(TITC) - Laura Sharman of Daily Mail called her overnighting in Son Doong (in Central of Vietnam) was like lying in a dark cocoon and eager to return.
Laura Sharman is a journalist and travel editor for the Daily Mail. The British journalist has experienced the journey to explore the world's largest cave in Vietnam, Son Doong. Only 1,000 annual visitors are permitted into the caves in groups of 10.
The cave has been confirmed as the world's largest by Vietnamese officials and Guinness World Records, which in 2012 stated that it is 655ft (200m) tall, 490 ft (150m) wide and 'at least' four miles (9km) long. Visitors will be awed with its sprawling jungle, river, and weather system, and enough space for a 60-storey skyscraper.
Son Doong Cave (Photo: Collection)
The journey begins when a minibus drops the group off at 9am at the top of the valley and then heads into the jungle. Water seeped through shoes as people waded through streams and rivers, but the shoes had the necessary grip to climb the steep slopes to the campsite at En Cave.
En Cave is the third largest cave in the world with a ceiling height of 145m and a width of about 200m. The scale of the cave is impressive, the only sound heard is the chirping of swallows. The cave is named after swallow (En in Vietnamese) because they nest here a lot.
At En Cave, while the porter prepares dinner, visitors can swim in the river. Then the group recharged their energies in preparation for the next day which required trekking through caves, wading across rivers and climbing hills.
En Cave (Photo: Luk Ban La)
When Laura Sharman descended by rappelling down to 80m, she realised that Son Doong Cave was still hidden very deep. The entrance to the giant cave gradually appeared as she lowered herself down and the temperature immediately dropped sharply.
After many climbs, everyone reached the second campsite located right inside the majestic Son Doong Cave. It was the moment everyone had been waiting for and it felt like stepping into another world. The cave walls are so high that words cannot describe them and you have to crane your neck to see.
The sunlight shining through the cave entrance brought out the green of the plants below. The sun was bright but not hot enough so the sand below was still cool. To her surprise, every essentials were set for the group to rest. “The night here became more comfortable and I looked forward to a good night's sleep in this "dark cocoon"”, stated Laura.
As the sun sank below the horizon, Laura pitched her tent on the sand. Her companions were busy setting up their sleeping mats for the night. Leaving the tent flap open, she lay on her sleeping bag and looked out at the magnificent surroundings.
The group pitched their tents on a very special sandbank, deep in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, inside the world's largest cave, Son Doong. Exploring this place makes you feel like you're walking inside the Earth.
Stalactites in Phong Nha Cave (Photo: bt.bich)
“It's the most surreal campsite I have ever encountered”, exclaimed Laura. Looking out from the tent door, she took a deep breath as the sun cast a mesmerising light across the cavernous space.
The sound of dripping water in the distance echoed like a gentle lullaby at night, and all around me were giant limestone walls.
Early in the morning, the space is misty. When looking at the first ray of sunlight through the cave, everyone thinks of the dense forest above. Now, after two days of climbing over rocks with ropes and ladders, Laura knows this place better.
The next day, the group climbed steep rock walls and threaded their way through small crevices to reach the cave forest. The still, cold air brought a freshness that was hard to find anywhere else. “We walked along, sharing the faint light with bats, spiders, fish, and scorpions”. But the only thing Laura saw were the shadows of bats as they swooped down from the cave ceiling at dusk or when disturbed by the headlamps of tourists.
Once the group came out of the cave, Laura watched the sun set again and everything was in full view. This was a beautiful moment after many days underground, but “I would trade it for another night of darkness if it meant returning to Son Doong”, declared Laura.
Son Doong is known as the world’s largest cave with a length of nearly 9km, inside there is a dense forest, underground river, its own ecosystem and weather, and a space estimated to contain a 60-storey building. Although discovered by locals in 1990, Son Doong was not officially put on the tourist map until 2013 with an exploration tour launched that year.
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