Phong Nha has given me one of the best days of my life, strictly because of the unique experiences the place offers.
One of these unique experiences, as you can guess by the title, is the Dark Cave.
Pinned location here
So what is the Dark Cave?
Phong Nha is a unique town in Vietnam. It’s small and nestled between the mountains about 4 hours North of Hue. Its crazy mountain range also means that the town is surrounded by amazing caves and rivers to discover!
The Dark Cave is a tourist attraction that offers a full tour around and through one of the large caves in Phong Nha. It’s odd, but this tour isn’t just about the caving experience. It actually involves a series of small sports, including ziplining, swimming, kayaking, a mud bath, and, of course, the cave darkness.
For a better understanding of the tour, I’ll go into more detail of every part for you:
Come Dressed for the Occasion
Usually for big tours – especially caving – you have a list of things you need to be prepared for the tour. Not for The Dark Cave! All you need for this one is your swimsuit. No shoes on this tour!
In terms of video proof of your awesomeness, only waterproofed phones and cameras are allowed along because everything will be submerged in water at some point.
The tour gives you life jackets, helmets, and headlamps to use so you won’t be going in unprepared. They also provide you with lockers that you can use to stash all your clothes, towels, and belongings.
The Zipline
The Dark Cave tour starts with a 300m zipline across the little river that gets you closer to the cave mouth on the other side. I wasn’t expecting a zipline when I signed up but it really set the tone for an exciting experience for the rest of the tour.
Into the Dark Cave
After the zipline, you are asked to jump in the water and swim to the cave entrance! You get to see the water difference from the rest of the lake compared to the mineral-rich water coming out of the cave. It’s a cloudy blue, and although it’s not particularly warm, it’s a welcome refresh from the heat.
The cave mouth is huge, and much like any cave, has such interesting rocks. These rocks look like they are melting and growing at the same time (to me anyway).
From here you are guided through rocky sections that are filled with fossils of fish skeletons and shells, along with different textures in stalagmites.
The path eventually turns to water as the light from the cave mouth starts to disappear. As you explore deeper into the cave you swim through cave chambers and pathways. It doesn’t get really tight so I didn’t feel very claustrophobic but some moments make it hard to turn back when in a group.
The Dark Cave Mud Bath
All the swimming and rock traversal in the dark leads you to a small chamber with a natural mud bath for you to enjoy! We spent maybe 20 minutes in here just relaxing and throwing mud around.
Now this wouldn’t be a full caving expedition without the total darkness experience, so before you head off back to the mouth of the cave, you are asked to turn off your lights as a group and experience what utter silence and darkness feel like (It’s very eerie but I loved it).
It’s moments like these that you realize how large, creepy, and dark caves can be. As you lose all sight, you focus on your hearing to learn what’s around you.
This is the end portion of the cave, so you start to make its way back to the cave mouth. Back through the swimming pool chambers and rock formations. The whole caving experience is maybe an hour long of exploration and mud.
After the Cave Tour
After the cave, you are given kayaks to boat around on the river or toward the waterpark for your leisure!
The water park is filled with more ziplines, trampolines, and water jungle gyms rated for everyone, so take advantage of the water and relax for a bit.
There is no time limit so this is a perfect day activity when in the heat!
We ended up spending a full 3-4 hours here just playing around, grabbing lunch, and enjoying the heat.
The Dark Cave Attraction Details
Tour Price: 450k / 18.30 USD
Tour Length: 1.5 hour
The Dark Cave can be a full-day experience if you want it to be. There is no time restriction for the location and it’s filled with so much you can do.
In Conclusion
The cave experience was a little freaky, but I’m so glad I did it. The tour was just filled with so many random moments, and it brought such a big smile to my face because of it. I got a taste of multiple fun activities in that small time frame! It was a good memory that added to my love for Vietnam.
I guarantee it is an experience you won’t get in other places. When is it better to try something new than in Vietnam?
Other Vietnam-Related Posts
If you’re interested in adding other destinations in Vietnam to your itinerary, check out my post about Ninh Binh and what to do there!
About the Author
Hi, I’m Shannon. A small travel lover with a laptop.
I’m an avid plane rider and backpacker, currently traveling between lots of working days. This year I am making travel my #1 priority, and I plan to document it as much as I can.
