
The first km of the trail to the cave is relatively easy. As you progress further in, the journey becomes more difficult but also more spectacular. The guide led us to the entrance of the Hang Tien cave. We took an hour to get from the camp to the cave entrance. It was quite rocky and slippery way up to the entrance in which is about 80m high and 50m wide. The first thing that amazed us was the appearance of a massive and overwhelming cave in front of us.
The British Caving Research Association discovered Hang Tien in 1994. At that time, getting there was a mini-expedition in and of itself, requiring three days of buses, boats, and trekking. The cave, on the other hand, was worth the trip, with a large entrance dominating the approach valley and leading to a remarkable cave that was more complex than most of its contemporaries. At the end of that expedition, the cave was 2.5km long, but there was no obvious way to extend it. By volume and size, Hang Tien is the largest cave in the Tu Lan Cave System.
The sandy path further into the cave was so pleasant and simple. Looking up to the ceiling, there is a massive swirl that was formed thousands of years ago by a strong current of water.```
The journey continued into the deepest part of the cave, where many bats and swifts lived with the stench of their guano.
We'd be climbing a 10m ladder with a lifeline and harnesses. Hiking about 50m to see daylight and the cave's exit.
Continue into the jungle valley for about 20 minutes to reach the second cave. A small opening with swirling stripy structures on the walls led us to a much larger passage with many lovely cave formations.
After finishing the second cave, have lunch in the jungle. The Expedition's final challenge was now upon us. We enjoyed a nice lunch in a small valley along the way before climbing up around 250 meters on a rocky trail. The weather was hot, so we had to stop several times, and the guides advised us to keep drinking water to avoid dehydration. The descent from the top was steep, rocky, and up and down at first, but soon joined the trail, and then a fairly flat forest walked back to the road.
The driver awaited us on the main road with cold drinks before a 30-minute drive back to the Tu Lan office. We gathered our belongings from the trip, refilled the feedback form, and said our goodbyes to the wonderful cook and porters. It took more than an hour to get from the office to our Chay Lap Farmstay, where we would share stories and have a gala dinner after the expedition. Our best guide ever presented us with medals and informed us of our departure the following day.
It was absolutely amazing expedition we had ever. Thanks to the rest of the team for making it happen.
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