A helicopter tour around the world-famous Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh will begin operating at the end of this month, a local newspaper said.

Three trips for a total of 60 tourists will depart on April 26 or 27, Saigon Tiep Thi (Saigon Marketing) newspaper quoted the tour operator, Oxalis Adventure Tours Company, as saying.

The company said the helicopter will fly around the 85,700-hectare park before hovering over the Garden of Edam – a jungle near Son Doong, the world's largest cave.

The helicopter will also land at the entrance of En (Swift) Cave, so tourists can explore the cave which goes 1,645 meters deep into a mountain.

According to Oxalis, En Cave is a feeder to Son Doong and was once named one of the most captivating on earth by National Geographic.

A half-day tour costs 3 million VND (140 USD) per tourist, while a two-day tour was priced 6.3 million VND (294 USD), the news report said.

Phong Nha – Ke Bang won UNESCO heritage recognition in 2003 thanks to its system of 300 different caves and grottos which date back some 400 million years.

Son Doong, which is 150 meters high and 200 meters wide, was discovered by a local man, Ho Khanh, but did not gain international recognition until the British Cave Research Association explored it in 2009 with Khanh’s help.

The cave was opened to tourists last year.-VNA