VIETLAND HOLIDAYS

Son Doong cave is world's largest cave, located in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name "Son Doong" cave means "mountain river cave", It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain Where the limestone was weak, the ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights

Sondoong Map

It is a solutional cave in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, has the largest known cave passage cross-section in the world, is located near the Laos–Vietnam border. Inside is a large, fast-flowing subterranean river.

The cave contains some of the tallest known stalagmites in the world, which are up to 70 m tall. Behind the Great Wall of Vietnam were found cave pearls the size of baseballs, an abnormally large size.

Tourist activitiesIn early August 2013, the first tourist group explored the cave on a guided tour at a cost of US$3,000 each. Permits are required to access the cave and are made available on a limited basis, with 800 permits available for the 2017 season, which runs from February to August. After August, heavy rains cause river levels to rise and make the cave largely inaccessible.

At more than 200m high, 150m wide and 9km long, the Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam is so big it has its own river, jungle and climate. Australian photographer John Spies, 59, spent a week photographing the natural wonder of the cave system. With ceilings towering over 200 metres high in places, the cave is a humbling and belittling experience

"The entrance is quite small and mist from the cave, caused by the cooler air inside meeting the hot air outside, rises into the surrounding forest. Visitors must descend 80m down a steep wall with the use of harnesses and ropes. The huge temperature difference also creates moving clouds of mist, especially near the two karst windows, which gives the cave its magically surreal atmosphere."

"It is amazing to be 3-4km inside the cave and have daylight illuminate the cave formations. The dimensions of the cave are incredible and to camp for five nights in the biggest cave in the world is not something most of get to do in our lifetime,"said John Spies