VL5-HT3: HANG TIEN EXPLORATION 3D2N

Day 1: Phong Nha – Tan Hoa – Rat Cave – Gibbon Cave – La Ken Campsite

Our company bus will collect you from your hotel in Phong Nha, between 7:30 and 8:00 in the morning. We will transport you another 70 kilometers to our Tan Hoa Office. Here you will have the very important safety briefing.

You will pack your essential gear, learn about safety; sign our Release Form and prepare for your adventure. Trek through pretty peanut & corn fields for 2.5 km to the Rao Nan River. This area is superbly featured on the Hollywood blockbuster movie named Kong: Skull Island.

Once across the river, you and your team will climb a small hill towards Rat cave. Your 300m exploration of this dry cave will amaze you with its outstanding formations. If you are lucky enough, you might glimpse the special sunbeams as natural light shines in from the cave entrance. By 12 midday, you will be ready for your tasty riverside lunch. Delicious food will give you plenty of energy for the next part of this adventure.

After an hour and a half of trekking through the lush Tu Lan jungle, you will reach Gibbon Cave. Here you will learn all about its wondrous sparkling formations, a fantastic way to complete your 1st day of adventuring.

By about 4:00 PM, the team will trek back to the La Ken campsite, located by the Rao Nan River. Now is the time to enjoy a quick swim before your freshly prepared dinner. Under a thousand stars of the Tu Lan sky, you will then easily fall to sleep, dreaming of tomorrow’s promising adventures.

Day 2: La Ken Valley – Hung Dung – Bat Cave – Hung Nhai – Uy Cave – Tien Campsite

Cooking aromas and welcoming smiles from your porter team will kick start your day, in a very special way. Breakfast, complete with your morning cuppa will prepare you, ready to break camp by 8am, to go in search of further wonders.

You and the team will need to trek and climb over Dung hills before reaching Bat Cave at about 11:00 AM. Freshen up with a swim through Bat Cave, and on towards its beautiful waterfall, where a splendid lunch awaits you.

Getting back on track by 12:00 PM, the guide will lead your trek though Hung Nhai Valley. Enjoy its fertile valleys; breathe in the fresh air, and enjoy every moment of it. In no time, the team will reach Uy Cave – a young, dry cave, named after one of our safety guide assistants. This cave visit requires good rock scrambling skills over a sharp, steep hill of 20m, which leads up to the cave entrance.

Leaving Uy Cave at about 3:00 PM you will trek upriver to the Tien campsite. Your camp is located next to a beautiful natural jungle lagoon. Here you’ll be able to enjoy a refreshing swim, and take some great photos before the sun goes down.

While you set up camp and change into dry clothing, the porters will prepare a fulfilling BBQ dinner for you. The lullaby of the water will soothe you to sleep, and again you can dream of tomorrow.

Day 3: Tien Campsite – Hang Tien 1 – Hang Tien 2 – Tan Hoa – Phong Nha

Your last morning in the jungle will start at 8:00 AM with breakfast served right by the magnificent green natural lagoon.

Prepare yourself to climb for an hour or so, over a field of boulders, before being greeted by the sight of Hang Tien 1. Approximately 50 m inside the cave entrance, you will witness the beauty of a large chamber whose ceiling is beautifully decorated.

With formations, rising like a layer cake of rimstone pools and lush ferns, this cave is truly a unique specimen. As you explore, you’ll reach a small skylight in the cave, which allows sunlight to bathe the darkness.

Continue deep into Hang Tien 1, climb the ladder, and view the cave exit. By 11:00AM you will be craving your picnic lunch here before the 30 minutes trek to Hang Tien 2.

The subterranean world, known as Hang Tien 2, welcomes you with a tiny entrance and a slippery descent.  Only 300m inside, and you will be mesmerized by the many formations and the vastness of what is believed to be the largest cave in the Tu Lan Cave System.

Say farewell to Hang Tien and the wonders of nature as you head back to the camp to pack up the necessities. Fill the last moments of the adventure with the return trek to the road, where cold drinks will await you.

The company van will then transfer you back to the office at around 4:00 PM, where you will have time to shower and change into fresh clothes. By 5:30PM, you officially say goodbye to the team in Phong Nha, completing the astonishing Hang Tien Exploration 3-day-2-night journey.

PRICE FOR PER PERSON: 370USD

(Applied for group of 11-25 people)

Adventure Level

Our Hang Tien Exploration is moderate for anyone who considers themselves plysically fit and participates in regular outdoor activities, but difficult for anyone with limited outdoor experience.

Please make sure that your health is suitable for these activities, you have basic trekking experiece and are able to swim before taking part in the adventure

• 22km jungle and mountain trekking. Rocky terrain
• 6.5km caving
• Elevation change up to 150m (between valley and top of mountain)
• 3 days and 2 nights in jungle and caves
• Requirement: Basic trekking experience

Oxalis will provide:

• Camping gear: tent, camp light, sleeping bag, pillow, mattresses
• Caving & safety gear: caving helmet, caving headlight, life jacket, gloves
• Light PVC backpack (if you do not want to take your own, as it will get wet)
• Dry bag (for clothing and personal belongings excl. electronics)
• Basic canvas trekking boots (only if you do not have your own pair) sizes 36 – 46
• Meals: picnic lunches, dinner (day 1 & 2), breakfast (day 2 & 3)
• Professional English-speaking tour guide and guide safety assistant
• Porter team to carry all camping gear and prepare all meals
• Shared dry box for phones and small cameras (limited availability for larger cameras)
• Water purifier (used only by guide and porters) and water bottle
• Basic camping facilities with eco-friendly compost toilet using western toilet seat
• First Aid Kit and Medical Rescue Equipment (application by guides and porters only
• Secure Storage Facility at Oxalis Headquarters to store all luggage you will not be taking on the trek

You need to prepare:

• 2 long (easy to dry) pants and 2 long sleeved shirts to wear during the trek (quick dry)
• 1-2 pair of short and t-shirt to wear at campsite and swim suit
• 1 pair of good-gripping and non-waterproof trekking boots/shoes (if you prefer your own comfortable pair)
• 1 pair of flip flop (sandals) for campsite
• 1 medium size towel
• 2-3 pairs of calf length densely woven socks (not ankle socks!)
• Personal items: mosquito repellent, sunglasses, hat, camera, underwear, toiletries

If you are trekking in the colder months (November – March) please bring additional warm clothes for the evening and an extra change of long pants and shirt for swimming.