Travel Vietnam - Phong Nha Ke Bang – Booking the Tu Lan camping tour

The Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park hosts hundereds of cave systems in the Karst mountains, formed approximately 400 million years ago. The worlds largest cave Son Doong was only discovered in 2009 and is a 4 day expedition. 5 of my friends and I picked the Tu Lan Cave Expedition which is 2 days and 1 night. I recommended you book your tour early to guarantee a spot.                                                                                                                  

We didn’t want to travel to Dong Hoi and immediately join the tour as we knew we would need some rest after our adventures in Ha Long Bay. Hence, we stayed their one night and begain our tour the next day.

Tu Lan Caving Tour

How to Book the camping tour – This tour needs to be booked through Oxalis. They are the only tour group as of now that has the approval to conduct tours through this national park. They take safety very seriously, are well organized and I highly recommend them.

When to go –The most recommended time to go is between February and August. As it rains during the rest of the months and flooding season is September to November. As we were a group of 6 with busy timetables the only month we could go was end November- just after the flooding period was over. Luckily it didn’t rain during our time there

               

Getting there - I recommend the 8am flight (1.5 hours) on Vietnam Airlines. If you are looking for cheaper options – There is a train which costs around $20 which takes 10 hours. The bus also takes about 10 hours and costs about $14. Bus departure times may change last minute so you need to arrive at the station 1 hour early. All of these tickets can be bought online.

                                                         

Where to Stay before – We arrived in Dong Hoi the day before camping and stayed at the Chaylap Farmstay which is a 45 minute drive from the national park. Oxalis will pick you up from here for the tour. It was lovely hotel, simple and blended in well with the surroundings.  We were amongst the hotels first few guests after the flood- hence our rooms smelt a little musty and we could see the line where the water level was (which was above our heads and closer to the ceiling). The staff were very accommodating and we enjoyed relaxing at the hotel – taking the day off sight-seeing to unwind.

Cycling Around Dong Hoi

Things to do in Dong Hoi

Go cycling around the villages with the most beautiful scenery. People in the area are extremely friendly and the children will run alongside of you shouting “hello!” as you cycle past.

Paradise Cave, which is a 1km long dry cave

Visit the dark cave which you can choose to zip line (You may get a bit wet)

What we mostly did was RELAX before our adventures began the next day.

Fitness level to do the Tu Lan Cave Expedition

The beginning of our trek to the cave systems

To be completely honest with you, this was one of the best things I have done in my life, and the toughest.. with me being the least fit in the group. I don’t exercise much and I recommend you do so that you struggle less. The guides were wonderful though and helped me the entire way. They showed me that with a positive CAN DO attitude, you can achieve anything.

Packing List for Camping

Our Campsite over looking another

• Quick Dry Long Pants and Top
• Outfit to wear in campsite
• Sleepwear for the campsite
• Swimsuit (if you want to swim in the river at campsite)
• Slippers for campsite
• Towel – Medium Size
• Socks – Thick and upto calf
• Repellent
• Toothbrush/paste
• Wet Wipes
• Immodium
• Painkillers

If you would like to know other places to visit in Vietnam check out my itinerary