Son Doong Cave - Day 1 (Hang En Cave)

We've arrived at the Oxalis HQ and everyone is excited about the journey that lies ahead. Separate bags of out belonging are given to the porters to haul to the first campsite as we only have to carry our helmets, water and cameras. We've packed light with a few kilos between us however this is in contrast with some of the other guys who have loaded their sacks the same size as our travel backpacks.

There is a total of 10 tourists, 2 British cave guides, 3 Vietnamese tour guides, 2 national park rangers and approx 30 porters (who effortlessly haul massive loads without breaking a sweat).

It's about 11am by the time we drive to the park entrance and commence the descent into the jungle. First up is a small village of about 4 houses and a local school. The children here are married from the age of 13 so it's not uncommon to see young teens carrying their babies or older siblings looking after younger siblings whilst they're parents tend to the fields. Surrounded by a surprising number of small dogs we say goodbye to the friendly locals and continue our hike through the jungle to the entrance to Hang En Cave via numerous river crossings.

Our campsite is extremely picturesque just inside Hang En adjacent to the steep decline entrance which provides a nominal amount of daylight/moonlight. The sandy bank is surrounded by a ice cold lake perfect for a refreshing swim and to wash away the BO.

Tents are lined up along the sure and we unpack for our first night. Dinner was a enormous spread of about 8 different dishes with surplus amounts of food - a common theme throughout the tour.

It's only 730pm but with the darkness of the cave we agree to adopt a Cave Time time zone of plus 3 hours and stroll off to bedRead more