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If you are looking for a short adventure vacation in Quang Binh, Vietnam, you might be interested in the Hang Tien Cave Day Trek. This tour will take you to the largest dry cave in the Tu Lan Cave System, where you can marvel at the spectacular formations and rimstone pools. The day includes hill climbing, swimming in natural lakes, and caving. This tour is suitable for physically active guests who want to explore the wilderness and beauty of this region.
HT1 • Adventure level: Easy
• Age 16-70 years old.
Itinerary :
The schedule of Hang Tien Cave Day Trek is subject to change due to weather conditions. The path can be quite
muddy and slippery when it rains.
Morning of day 1: Briefing - Hang Tien 1:
- Between 07:00 - 07:30 you will be picked up at your accommodation in the Phong Nha area, and taken to the Setago Tan Hoa office. There will be a safety briefing, and you will collect safety equipment and sign the release form. After the briefing, a short drive will bring you to the start of your one-day adventure. This Hang Tien exploration trek will
begin by ascending a hill into the forest. The first 15 minutes will be mainly uphill but you will soon reach the top and start to descend to the river valley. You will then stop to have a quick snack here down the valley to get some more energy before exploring Hang Tien 1 Cave.
- Reaching the valley floor, the group will hike over the dry rocky riverbed, with the spectacular entrance of Hang Tien enticing you. Trekking into the cave, you will be surrounded by calcite formations cloaked in green plant life. The striped limestone layers are clearly visible on the walls and roof. As you go further inside guests will see more
amazing sites. A swirling dome high in the roof and layers of calcite resembling terraced fields. Keep on going deep inside the cave and discover the mysterious attraction and impressive cave formations that mother nature created in
Hang Tien.
Afternoon of day 1: Tan Hoa – Phong Nha :
- After enjoying lunch at the entrance of Hang Tiên Cave, which stands over 60 meters high, the group will navigate through the rock formations and walk to a natural pool in the forest. Here, you can swim and take photos freely. To conclude your Vietnam cave discovery trip, the group will continue along the scenic Rao Nan stream towards the
main road, where you board the bus and return to the Setago Tan Hoa office for a shower and a cold drink. The bus will then return the group to Phong Nha around 19:00–19:30.
- Please note:
To prevent being late for the tour departure, you must arrive in Phong Nha before 7:00 AM on the day of the departure. It is advised to reserve a seat on the SE3 train leaving from Hanoi/Ninh Binh to Dong Hoi station, or the SE8 train leaving from Da Nang/Hue to Dong Hoi station if you wish to go to Phong Nha by rail in the morning of departure (It is recommended to book an additional shuttle bus from Dong Hoi station to Phong Nha). For those who arrive in Phong Nha early on the day of the tour and want to take a little time to relax before embarking the Hang Tien one day adventure, Oxalis offers a free dorm room service with 6 comfy mattresses at Setago Home (Oxalis Office). If you intend to use the service, do let us know in advance.
Adventure level on tour
- After many years of operating adventure discovery tours, Setago has created an adventure scale to help tourists visualize and choose the right caving trip for their fitness and health. This scale is not to be applied to other companies with different conditions and terrains. The easiest level anyone can join and the most difficult level 6 requires regular exercise and some trekking experience. Hang Tien Cave Day Trek, though only a one day one night adventure, is still quite demanding, with challenging terrain. Guests should have a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy the Hang Tien Cave Day Trek tour.
Adventure Level 2 · Easy
- The Hang Tien Cave Day Trek Tour is rated as Easy (Level 2) 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.
- Number of guests per tour: Maximum 12 guests; Age 16-70 years old.
- Expect: Rocky terrain, steep hills, long trek
- Moderate trekking
- 9,5km of trekking including 1,5km of caving
- 150m elevation gain
- Swimming in the natural stream
- There will be some rocky terrain
Items to bring on tour :
- It is necessary to be well prepared for the trip because the Hang Tien – Quang Binh 1 day discovery is a long hiking tour with a variety of terrain. Guests will be asked to wearappropriate clothing for safety reasons, good for moving in the jungle, river crossing, or exploring the cave as well as avoiding dangers and risks from sharp rocks, snakes, insects, or poison ivy. Long trousers and long-sleeved shirts should be worn for trekking. Trekking shoes play a very important role in Oxalis Adventure tours in Vietnam, such as this. Visitors must choose a good and well-fitting pair of shoes for rocky steep mountains and should NOT buy waterproof footwear for river crossings as they will retain water. Please test your shoes before the trek. Besides, guests also need to prepare personal items for 1 day’s trekking in the jungle.
You need to prepare :
Essential clothing
- 1 medium size backpack (20L) to carry stuff that you need while trekking
- 1 quick-dry, bright, long-sleeved shirt
- 1 pair of quick-dry and long trekking pants
- 1 pair of good gripping trekking shoes (drainable); *Waterproof/Gore Tex shoes are not recommended.
- 1-2 pairs of calf-length, thick socks
- 1 waterproof jacket (winter months November to March)
- Clothes to change after the trek
- Footwear to change after the tour (If you use your own trekking shoes)
Personal items :
- Mosquito repellent
- Sunglasses, sun hat, sunscreen
- Hand fan for summer (April to September)
- Power banks
- Personal medication
- Passport
Swimming at campsites
The campground on Hang Tien Cave Day Trek Tour is located next to the river and pools so guests can swim here. All swimming activities are supervised by safety assistants.During heavy rain the river may turn brown and muddy. Soap and shampoo cannot be used in the rivers and pools.
Toilet at the campsites
The toilet is inside a tent, and 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.
How to get to Phong Nha - Tu Lan
Phong Nha is 45 kilometers from Dong Hoi City, the headquarters of Quang Binh Province (about 40 minutes by car). You can travel to Dong Hoi in a variety of ways, including by flight, train, and sleeper bus.
* 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 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.
Hang Tien Cave Discovery tour price includes
The cost of the Hang Tien Cave Day Trek Tour is 2,200,000 VND per person, which covers the VAT, entrance fee, and service fee for the protection of the forest ecosystem. The following services are included in the tour:
- Service team: There will be a guide, a safety assistant, and a chef.
- Food and Drink: Oxalis provides food, water, tea, and coffee during the journey (not including extra requirements). Dishes are based on fixed menus, vegetarian and vegan will be provided if ordered.
- Safety equipment: Oxalis will provide safety equipment such as helmets, harnesses, headlights, gloves etc.
- Travel insurance: Oxalis buys travel insurance for all guests participating in the tours with a maximum compensation of VND 10,000,000. Visitors are asked to buy comprehensive travel insurance for themselves before joining the tour.
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 Tien Cave Day Trek Tour.
Based on data collected from tour operations in 2023, we have calculated that the average carbon footprint per guest on the Hang Tien Cave Day Trek Tour is 35.1 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 Oxalis 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.
