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The journey 2 days 1 night Hang En Adventure brings customers to the fairyland in the Hollywood movie (Pan: The Neverland 2015), and where ABC News made the live broadcast for Good Morning America program. Hang En cave is part of the famous Son Doong expedition tour.
Hang En Cave is one of the largest caves in the world, located in the core zone of Quang Binh’s cave kingdom, Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. Trekking tours to discover En Cave with Oxalis Adventure will bring visitors to an exciting night’s camping inside a majestic cave which is 3 million years old.
The cave was discovered and reported in 1994. Impressive images of this Vietnam cave quickly became well-known and attracted attention all over the world. Hang En was praised by the world's largest travel magazines such as National Geographic Magazine, The New York Times, and Lonely Planet. On November 26, 2023, Hang Son Doong, Hang En and Hang Va were featured on Episode 6 - EXTREMES of the famous documentary series Planet Earth III made by BBC.
The Hang En discovery tour is also a part of the world-famous Son Doong Expedition. On the first night of the Son Doong tour, the cave camp will be set up inside Hang En. Domestic and international travelers have high praise for the Hang En trekking tour in Quang Binh. Some even regard it as one of the most attractive adventure tours of Oxalis Adventure. The unique features of the trip are:
- World's Most Unique Campsite: Hang En's campsite is located in the middle of the cave, where there is a cave entrance above. The floor is a wide sandy beach with a beautiful emerald lake, and a part of Rao Thuong river flowing through it. The cave camp receives light from the cave entrance. Particularly from December to the end of February, in sunny weather, sunbeams will shine deep into the cave campsite in the morning, brightening up the whole cave, and creating a spectacular scene.
- Swim in the unique emerald coloured underground pool: The campsite has cool water flowing from an underground cave so the temperature of the water in the lake is about 17 to 25 Celsius degrees (63F - 77F). Warm in winter and cool in summer. Meanwhile, the water flowing next to the lake from the entrance brings warm water from the valley outside into the cave.
- Giant cave: Hang En has a length of nearly 1.6 km. The Rao Thuong River passes through Hang En on its journey to Son Doong Cave. The cave has three entrances: the river entrance, the high main entrance and the large exit. At the campsite the width of the passage is around 200m, and the highest point in the ceiling is 140m. Hang En is currently one of the largest natural caves in the world.
- Trekking through primeval jungle: Hang En is located in the core zone of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, where there are ancient trees thousands of years old. On this adventure trek, 70% of the time visitors will walk under the shade of the primary forest.
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Experience Doong Village: Visitors who join the Hang En caving tour will have a short stop in the Doong village of the Bru Van Kieu people. At this village, visitors can learn about the lifestyle and culture of the villagers; visit the village's school, stilt houses, and have lunch at one of the houses of the residents in the village.
Itinerary
The schedule of the Hang En Adventure 2 days 1 night camping and trekking tour may change due to weather conditions. The paths on this trekking tour can be quite muddy and slippery when it rains. Please scroll down to see booking information and Hang En Adventure tour price to explore the Hang En 2 days 1 night tour.
Day 1: PHONG NHA - BAN DOONG VILLAGE - HANG EN CAVE
You need to come to Phong Nha before 7:00am on the morning of the cave adventure departure. Please avoid being late for the departure time of this adventure trip to Hang En.
On the morning of the departure, the car will come to pick you up at your hotel in Phong Nha from 7:30 to 8:00 am, and bring you to the Setago office. There you will listen to the safety briefing, sign the release form, pack your bag and receive the necessary safety equipment.
After departing from Setago Phong Nha office, the group starts with a jungle trek, hiking down a steep hill to reach a branch of the Rao Thuong Stream leading to the only village located in the core zone of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park.
After about 1 and a half hours of walking and wading through streams, the group will arrive at Doong Village - the home of the minority ethnic community living deep in the jungle. The group will stop for lunch at the village and learn about the life of the people here before continuing the trek to Hang En camp. Continuing walking through the jungle, crossing the river many times, the group will reach Hang En after about 3 hours. There everyone will be equipped with helmets, turn on the headlamps and start climbing the rocky section to explore the cave. Standing on the top of the rocky slope, you will see the entire Hang En Cave camp and the mesmerizing surrounding scenery. After receiving your tent, you can enjoy swimming in the turquoise lake next to the camp, before enjoying delicious food right in the cave. That’s the first camping day!
Day 2: HANG EN - PHONG NHA
After breakfast, the group continues, climbing up the rocks behind the camp in a cave, exploring and learning more interesting facts of nature's masterpiece in Quang Binh Province, and admiring the stalagmites and stalactites. At the back of the cave, a new view of the Hang En campsite opens up. Save some precious memories of this unique place.
After wading through the underground streams you will reach the large sandy floor of the gigantic cave exit. The group will return through the cave to the underground camp to have lunch and a short break. The group will then leave the cave, for the final challenge of wading through many streams and climbing a steep hill around 450m high. At the top of the hill is the road and a bus with cold beverages ready to welcome you back after all the challenges in your caving adventure to discover the wonderful Hang En.
The bus will take the group back to Phong Nha at about 18:00.
Weather and Climate
The area of Hang En - Phong Nha has 4 climate seasons in a year (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Due to the weather and to ensure the safety of visitors, especially in the rainy season, the Hang En tour only operates from December to mid-September every year and it is also the ideal time to explore Hang En and Quang Binh adventure tourism.
From January to March: The weather in the area can be quite cold, but there will be some warm sunny days.
April and May are the spring months, not too hot, when visitors will see many colorful blooming flowers.
June to August are the hot summer months, but most of the time visitors trek inside the cave and jungle, so it does not feel too bad. During the summer months, it will be really nice to swim inside the cave.
This is a camping trip inside one of the largest caves in Vietnam so visitors do not have to worry about rain or blazing sun during the overnight camp.
Adventure level on tour
After many years of adventure tourism activities, Oxalis Adventure has created a Level of Adventure scale to help guests participating in Oxalis tours to visualize and choose the adventure tour most suitable for their fitness and health. This scale is not to be applied to other companies or tours with different conditions and terrains. The easiest level (level 1) anyone can join, and the most difficult level - 6 requires regular exercise and some trekking experience.
Adventure level: 3 - Moderate
The Hang En Adventure Tour is rated as Moderate (Level 3) on the Oxalis adventure level system. The difficulty of the tour is based on the physical fitness and health of average active people, not runners, athletes, or intensely active individuals.
Activities: Crossing rocky terrain, many ups and downs, hills and rivers
- Trekking through 25km of mountain and river paths with rough terrain
- 3km of caving
- Multiple stream crossings
- Elevation gain: 650m
- Steep ascents and descents on forest paths
- Availability schedule: December to mid-September; 3-4 trips/week (except from mid-December to late January: tours run daily)
- Number of guests per tour: Up to 16 guests; Age 16-70 years old.
Physical fitness requirements for Hang En Adventure Tour
The basic physical fitness requirements for participating in the Hang En Adventure Tour include:
- Trekking experience requirements: It is required to have trekking experience, at least one overnight camp trek, OR 2-3 day-treks with the following tour elements: trekking routes through forest/mountain/rocky/steep terrains, covering a minimum distance of 8km per day (equivalent to 5 miles per day), with an elevation gain of at least 300m.
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Fitness Preparation: Engage in strenuous sports such as football, and skiing, or regularly participate in outdoor activities such as walking or running (3-4 times per week, covering 4-5 km each time) to maintain physical fitness. This ensures that they are able to:
- Run continuously for 5 kilometres within 50 minutes.
- Climb 5 floors continuously without becoming out of breath or dizzy.
Guests aged 16 to 70 are permitted to join the Hang En Adventure Tour, which demands good physical fitness and prior trekking experience. Those with experience in mountain trekking and good physical health, as well as those who engage in regular sports training, could easily complete this tour.
Some guests on the Hang En Adventure Tour may find it not particularly challenging, while others may encounter difficulties and require assistance from many safety assistants to complete the tour. The tour regulations allow safety experts and/or guides to temporarily suspend the journey, and escort guests out of the forest if significant difficulties are encountered on the itinerary. Refunds or rescheduling are not applicable in such cases.
Campsites inside the cave
Hang En has a length of 1.6 km and is one of the largest caves in the world in terms of volume. The campsite is located about 700m from the cave entrance, with a cave ceiling up to 140m high and 200m wide. Hang En campsite is very large, giving you lots of space to wander around. The unique features of Hang En campsite include:
A large campsite with fine sand and a turquoise lake where visitors can comfortably swim right in front of their tents.
On sunny days from December to February every year, visitors might enjoy the sight of sunbeams shining deep inside the cave and lighting up the cave, creating a rare majestic sight.
Hang En campsite is a place to watch the stars on clear sky nights, or the moon, as on full moon days, the moonbeams can shine deep into the camp.
From the campsite, sometimes visitors can see monkeys and langurs swinging on the vine on top of the cave entrance.
Bathing at the campsite
Hang En campsite is located next to a natural lake inside the cave, the lake has a fine sandy beach and next to it is a stream that flows through. On summer days, the water at the lake is cool so that the guests can swim happily, while the water from the Rao Thuong Stream is somewhat warmer because it flows under the sun for a long time. For conservation reasons, shampoo and soap are not allowed to be used at the campsite. Visitors are advised to use dry shampoo if necessary.
Toilet at the campsite
The toilet consists of a normal toilet seat on top of a box. Inside the box, is a bucket and waste bag to collect all waste and toilet paper which is provided. Nearby is a container of rice husks. After finishing, cover the waste with a generous scoop of rice husks. This ensures a dry composting process, which does not smell, and covers the waste from insects.
When the buckets are full, the porters will change them and bury the waste in a designated location in the jungle. This will biodegrade and turn into fertilizer.
Visitors are required to use the composting toilets for both urination and defecation. Urination outside the toilet or inside the cave is not allowed because of the smell and impact on cave formations and the cave ecosystem.
Hand washing facilities are provided.
Directions to Phong Nha
Phong Nha is located 45 km from Dong Hoi City, Quang Binh, Vietnam (about 40 minutes by car). From there you can book a private transfer from Oxalis or rent a taxi to get to Chay Lap Farmstay resort.
* Visa: Vietnam provides visa exemption for citizens of ASEAN countries (30 days), and 45 days for citizens of (United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belarus, Russia).
* International airports: There are 3 main international airports for international flights: Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN), Noi Bai International airport (HAN) and Da Nang International Airport (DAD). From Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Ha Noi, travellers can book domestic flights to Dong Hoi Airport (VDH). From Da Nang, traveler can catch a train or bus to Dong Hoi/Phong Nha.
- Airplanes: There are many flights with Vietnam Airlines, Vietjet, Pacific Airlines, and Bamboo Airways, daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh to Dong Hoi.
- Trains: Many SE trains run daily from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City stopping at Dong Hoi Station.
- Bus: There are many day or night buses from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hue to Dong Hoi or Phong Nha daily.
Tour price and available dates for booking
The cost of the Hang En Cave Adventure is 8,800,000 VND (~US$333) per person. Hang En Adventure is only open from December to mid-September every year. Hang En Adventure tours are open for sale on a fixed schedule and individuals can join by themselves or in a group. In addition,
Terms of tour cancellation
Once the booking is approved, customers will be asked to pay 100% of the tour price to confirm their booking. Guests are entitled to cancel the trip 7 days prior to the departure date and will receive a full refund. For cancellation after 7 days, no refund will be given. Please see more
Price includes
This Hang En tour price includes VAT, entrance fee and environment fee, management fee and other fees of the national park.
The Hang En Adventure tour includes the following services:
- Food and beverage: Oxalis provides meals, tea and coffee for guests during the trek (excluding extra requests from guests). Dishes follow a fixed menu and vegetarian or vegan dishes are also provided at the request of the guest.
- Safety equipment: Oxalis will provide safety equipment such as helmets, caving headlamps, gloves and other safety equipment.
- Travel insurance: Oxalis buys travel insurance for all travelers participating in camping trips with a maximum compensation of VND 10,000,000. Hang En Cave Adventure visitors are advised to purchase their own comprehensive travel insurance prior to joining this tour camping in the cave.
Carbon Footprint Index
At Setago Adventure, we are dedicated to minimizing our environmental impact and promoting sustainable tourism practices. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have conducted a comprehensive assessment of the carbon footprint associated with our Hang En Adventure Tour.
Based on data collected from tour operations in 2023, we have calculated that the average carbon footprint per guest on the Hang En Adventure Tour is 80.7 kgCO2e. This figure encompasses all emissions generated throughout the tour, including transportation, accommodation, and activities.
1. Jungle Trekking, Caving, Camping: This line item relates to direct emissions from trekking, caving, camping, cooking activities, and emissions from composted wastes within the jungles.
2. Transportation: All tours of Setago Adventure are operated within Quang Binh Province and do not involve airline activities. The emissions from transportation primarily come from the direct emissions of owned vehicles and upstream emissions from transportation service supplies.
3. Accommodation: This is the upstream emission from outsourced hotel services that we provide for our customers before and after trekking.
4. Tour Supplies: These items relate to upstream emissions associated with purchasing these supplies for tours.
- Foods & Drinks: Related to upstream emissions from purchasing meat, vegetables, water, and other food and drink-related items.
- Campsite Equipment: Related to upstream emissions from campsite preparation and purchasing campsite equipment such as tents, pillows, mattresses, tables, chairs, cooking and eating utensils.
- Tour Equipment: Related to upstream emissions from purchasing storage bags, multiple-use drinking bottles, protective gloves, water filters, headlamps, filming lights, etc.
- Safety Equipment: Related to upstream emissions from purchasing helmets, life jackets, safety harnesses, auto-locking devices, satellite phones.
- Tour Amenities: Related to upstream emissions from purchasing medals, insurance, first aid kits, packaging materials, cleaning/washing supplies, etc.
5. Supporting Activities: The largest portion of these upstream emissions comes from the national park management service. This also includes emissions from all support activities such as sales, marketing, accounting, HR, IT, maintenance, and employee commuting.
