Our team aims to make your time spent with us fun, exciting, and memorable. You will get to explore one of the best caves in Vietnam through the jungle, inside the caves, and down the valley.

Tour information

Duration: 1 Full Day
Adventure Level: Moderate
Minimum age: 8 years old
Departure: Daily join-in group (Private tour on request)
Group size: 2 to 14 persons
Tour start: 08:00 AM from any local hotel in Phong Nha
Tour end: 17:30 PM at any local hotel in Phong Nha
Tour price: USD 72/person

Difficulty Level

Trek: 9km

Swim: 600m Tra-Ang & Crystal Lake (optional)

Fitness Level: Moderate

This trek is perfect for those who have little hiking background but want to get a true jungle and cave experience. It begins deep in the jungle of Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. You’ll take a short trek to the impressive Elephant Cave, then a walk through Ma Da Valley to the amazingly blue waters of Crystal Ma Da Lake. After lunch and swimming, you’ll continue trekking to Tra Ang Cave were everyone will gear up to swim into the furthest reaches of the cave.

If this sounds fun, but you would like a little more action or looking to sleep in the jungle checkout one of our 2D1N treks

If you’re looking for something more challenging, but EXTREMELY rewarding and authentic click here to check out our Tiger Cave Series Adventure

Tour departs daily at 8 am and returns around 5:30 pm. Please book before 9 pm the day before.

What to Expect

Once you have arrived at the ơprator Headquarters via our shuttle, we will brief you and the team on safety and what to expect. Once we have introduced everyone in the group and prepared the team, we will head off into the Phong Nha Ke-Bang National Park. Once the team reaches the trail-head you will plunge into the jungle and begin the uphill climb into Elephant Cave. Upon completing the most difficult 20 minutes of the trek you will be rewarded with the magnificent sight of 60-meter high, 300-meter long Elephant cave. Our guides will lead you through the cave, take you into the depths, and tell you about the war history of the cave.

After exploring Elephant Cave, the team will hike the jungle trail, cross rivers, and balance across fallen trees. Deep into Ma Da Valley you and the team will go until you reach the heavenly blue waters of Ma Da Crystal Lake. Here you and the team will have the opportunity to take a swim, do some cliff jumping and enjoy a delicious Jungle BBQ prepared by your porter (vegan options also available). With full bellies and feeling refreshed you and the team will gear up and continue on the jungle hike. A few kilometers down the trail and a couple of river crossings later the team will come upon a large bend in the river and a staging area for the swim into Tra Ang Cave. After a short scramble up some limestone rocks, you will reach the cool waters of Tra Ang Cave and begin the 600m swim into the furthest depths of the cave.

Once the Tra Ang Cave swim is completed, our guides will lead you to the road. Here your driver will be waiting for you with a cold beer or soda and a ride back to our Headquarters.

Itinerary

8:00 – Pick up at the hotel and transfer to our Headquarter.
8:30 – Team meeting to plan the trip, clarify rules and regulations in the National Park.
8:45 – Depart for Elephant Cave by van
10.00 – Arrive at the trek departure point and start trekking through the jungle to the Elephant Cave
10:00 – 11:00 Explore the Elephant Cave
12:00 – Reach to Ma Da Lake- swim into Ma Da crystal lake.
12:45 – Enjoy BBQ lunch
14:00 – Start trekking to Tra Ang Cave.
15:00 – Arrive at Tra Ang Cave.
15:45 – Swim into Tra Ang Cave to explore 600m Tra Ang Cave
16:30 – Start trekking to be back Ho Chi Minh road.
17:00 – Arrive at Ho Chi Minh road, enjoy a cold drink on the road.
17:30 – Drive back Phong Nha and your hotels in Phong Nha. Tour end.

Price Includes

o Adventure local tour guide & Porter support team
o Pick-up and drop-off at any local hotels in Phong Nha (Out of Phong Nha, please pre-arrange with our adventure Sales team)
o Entrance Fees (400,000vnd/person to the national park)
o Caving and safety equipment: caving helmet, caving headlight, life jacket, gloves
o Local BBQ lunch
o Use of basic trekking canvas shoes size 36 to 45 (only if you don’t have your own pair)
o Use of medium towel
o Purified water (partially carried by your own and the porter team)
o First Aid kit (application by guides and porters only)
o Secure storage at Headquarter office for guests’ luggage you do not need for the trek
o Government value-added tax

Note

We also recommend you to prepare
o 1 long easy-to-dry pants and 1 long sleeved shirt to wear during the trek (highly recommended to avoid leeches and poison-ivies)
o Swim suites
o 1 pair of trekking boots/shoes (Please prepare to get wet or we provide basic canvas shoes)
o Waterproof bag for your phone and camera
o 1 pair of calf-length densely woven socks (not ankle socks)
o Personal items: mosquito repellent, sunglasses, hat, camera
o Travel insurance

Photos by our partner