The 21st century was marked by an incredible discovery. In 2009, a group of British scientists found and studied Son Doong Cave. Scientists came to the conclusion that this is the largest cave on the planet. Its height is 200 meters, width is about 150 meters, and its length is more than 5 kilometers. It is located Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, which is not far from the border between Vietnam and Laos.
Photo: Nguyen Tan Tin/flickr (CC BY 2.0)
The cave features two large gaps which allow the daylight to come in. Thus a real forest grows here, which cannot be found in any other cave. Son Doong Cave has its own climate. Even the clouds are formed here due to the temperature drop! There’s also a river inside which spills during the rainy season and floods the jungle.
Photo: Peacefulday, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo: By Dave Bunnell, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo: By Doug Knuth from Woodstock, IL (Son Doong-47), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Here you can admire the ancient fossils, stalactites and the world’s tallest stalagmites. There are also giant cave pearls with which the calcareous layers are filled.
Photo: By Dave Bunnell, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo: By Dave Bunnell, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo: By Genghiskhan, from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Due to the unique climate created by nature in the cave, you can see a large number of rare plants here. In the jungle lots of animals and birds live as well. Among them are monkeys, hornbills, and flying foxes.
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In 2013 a group of tourists visited the cave for the first time. This kind of excursion is suitable only for real adventurers. After all, to get into the cave, you need to go down the rope by 80 meters. But, if you have already gone down, make the best of your staying there. Here you can pit a camp, sit on the river bank, wander through the underground jungles and labyrinths of the cave or just sit by the fire. Anyway it would be an unforgettable experience!
Photo: vtoanstar/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0),
vtoanstar/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: Doug Knuth/flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Photo: By Doug Knuth from Woodstock, IL (Son Doong-90), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The beauty of this special place attracts not only the extreme tourists, but also numerous film companies.