Conquering Tú Làn Cave with 48 Hours of Jungle Trekking and Stream Crossing

'The Tú Làn Challenge' is an adventure for travelers who want to explore numerous natural beauties along the journey through the famous cave system in Quang Binh.

Conquering Tú Làn Cave with 48 Hours of Jungle Trekking and Stream Crossing

The Tú Làn Challenge is a race involving 100 participants, divided into 10 teams, lasting for 2 days, usually held from March 31 to April 2 every year. On the first day, they must complete a 15 km boat race along the Rao Nan River, from the upper reaches in Trung Hoa commune to the Tân Hóa floodgate.

On the second day, players traverse a 15 km route, trekking through the jungle and crossing numerous rivers and streams along the journey through the Tú Làn cave system. The entry fee for each team is 60 million dong. Part of this money is allocated to help the people of Tân Hóa commune build sturdy houses before the flood season.

This year, on the first competition day, each team is divided into 2 groups. Each group of 5 people will paddle a rudimentary boat along the Rao Nan River to reach Tân Hóa before 5 PM. The journey passes through many river bends with beautiful natural scenery of the Minh Hoa mountains. Many sections of the river are shallow with submerged rock beds, requiring teams to disembark and pull the boat. Teams will be scored based on the performance of both boats combined.

'It was our first time paddling a rudimentary boat on the river, so it was quite challenging to steer the boat in the right direction. In many sections, the boat had to move in a zigzag pattern on the river,' recounted Nguyen Thi Mai Trang (25 years old).

After the first competition day, the organizers stipulated that teams must purchase food from local households in Tan Hoa to have the opportunity to interact and learn about the local life.

The challenge on the second day is much more difficult, as teams will have to trek through the jungle, cross rivers, climb high mountains, or traverse caves within the Tu Lan cave system. Each team starts 10 minutes apart and must complete a 15 km route with various terrains to reach the finish line before 5 PM.

After running approximately 2 km, crossing rivers, contestants venture through the Mouse Cave - a location chosen as a filming site in the movie Kong: Skull Island. Everyone is excited after conquering this section.

However, the real challenge for everyone lies in the next section after crossing the La Ken Valley. Teams ascend the more than 150 m steep slope of Lom Com before reaching the entrance of the Dark Cave. After swimming against the current for 200 m through the Dark Cave, they climb up a small waterfall to continue crossing two more steep slopes before reaching the cornfields of Tan Hoa.

The Tu Lan cave system (Tan Hoa commune, Quang Binh province) consists of 10 caves, announced in 2012 and licensed for tour exploitation two years later. This system features rivers, waterfalls, natural forests, and notably some beautiful caves that have been praised by many tourists such as Tu Lan Cave, Ken Cave, Fairy Cave, and Hung Ton Cave.

Source: Zing News

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Reference: Travel Handbook from Mytour