[TheBulldozer]

Gents, I am back with another incredible trip report, this time to what is without a doubt one of the world's true wonders.

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to secure a place on an expedition into Son Doong Cave, the world's largest cave located in Central Vietnam. Son Doong Cave was only discovered in 1991 by a local man Ho Khanh, and not set foot in until 2009 due to the logistical difficulty of accessing the cave. Amazingly, Ho Khanh merely made note of a new cave while out on a seasonal hunt, and by first impression you'd have no idea that it's the world's largest cave. It wasn't until 2009 when a British caving team went into it, deep in the Vietnamese jungle just short of the Laos border, did they realize the magnitude of what they'd come across.

Part like walking on a movie set, part like walking on a foreign planet, Son Doong is truly a surreal experience. At the time of publishing this, less than 500 people have ever traversed the length of the cave, me being one of the 500. To put it into perspective, 4000 people have climbed Everest, and 536 people have been in space flight in human history, compared with about the 440 that had previously been through the cave prior to my expedition.

The size and remoteness alone makes Son Doong impressive, but it's really the natural topography of the cave that makes it absolutely the most beautiful place on God's incredible Earth. Across the 10 mile stretch of cave there are two dolines, a technical term for cave collapses. The cave has fallen though two massive stretches of the caves, about 3 million years ago creating huge circular wide openings in the cave. As a result of abundant sun, rain and time, full on jungles have grown out in these two dolines. Because of the remoteness combined with a rainforest growing next to a cave, the jungle inhabits a biosphere unique to anywhere else on planet Earth. Walking through these jungles is akin to living on Avatar - plants and insects that exist nowhere else on Earth and a surreal feeling of exploring completely untouched land.

There were countless times where I felt like I was part of a team tasked with exploring a different planet - from the odd gear I was wearing, to the 20 kilos on my back, to the sound of nothing man made. Liberating, fascinating, and incredible. Enough to make the most hardened atheist throw up their hands in defense of a God.

No, the expedition is not cheap. It's close to 6-7k all in, if you're flying in from outside of Asia. No, the expedition is not easy - it challenged me, a young fit man far more than I thought it would. Yes, there are genuine moments of one wrong step and you will fall to your death. However, it's absolutely worth it in every way.

It checks off every box that you want as a man. A chance to turn off and explore. A chance to challenge yourself physically. A chance to think deeply about who you are and what you appreciate in the world. A chance to do something beyond your wildest dreams.

I could go on and give you a day by day breakdown that talks about my personal experiences, logistics, getting there, etc. I'll save you those details unless you really want them. I'll leave you with just a few of the thousands unedited photos from my own camera from the trip. No photoshop editing, no touch ups. Just an SLR camera, a good lens, and a tripod. I've turned a couple of these into 24x36 prints and have them framed up in my apartment. They've stopped every guest in their tracks.

   
   
   
   

[glugger]

Wow, these photos are pretty fantastic. Looks like a great adventure! How did you find out about this? I've never heard of it myself.

[RexImperator]

Damn. That's badass.

[TheBulldozer]

Photos are updated so the resolution doesn't break your screen.

[TheBulldozer]

(05-30-2015 09:44 AM)glugger Wrote:  

Wow, these photos are pretty fantastic. Looks like a great adventure! How did you find out about this? I've never heard of it myself.

It's been all over US and UK news lately. National Geographic did a documentary on it that was released recently as well.

Of other note, and I am contractually sworn not to reveal the names, but there are some A list celebrities and athletes on the short list of global icons, who are heading into the cave in the near future. The bonds you form with the other people on your expedition are intense and tight. Imagine forging a lifelong friendship with global icon X because you were on the same cave expedition as them. Pretty cool.

[Patriarch]

Dude, these pictures look like a scene straight out of the video game Halo. Thanks for sharing, I can't imagine how awesome the experience must have been.

[Vaun]

^^more

no

[Laner]

Incredible. Thanks for sharing, you gave me a better buzz than the morning coffee I am drinking.

[Cattle Rustler]

Pretty cool pics. Seems like a good place to chill and relax, especially with the natural sunlight.

The pose you did in the last pic is the same as the one in your twitter profile, any meaning behind that?

[samsamsam]

Holy shit that looks amazing.

[Atlantic]

What is tinder usage and online game like in the cave?
Any idea of the cost of a central cave apartment with wifi?
Do the cave girls like white guys with light features?
What is an average monthly cave budget if you want to do mostly high end spots?



Just joking, this is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

[Fortis]

Wow, 1 of 500. I'm quite jealous and I am rarely jealous. That sounds amazing. What was the scariest part of your descent into the cave? You said there were places where you could just fall and die?

[Soma]

A friend of mine recently went as well; maybe you met him (initials B.L.) Small world.

[Lochte]

Why is it so much money?

[Renton1875]

The Natural World. Stunning!

MaleDefined, your a lucky man.

Thanks for the glimpse.

[Cattle Rustler]

(05-30-2015 03:10 PM)Lochte Wrote:  

Why is it so much money?

I think he posted before that it's because the caves have a visitor qouta.

It's like Nepal and Bhutan in a way, keep the prices high to keep the people out.

[Drazen]

(05-30-2015 02:54 PM)Soma Wrote:  

A friend of mine recently went as well; maybe you met him (initials B.L.) Small world.

Same. Female though. The pics look insane, not sure if I can handle 6 days in a cave, that's intense.

[Drazen]

Where do you shit and shower? I was wondering about that, if you had to bring your own stuff. Also, food?

[TheBulldozer]

Here are some answers to your questions.

Quote:

Pretty cool pics. Seems like a good place to chill and relax, especially with the natural sunlight.

The pose you did in the last pic is the same as the one in your twitter profile, any meaning behind that?

No meaning behind the pose, other than a natural reaction to wanting to take in all that is in front of you.

Quote:

A friend of mine recently went as well; maybe you met him (initials B.L.) Small world.

Sorry, no BL's on my trip.

Quote:

What is tinder usage and online game like in the cave?
Any idea of the cost of a central cave apartment with wifi?
Do the cave girls like white guys with light features?
What is an average monthly cave budget if you want to do mostly high end spots?



Just joking, this is amazing. Thanks for sharing!

I inquired about a centrally located apartment and a custom suit that has a thread count high enough to not shear from rubbing against rocks. They said they'd call me back about it. I'm still waiting on that call.

On a serious note, there's no internet obviously, and no 3g signal for miles even outside of the cave. If there were a true emergency, you'll have to rely on satellite phone and pray for sunny weather.

Quote:

What was the scariest part of your descent into the cave? You said there were places where you could just fall and die?

I can't identify a single scariest moment. There's an 80 meter descent down into the cave, but you're pretty well strapped up and in little danger. There are a few muddy and slippery climbs up and down where in hindsight you realize you'll die. The guides purposely don't tell you of them so as not to scare you - ignorance is bliss. I didn't realize how dangerous a few of the parts were until I went back and re-watched some of my GoPro footage.

Quote:

Why is it so much money?

You pay the group in charge of taking you through the cave about $3200USD. With ten people on a tour, each tour collects about $32kUSD

Once you break it down, you'll realize it's actually a fair and necessary price. You're on a team with 28 porters, and 2 world renowned caving experts. Right off the bat, you're paying 30 people's salary for six days.

You're paying for the initial logistical setup - at the beginning of each caving year, a team has to go through the cave and lay the trail, set up toilets(more on those in a bit), and assess the viability of getting people inside of the place. It can't be forgotten that this is not a ride. This is a fully functioning ecosystem untouched by humans, and that each rainy season the entire cave fills with water. Yes, the entire cave fills with water. A decision isn't made to let people in until that clears and a full survey is done.

You also have to pay the national park fee.

You're also given large amounts of professional cave gear to use, like lights and helmets.

You're paying for food. The meals are excellent and plentiful, and all brought in by porters with dry ice and then prepared three times a day at various camps set up.

I'm sure the insurance overhead for this is massive as well.

All in all, when you add it up, the profit margins are rather slim.

Quote:

Same. Female though. The pics look insane, not sure if I can handle 6 days in a cave, that's intense.

The amount of time in the cave wears on you. I'm not a great sleeper, so I didn't find the cave sounds and no mattress to be comforting. You smell terrible, everything you own smells terrible, and everyone around you smells terrible.

I picked up a stomach bug the last day of the trip, which involves a twelve mile hike out of the cave, through a steaming jungle and back into civilization. I was legitimately seeing starts and sweating intensely, signs of serious dehydration as I couldn't hold anything down. I was given energy gels and forced to drink water, only to give it back a few minutes later. Still in those few minutes before giving it back, my body would absorb enough to keep me upright. It was brutal.

Quote:

Where do you shit and shower? I was wondering about that, if you had to bring your own stuff. Also, food?

I spoke about food above.

If you pee, you just pee. They've installed composting toilets at camp. At the beginning of the expedition season, they bring close to 1000 pounds of compost down into the various cave sites. When you shit, you throw the compost over your shit and let nature run its course. Everything you bring into the cave comes out of the cave. I can't compliment the expedition enough for the effort put forth to maintain the natural ecosystem of the cave.

Showers are either getting rained on, or a wash in the natural pools of water found. Remember, caves are essentially underground rivers, so water is abundant. You can see a pool of water in one of my above photos. That's your pool to swim in, at a perfect 78 degrees fahrenheit, or your pool to wash off in, though any sort of soap or shampoo is strongly discouraged. I just rubbed off with water.

[Drazen]

Cool. The girl I know who went is an asian girl from the LA area, i think in Spring so maybe it was the same trip. Maybe you were the one who took her FB profile which looks pretty similar to your pics above.

[Vacancier Permanent]

Fantastic report MD!
How many times per year does this expedition run? How long in advance do you have to register for it?

So from within Vietnam, I'd be looking at about 3200$ for this expedition? From tour post, it does sound it's well worth it.

That is something I'd be very interested in doing!

Thanks for sharing this fantastic experience with us!

Cheers man!

[Vacancier Permanent]

delete duplicate post.

[TheBulldozer]

(05-30-2015 11:28 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

Fantastic report MD!
How many times per year does this expedition run? How long in advance do you have to register for it?

So from within Vietnam, I'd be looking at about 3200$ for this expedition? From tour post, it does sound it's well worth it.

That is something I'd be very interested in doing!

Thanks for sharing this fantastic experience with us!

Cheers man!

Your peripheral costs will add up. At the very least, you're talking of adding $1000 onto the cost, even if you live in Vietnam.

You'll need to have special insurance. Not that kind of bullshit insurance you're offered through Orbitz when you book a flight. That's around $100-130.

You'll want to invest in camera equipment. Unless you already a semi-pro photographer, you'll need to spend on that.

You'll need to buy special caving boots, some lululemon pants and shirts, special socks, and an outdoors backpack. Even if you're a pretty serious outdoorsman, an upgrade on clothing and equipment is needed.

I would highly advise getting to Phong Nha a few days early. One to just check in at the office and go through any last minute packing procedures. More to check out the natural scenery of the surrounding area. Ke Bang National Park, where Son Doong is located cuts through incredible natural landscape. The limestone formations come out of farm land and rise hundreds of feet high in all directions. A ride through the national park takes you along the old Ho Chi Minh trail, one that was heavily fought over during the war. It was the road that lead to Laos and provided the shipping route for the north to get supplies to southern communist strongholds.

I rented a bike and drove through some of this terrain, it being the best drive I've ever been on in my life. I had a cobra snap at me, rode through butterfly clouds, and broke my bike down a solid 40k from civilization.


   
   
   

[Cattle Rustler]

Sounds like a sweet place to do some biking in, and take a lot of spare tubes just in case. Or rent a motorbike like yours because fuck going through all those hills.

Where did you meet the Cobra? Shit like that is what makes traveling unique.

[TheBulldozer]

Riding a bicycle would require expert levels of planning and fitness. The topography is rough on even the most seasoned cycler I'm sure. After 10 or 12 miles of riding, the road splits into three.

One way is a straight 50km shot to Laos, a worthless drive as you cannot enter Laos through this entry unless you have prior arrangements to. To the right is a short loop through the park, probably 40km or so, that could possibly be done on a bicycle. To the left is a 180km loop through the park, and where the above photos were taken.

I came across two cars on my drive the entire time. If you have an accident or a bike problem, your life is in some danger due to its remoteness.

A cobra snapped at me because I thought it was a bump in the road. He was laid out as it was a dry, hot day and snakes enjoy the hot pavement for a nap. I was zooming along thinking I saw a bump in the road. It was a pretty decent sized bump, until I got about 10 meters from it when I realized it was a snake. Instinct took over and I did my best to avoid it. I missed his head going about 10km/hour by about a foot. He instinctually snapped at me as I made my pass. I felt his head smack the back of the bike, thankfully missing me. Since he was resting, his saliva ducts probably weren't full of venom so a bite probably wouldn't have been fatal. Considering how remote I was, it would have nonetheless been a pretty serious situation had he gotten a hold of my leg. When I got back into town and described the snake, there was universal agreement that it was a cobra.