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Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng is a remarkable location featuring stunning natural scenery, resembling a watercolor painting, a masterpiece crafted by nature for Quảng Bình. Visiting Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng during your Huế-Quảng Bình trip, you’ll step into an awe-inspiring underground castle, home to towering stone columns and impressive stalactites, marvels that any cave would envy. Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng is the perfect destination for those seeking to explore nature while enjoying an affordable domestic tour.
Discover the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng cave complex from Huế
Transportation options
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park is located in the districts of Bố Trạch and Minh Hóa in Quảng Bình province. From Huế, travelers can reach Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng after a journey of about 209 kilometers. With such a short distance, there are various transport options available, including motorcycles, buses, or trains.
Motorcycle: If you're on a backpacking trip from Huế to Quảng Bình with your own motorcycle, this is a fantastic opportunity to explore nature at your own pace while enjoying the flexibility of traveling between scenic spots. However, don't forget to bring all necessary personal documents to ensure your safety. You can reach Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng via two main routes: the QL1A road and the Hồ Chí Minh route via QL14. Choose the route that best suits you.
Bus: From Huế's central bus station, you can catch a bus to Quảng Bình operated by companies like Hưng Thành and Tấn Nhật. There are numerous buses traveling back and forth between Huế and Quảng Bình every day, with ticket prices ranging from 150,000 to 250,000 VND.
Train: This is a safe and convenient option at a reasonable price. Simply board the train and after about 3 hours, you'll arrive at Quảng Bình station.
From the center of Đồng Hới, travelers can choose from various transportation options such as buses, motorbike taxis, or regular taxis to reach Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng, with prices ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 VND.
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Attractions in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng
As a famous cave complex known not only in Vietnam but globally, to enter Phong Nha Cave, visitors must take a boat ride along the Son River. Upon reaching the cave, visitors will experience a cool, refreshing atmosphere, creating the perfect setting to begin their journey exploring the stunning beauty of nature.
Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng is recognized as one of the oldest and largest tropical limestone regions in the world, covering over 200,000 hectares. It is home to a famous cave system with more than 300 caves, each containing many fascinating and mysterious features.
Phong Nha Cave
Among the various caves, Phong Nha stands out with a surveyed length of nearly 8 km, primarily consisting of an underground river, earning it the title of the longest underground river cave in the world.
After sailing for over 600 meters along the water path inside the cave, visitors will be captivated by the breathtaking natural beauty of the First Cave.
Tiên Sơn Cave
After exploring the water-filled Phong Nha Cave, visitors often visit the dry Tiên Sơn Cave. Phong Nha and Tiên Sơn are nature's twin creations, forming a unified system. Located about 200 meters above the ceiling of Phong Nha Cave, Tiên Sơn Cave stretches for 980 meters.
Dark Cave
A branch of the Phong Nha cave system, this cave was surveyed by British explorers in 1990 and 1992. The entrance is 20 meters wide and 40 meters high. Like many caves in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng area, the Dark Cave is both a water-filled and dry cave, stretching 5,258 meters long and 80 meters high.
The cave remains relatively pristine with thousands of uniquely shaped stalagmites and stalactites, and serves as a shelter for various wildlife such as bats and swallows. Due to its location by the river and the high humidity, the stalactites in the Dark Cave are covered with moss, giving them a distinctive green color. Unlike Phong Nha Cave, Dark Cave does not have a lighting system, so visitors can use headlamps or flashlights to explore.
Én Cave
The unique feature of Én Cave, which sets it apart from both Phong Nha and Paradise caves, is the combination of the vibrant blue river and the natural light pouring through skylights in the cave's ceiling, which makes the scenery even more dazzling and mystical. On the ceiling, in the stone crevices, the stalactites take on various forms, and these caves serve as nests for thousands of swallows and bats, which is how the cave got its name. Note, according to the travel tips for Huế-Quảng Bình from Mytour, if visitors wish to explore Én Cave, they should not go alone but instead go with a guide to avoid getting lost in the forest.
