Jungle trek to the world’s largest cave
IT’S one of the recently discovered wonders of the natural world, but there’s little likelihood of it being wrecked by mass tourism. Access to Vietnam’s Son Doong Cave – believed to be the planet’s largest cave – is possible, but be very aware that tourists need to be fit and intrepid enough to take on a day-and-a-half through dense jungle and a 260ft abseil down to its entrance.
The Son Doong (which translates as Mountain River Cave) was discovered by a local man in 1991, and was fully explored by British cavers in 2009. The first tourist expedition – six people from the US, Russia, Australia, and Norway – took place in 2013.
Created millions of years ago by river water eroding the limestone underneath a mountain, the cave comprises at least 150 individual chambers, a lake, a fast-flowing river, a jungle, and its own weather system. In total, it’s five miles long, 650ft wide, and 500ft tall … large enough to house an entire New York City block.
Run by Vietnam-based Oxalis Adventure Tours, the 7-day/6-night Son Doong trip costs £1,900/$3,000. It’s led by safety experts and professional guides trained by the company’s technical directors Howard and Deb Limbert, who are members of the British Cave Research Association.
Oxalis says people taking the tour must: be in good physical health; aware they are travelling in a remote area subject to ‘unusual’ climatic conditions and without medical facilities; have comprehensive travel insurance package covering medical treatment, natural disaster, personal accidents, guided-caving tours and medical evacuation; and assume liability for all risks, holding the company ‘blameless’ for accidents and illness.
Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94535251@N00/12795505895">Son Doong-72</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license)</a>, Peter Carsten hosted sondoongcave.org
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