Exploring Phong Nha & Dark Cave – 1 Day Tour

At 8:00–8:30 AM, your driver and guide will pick you up from your hotel, train station, or airport in Dong Hoi City (or from Phong Nha Town around 9:00–9:30 AM). As you travel 50 kilometers along the scenic Ho Chi Minh Trail, take in views of peaceful villages and listen to stories of how this road once served as a lifeline during the resistance against American imperialism.

By 10:00 AM, you’ll reach the Phong Nha Tourism Center and board a small wooden boat for a leisurely cruise along the emerald Son River. As the entrance to Phong Nha Cave draws near, the air cools and the light fades, revealing a world of silence and mystery. Inside, the cave opens into a vast cathedral of stalactites and stalagmites—nature’s sculptures shaped over millions of years. Stretching nearly 8 kilometers, Phong Nha Cave is praised by the British Caving Association as one of the most beautiful wet caves on Earth. During wartime, it also concealed floating bridges that supported transport along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, making it both a natural masterpiece and a quiet witness to history.

Around 12:00 PM, enjoy a relaxing lunch at a local restaurant, where you’ll taste home-style dishes prepared with fresh, regional ingredients.

After lunch, at about 14:00 PM, continue your adventure at the Chay River – Dark Cave complex. Begin with an exhilarating zip line ride—Vietnam’s longest—soaring over turquoise waters before splashing down at the cave’s mouth. From here, swim into the cool darkness with only your headlamp to light the way. Inside, the narrow tunnels lead you to the famous mud chamber, where everyone ends up laughing and floating in the silky, buoyant mud—a truly one-of-a-kind experience.

Rinse off in the underground lake, then kayak back across the Chay River. If you still have energy to spare, take on the floating obstacle course or test your balance on the flying swing for one last rush of adrenaline.

By 4:30 PM, it’s time to head back. Your vehicle will take you to Phong Nha Town or Dong Hoi City, where your guide bids farewell. It’s the perfect ending to a day filled with discovery, fun, and the magic of Vietnam’s underground world.