6 Days Tu Lan Cave Expedition Trekking Tour

Day 1 : Dong Hoi Arrival - Phong Nha

We will pick you up at the airport or Dong Hoi train station and transfer you to Chay Lap Farmstay for check-in. There are some free activities that you can enjoy while staying at Chay Lap Farmstay including: kayaking on the Chay River or cycling through a peaceful village, so make the most of your time here. In the evening, you can have dinner at Chay Lap Farmstay (at your own expense); the restaurant serves very delicious local food. Relax and prepare for the next day's trip.

Day 2 : Chay Lap - Secret cave - Tu Lan campsite

At 08:00 am on the morning of the departure day, an Our guide will pick you up from Chay Lap Farmstay to head to the home of the Tu Lan Cave System (112 km from Dong Hoi, 70 km from Phong Nha). At Our Tan Hoa office you will have a safety briefing, including regulations, safety instructions, and the tour schedule.

The team will start by hiking across the farmland to reach the first cave of the Tu Lan Cave System. After wading across the river, explorers will climb up a small hill leading to the entrance of Secret Cave, which is quite small and was discovered in recent years by one of Our’ Tu Lan porters. Secret Cave is an old cave with many unique cave formations, there are many cave pearls on the cave floor and visitors need to follow the ribbon that marks the path. After that, visitors will return and have lunch at the cave entrance.

Following lunch, the group will hike through the forest and over the hills to reach the campsite in Tu Lan Valley. Guests will explore and swim in Hang Ken Cave in the afternoon. Hang Ken Cave is one of the most beautiful river caves in the Tu Lan Cave System. After finishing exploring this cave, the team will return to the campsite to arrange their tents, and have free time for swimming and leisure. Enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by local chefs with many choices including options for vegetarians. After dinner, guests can enjoy chatting with guides and porters or relax and enjoy watching the galaxy in the dark sky. 

The campsite is fully equipped with clean and hygienic Oxalis composting toilets, changing rooms, tents, mattresses, sleeping bags and pillows, to make your night’s camping comfortable.

Day 3 : Tu Lan Cave - Kim Cave - Hung Ton Cave - Hung Dung campsite

Guests will explore the 3 beautiful caves of Tu Lan Cave, Hang Kim Cave, and Hung Ton Cave on this, the second day. After breakfast, the guide and safety assistants will provide a demonstration on how to use the abseil equipment. After the training session, the group will hike from the campsite to Tu Lan Cave entering via a dry cave entrance. Guests will complete the adventurous 15m abseil from the dry passage to the river passage of Tu Lan Cave, one by one. The landing spot is on an inflatable raft. After everyone finishes the abseil, the group will paddle out of Tu Lan River Cave, and enjoy the marvelous natural scenery of jungle, river and mountain.

After Tu Lan Cave, the group will continue to explore and swim through Hang Kim Cave. Guests will explore a 300m dry section and view the natural light shining into the cave from the higher cave entrance. Following some swims and cascades the group will exit Hang Kim into the picturesque To Mo valley with waterfalls and a turquoise lake in the middle of wild mountains and forests. Guests can swim in the lake and relax while waiting for lunch to be served.

After lunch, the group continues with the exploration of Hung Ton Cave. The entrance is located right next to the waterfall flowing into To Mo Valley. Guests will swim about 100m to reach a dry cave passage, and then climb a ladder using specialized safety equipment to exit the cave. The group will then climb a hill called "Lom Com" to reach La Ken Valley. After crossing La Ken Valley and climbing another mountain pass the team will reach Hung Dung campsite, where they will camp for the night. Hung Dung campsite is located next to a crystal clear river and surrounded by primeval jungle trees.

Day 4 : Hung Dung campsite - Hung Nhai - Hang Tien campsite

On this day guests will mainly trek through the forest, wade across streams and climb over the hills. From Hung Dung Valley, guests will hike to Hung Nhai Valley, crossing steep hills, forests and streams to reach Hang Tien campsite. This is one of the most beautiful campsites on this Tu Lan tour. The day’s trek is about 8 km and elevation gain is about 350m.

The campsite is located right next to the stream and the Mooc Lake also called the “natural infinity swimming pool" by guests. Guests can swim in the infinity pool or paddle a SUP on the Rao Nan River in front of the campsite.

Day 5 : Hang Tien 1 Cave - Hang Tien 2 Cave- Tu Lan Lodge

After breakfast, guests will explore Hang Tien 1 - the largest dry cave of the Tu Lan Cave System. Hang Tien Cave has been carved by nature into mysterious and spectacular shapes and patterns. The group continues along the rocky passage, climbing a 10m ladder with a safety rope to reach the exit of Hang Tien 1.

From the exit, enter a large primary jungle with huge trees and beautiful flora. Continue through the forest to reach Hang Tien 2. The entrance of the cave is rather small and quite breezy. The wind carries cool air from inside the cave to make the entrance feel like a natural air conditioner. The group can rest here for a while before going down to explore the cave. Hang Tien 2 is famous for its unique rock patterns along the cave wall, numerous gour pools forming layers, each one lower than the previous like terraced fields. After exploring Hang Tien 2, the group will return to the cave entrance and start hiking up the rocky mountains with an elevation gain of about 200m. Lunch will be prepared in the valley along the way.

From the top of the mountains descend the forest path leading down to the road where a bus and cold drinks are waiting. We will award the Tu Lan Expedition medal to all members of the group for successfully conquering Quang Binh's adventure tour of a lifetime. The group will take the bus back to Oxalis Tan Hoa office, enjoy a shower and check-in at the Tu Lan Lodge. Free leisure time until dinner. At 17:30 pm, the group will cycle to a local house for dinner, then return to Tu Lan Lodge.

Day 6 : Phnong Nha Departure To Dong Hoi .

In the early morning, guests can enjoy watching the sunrise over the beautiful Tan Hoa green fields, or cycle to explore Tan Hoa Village. Enjoy breakfast prepared by the chef from the tour at Tu Lan Lodge.

OPTIONAL: For those still very passionate about adventure, then you can book an ATV tour (All Terrain Vehicle) directly at Tu Lan Lodge. There are 2 programs including: Explore Tan Hoa fields by ATV in 30 minutes and Explore King Kong's House tour by ATV for 2 hours. These are sports tourism activities where clients can ride the ATV upon slopes, fording streams, crossing green fields, and especially passing through the man made cave, the home of King Kong.

Please inform the consultants of the departure time of your plane/train/car at least one day in advance so that they can conveniently arrange the transfer. Hotel check-out time will be 12:00 noon. If you want to stay a few more nights at the hotel or are interested in other sightseeing activities in the Phong Nha - Ke Bang area, please contact your Our Consultant in advance so she or he can help to arrange that. Or talk to the front desk for last minute arrangements.

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Tour price: Contact  us

Group size: 2 to 15 pax

Join in group tour departure date: Monthly

Safety on the tour

This is always the top priority of Our to ensure the safety of both visitors and Our’ staff on any trip, including multi day adventures. We only use high-quality equipment meeting international standards, mainly imported from France, the UK, and Switzerland. The tour guides must undergo professional training and be tested for skills regularly. Only qualified guides may lead an tour.

Preparation for the Tu Lan Cave Expedition

Considered as the most physically challenging tour in the Tu Lan Cave System. Because of that, this is a trekking tour that requires some serious preparation. This is one of the best hiking tours and has a lot of different activities including: jungle trekking, caving, swimming in the caves, scrambling, abseiling etc. Therefore, guests not only need to prepare their personal belongings well but also their physical condition. Following the advice below, customers will be well prepared, and the Phong Nha trekking tour will become a lot more enjoyable.