A Trek into the Dark

The main reason for our stop in Phong Nha was to explore some of the many caverns that only recently have been discovered here.

There were 10 people in our trekking party, 8 under the the age of 30 and two over 55……hmmm.   The guide says that we will experience every “eee word” that we can think of on this trip: muddy, slippery, rocky, hilly, viney, trippy and did I say slippery?  We were still recovering from our last trek and now this!?!

In a light drizzle, the  van pulls over on the side of a small mountain road, we each grab a walking stick and start heading up, up and up. We realize that we should have brought our hiking boots but there is only so much room in our backpacks. We are slipping all over the place and there are guides carrying backpacks full of our gear and lunch, climbing in sandals like they are out for a Sunday stroll.  A beautiful trek.

Our initial segment was about 2.5 hours, We climbed hills, rocks, crossed streams, climbed over fallen logs and tripped on foot grabbing vines but as much as Mother Nature challenges you she also rewards you.

We arrive at Hang E cave eager for a change in scenery, and the change could not have been more dramatic.  After snacks the helmets and headlamps are handed out and we head inside.

The cavern is much bigger than we anticipated and because of the effort involved in getting there the area is pristine.  In only a few hundred meters we were totally dependent on our headlamps.  The trekking was easier but still challenging, we crossed large sharp rocks, pools of water and walked edges with drop offs into the darkness.  It was Great fun.

Emerging from darkest dark we immediately started trekking to our next cave: The Dark Cave, but first – lunch!

When we entered the first cave some of the guides continued on and prepared a barbecue lunch for us.  We were all hungry, tired and grateful for lunch.

The Dark Cave is 5 kilometers long with an entrance on each side.  You can travel the entire length on a 3 day trek that requires swimming with all of your gear and sleeping on the dirt – too much for us! We donned our headlamps and life vests and swam in a couple hundred meters.  It was beautiful although a bit scary when the guide had us turn off our headlamps – complete darkness.

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13 thoughts on “A Trek into the Dark”

  4. Wow, neat caves!! I am glad to see you both still smiling in the pictures, ( especially Terri)…can’t wait to see the March photos…HA!!! That sounds like you are definitely getting your exercise this trip…. and everyone knows you can

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  7. You guys are amazing travelers. Aisling would never in a lifetime go into those caverns…..come to think of it, I might pass on it too….LOL 🙂 …..keep up the great stories and the great pictures.
    Cheers,
    Aaron

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  9. Pretty intense!! We have fun reading all your posts, keep the updates coming! My vacation starts tomorrow, heading to Sedona on Friday. Might be a little adventurous and eat some Mexican food, we’ll see. Shahida asks how many bugs you’ve eaten so far, bbq crickets?

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