Phong Nha Abandoned Valley trek & caves with camping & meals

4.87

(30 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We were already sweating by the time our boots hit the sharp stones — Quang, our guide, just grinned and said it gets easier after the first hill (he lied). The jungle in Phong Nha’s Abandoned Valley is louder than I expected: cicadas buzzing like power lines, bamboo creaking when the wind picks up. At one point we stopped for a snack near a mossy boulder and I realized my shirt was streaked with red dust. Quang pointed out a bird call — he said it’s common here but I’d never heard anything like it. The “back door” of Dark Cave looked almost fake, like something from a movie set: 50 meters high, green with moss and cold air pouring out. My legs were shaking but I didn’t want to say anything.

Lunch was simple but hot — rice, pork, some kind of pickled greens that made my mouth tingle. We reached E Cave in late afternoon; you could see straight into the turquoise water from the entrance. Swimming inside was surreal. The cave walls felt slick and cold under my hands and there was this echo that made every splash sound huge. Some of us tried SUP boarding (I fell off twice), others just floated on their backs staring at the ceiling. After dinner — grilled beef and pork over a fire — we sat around talking while someone played music quietly on their phone. I woke up once in the night to total silence except for frogs somewhere close by.

The next morning started early; sunrise through mist over the trees is something I still think about. Breakfast was sticky rice and eggs cooked right there at camp. We spent hours exploring E Cave again — snorkeling this time, then paddling deeper where the light turns blue-green and you can’t tell how deep the water goes. Quang filmed short GoPro clips for everyone (I look ridiculous in mine). Later we hiked to Golden Cave; honestly by then my legs were tired but those golden stalactites really do glow if you catch them in the right light.