Everyone’s heard of Han Soong Dong (the world’s biggest cave). But have you heard of Hang En? For a fraction of the price and the effort, you can trek to Hang En (the world’s third biggest cave) which is just a couple of kilometers away from Han Soong Dong. You’ll trek through jungles, cross rivers, swim through caves, before camping and spending the night in Hang En. With its own beach and underground river, its not unsurprising that Hang En is one of the most beautiful caves in the world. No wonder they chose to film parts of Peter Pan and King Kong here.
From the same tour agency that operates tours to the world’s biggest aave, this is a caving adventure that is equally epic at a fraction of the price. Camping overnight in the world’s third biggest cave (Hang En) is an experience that is equally as unforgettable.
Verdict: If you like to explore the wilderness, you must try this. Camping (or glamping) in one of the world’s largest cave is an unmissable experience, especially given the difficulties to visit Han Soong Dong.
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To be very honest, before I came across the Hang En cave tour, I was really hoping to join the Han Soong Dong tour. There’s no hiding that Han Soong Dong, the largest cave in the world, is on everyone’s bucket list. Unfortunately, all tours for 2017 were full by then. On top of this, the tour is extremely pricy (around USD3,000 or USD4,000 depending on the tour), lengthy (at least 4 days 3 nights) and physically demanding.
As a consolation, I stumbled across and booked the Hang En cave tour, which was operated by the same tour operator (Oxalis Adventures). Surely, a 2 day 1 night adventure in Hang En, the world’s third biggest cave, at a fraction of the price (VND7,500,000) can’t go wrong. In hindsight, this was one of the better decisions I’ve made. Hang En is a unique adventure caving tour in its own right.
The trek on the first day to Hang En was relatively straight-forward. The path was mostly flat, although the muddy conditions made it difficult to trek at times without slipping. There were multiple (at least 10) waist level river crossings, which adds to the wilderness experience. Fortunately, a dry bag was provided to us to keep our camera and valuables dry in case you trip up in the river crossings.
We reached Hang En late afternoon after a couple of hours of trekking. Upon arrival at Hang En, we equipped ourselves with the helmets, headlights and gloves provided to us by the guide and started exploring the cave. While the cave is not very long, the height of one of the entrances, around 120-140 metres high, was simply breathtaking. No wonder they filmed parts of Peter Pan and Kong here. Climbing up the boulders to different chambers of the cave can be physically challenging but is manageable with average fitness. Unlike my caving experiences in Borneo, the sheer size of the cave and the large size of the group made the caving experience in Hang En less claustrophobic.
After exploring the cave, we returned to the campsite, which was already set up by the porters next. The campsite itself was iconic – being next to a beach inside the cave right besides an underground river. Apart from Hang Soong Dong, I can’t quite imagine another cave with such a picturesque setting.
The dinner prepared by the porters was decent enough, with a good mix of Vietnamese dishes (such as rice, spring roll and vegetables) and Western dishes (such as French fries). Even better was the “Vietnamese magic water” (aka Vietnamese rice wine) served to us midway during our dinner. It kick started our mini-party with the group bellowing “cheers” which echoed across the cave. To turn up the party a notch, I cheekily took my speakers out and played some electronic dance music as others played Vietnamese card games through the night.
Fortunately, I didn’t get a hangover the next day, as the itinerary was more brutal. The highlight of the second day was visiting Hang Lanh (also known as the “cold cave”). To navigate through the narrow but long cave, we had to don our life jackets and swim inside the cave. This was no easy feat as the water was probably somewhere around 14-15 degrees. To ease my pain, I continuously screamed out expletives while swimming, which certainly helped warm my body a little.
Overall, Oxalis was very organized and made the experience very manageable. In particular, a group of porters would help carry most of our personal items directly the campsite so that we didn’t have to worry about trekking with a massive backpack. We didn’t need to worry about bringing lots of water either as the guides would consistently refill our water during the trip. I should also mention that Oxalis is a responsible tour operator that contributes to local projects and eco-tourism.
English will need to be spoken and understood on this trip as the guides all speak English.
One final random tip – Oxalis also offers a Hang En jungle tour. It’s pretty much the same itinerary except that you camp in the jungle rather than in the cave. Don’t do the Hang En jungle tour. Nothing beats camping in a cave.
Additional information
| When to do it? | All year round, but best to do the Hang En tour in the dry season between February to August. My personal preference would be to do it in February or March before the weather in Phong Nha becomes too hot and humid. |
| How to book? | The activity needs to be pre-booked and pre-paid online with Oxalis Adventures. |
| How much does it cost? | The Hang En caving tour costs around VND7,500,000 pre person (which includes VAT and national park entrance fee). Please see Oxalis’ website for the cost of other adventure caving tours. |
| How to get there?
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The most difficult part was probably getting to Phong Nha, which is in a remote part of Vietnam. You can get there Bb train to Dong Hoi and then a shuttle transfer arranged by Oxalis to Phong Nha. Alternatively, Oxalis can arrange a comfortable car from a major city (e.g. Da Nang) to Phong Nha. On the day of the tour, Oxalis will pick you up from your local hotel in Phong Nha in the morning. |
| How long does it take?
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The Hang En caving tour is a 2 day 1 night tour. The trek begins at around 10am on the first day and ends at around 4pm on the second day. Please see Oxalis’ website for the length of other adventure caving tours. |
| Is it difficult/safe?
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The trek is suitable for moderately fit people. The trickiest parts were probably: (1) bearing with the freezing water when swimming in the cold cave; (2) enduring the final 2.5 hour uphill hike back to the pickup point, which can be brutal for unfit people; (3) getting your blood sucked by leeches in the jungle, which can squirm through your socks; and (4) the heat and humidity if you are visiting in summer. |
| What to wear?
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Oxalis will provide you with a helmet, headlight, average quality hiking shoes, gloves, dry bag and safety vest for swimming into a cave. You will need to bring your own gear otherwise (e.g. waterproof jacket, long pants etc). Please see the post above. |