A group of tourists at the entrance of Va Cave. Photo: VNA
A moderately adventurous tour to explore Va and Nuoc Nut Caves within the UNESCO-recognised World Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh were officially launched on August 16.
The tour is operated by Oxalis Company from February through August every year, serving only 700-800 tourists annually. It is customarily a two-day and one-night journey which includes a 10-kilometre jungle trek.
Discovered by local residents long ago, Va and Nuoc Nut Caves were thoroughly studied and announced by the British Caving Association in 2000.
Va-Nuoc Nut Caves expeditions offer tourists the full experience of both dry and wet caves with fabulous stalactites and stalagmites as well as unique and extraordinary stalactite lakes, the formation of which remains a mystery.
According to Howard Limbert, an expert from the British Caving Association, Nuoc Nut and Va are much different from other caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang as well as other places in the world due to their exceptional stalactites and stalagmites.
Fred Eric, a Belgium national who was the first tourist to successfully conquer Va and Nuoc Nut Caves , said he was very impressed with the exclusive and strange beauty of the caves, especially the stalactite lake system.
Earlier this month, the Phong Nha – Ke Bang tourism centre also launched a programme to explore Toi (Dark) Cave as part of the Quang Binh Cave Festival 2015 themed “Quang Binh - Kingdom of Caves ”.
Phong Nha – Ke Bang is famous for its spectacular cave system. Located in Bo Trach district, the 123-hectare park is home to nearly 2,934 species of fauna and flora.
The biggest cave in the world, Son Doong, is hidden in the park. Since the cave was discovered in 2009 by a group of scientists from the British Cave Research Association, it has become an international sensation and drawn tourists from all over the world.
The province received around 2.8 million tourists last year, including 43,000 foreigners, a 129 percent increase compared to the previous year. It expects to welcome 3.3 million guests this year.-VNA
