Phong Nha – Ke Bang is a national park located in Bo Trach and Minh Hoa districts, Quang Binh province, 500 km south of Hanoi. This is one of the largest karst areas in the world, famous for its diverse underground river and cave systems. The name of this national park is grafted from two parts: Phong Nha cave and Ke Bang limestone forest.
Two days of weekends are enough for you to explore Thien Duong cave, take a boat down Son River, kayak, cycle by the green bamboo rows …
Famous for cave tourism, Phong Nha – Ke Bang has now had more new experiences: Son river cruise watching the sunset, exploring shallow rocky beaches, kayaking, SUP boarding, village sightseeing, grow vegetables together … And just 2 days, visitors can join the experience tours or schedule to discover a different Quang Binh.
How to get to Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park?
Airplane
From Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, there are direct flights to Dong Hoi by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air with prices from VND 1.5 million / round trip.
However, tourists should pay attention when looking for tickets because the flight frequency is not as much as to other destinations; prices for weekends and holidays are higher. Flight time from Hanoi to Dong Hoi is 1 hour and from Ho Chi Minh City to Dong Hoi is nearly 2 hours.
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Train
Currently, North-South trains only run 2 times a day from each end of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, lasting about 10 hours. The ticket price is from 300,000 to 700,000 VND / person depending on the seat class.
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Passenger car
Car companies running Hanoi – Dong Hoi have Hung Long, Hoang Linh, Phuong Trang, … each way ticket price is 220,000 – 400,000 VND / person. Time to go about 8 – 9 hours.
For people departing from Ho Chi Minh City, there are Hoang Long, A Ba, Loc Thuy … each way ticket price is 500,000 – 700,000 VND / person. Travel time is almost a day.
From Dong Hoi, tourists move to Phong Nha by bus, taxi, or rent a motorbike to freely move if you want to go to other points in Dong Hoi. The distance from Dong Hoi – Phong Nha is 50 km.
Accommodation
Located far from the city, surrounded by hills, rivers and tranquil villages, accommodation in Phong Nha – Ke Bang are suitable for tourists to “hide” away from the modern city life.
Some affordable hotels and homestays for tourists are Chay Lap farmstay & resort, Nguyen Shack – Phong Nha Eco, Phong Nha Coco riverside, Phong Nha lake house …
Each night here costs from 400,000 – 1, 4 million VND / room for 2 people. In which, Chay Lap is one of the accommodations suitable for both exploration and relaxation lovers, who love isolated and private spaces.
The campus is 2 ha but only 41 rooms and lots of garden space for guests to make a cozy party.
Suggested Itinerary
Day 1: Dong Hoi – Phong Nha – Cruise on Son River – Kayaking, SUP
On the first day, tourists move to Phong Nha, check-in, and spend time enjoying the peaceful beauty around the property. Have lunch and take a break to prepare for a more active afternoon.
The car and guide pick up guests to Phong Nha boat station to start the cruise on the Son river. This experience helps visitors get closer to the lives of locals on both sides of the river, and in the afternoon you can enjoy the sunset on the limestone mountains.
Sitting on the boat while sipping some snacks, visitors can see with their own eyes the people picking up the moss, fishing on the river, the children bathing, swimming, jumping from the branches of the stream …
After a short boat tour, visitors return to the homestay, to delight in water games such as kayaking, SUP … or relax by the bamboo rows reflecting on the green river. Sports games in the central countryside landscape will bring time to relax both body and mind for everyone.
At the end of the day, after dinner outdoors, guests will have a really quiet night of rest in the mountains and forests, dispel the fatigue of the afternoon of river bathing and kayaking.
Day 2: Phong Nha Botanical Garden – Tam Co Cave – Paradise Cave – Tram Me Village
Before breakfast, tourists can enlist to visit the Chay village suspension bridge, just over 2 km from Chay Lap farm stay. The peaceful and fresh village scene appearing in the clouds around the limestone mountains does not disappoint visitors because of an early morning.
After breakfast, the journey to discover Phong Nha will continue with famous attractions in the area. The first is Phong Nha Botanic Garden, where visitors can find out information about endemic flora and fauna only found in Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park.
The garden displays and stores samples of species on the list of endangered rare and precious species that need priority protection in Vietnam. Here, people will take a short walk around the botanical garden, visit the windfalls and the wildlife care areas.
Following the tour guide, visitors move a short distance along 20 Quyet Thang Street, through the ancient trees and green banana garden to reach Tam Co Cave. This is a famous historical monument, commemorating the young volunteers who died in the war.
The next point is Thien Duong cave (Paradise Cave), the longest dry cave in the world with a length of 31 km. The length of the tourist attraction more than 1,000 meters is designed on a solid wooden floor.
In addition, the cave is equipped with a scientifically arranged LED light system to bring the most interesting and authentic views of the magnificent and magical stalactite system in the heart of Ke Bang limestone mountain.
After lunch, everyone can relax a little before cycling to the end of the tour in Tram Me village. Located separately on the other side of the Son River, the village offers visitors a quiet, peaceful space with small house lines, typical traditional features of Central Vietnam.
Here visitors have time to take a walk, visit around the village, learn about the life of the people. At the end of the afternoon, goodbye to local people, guides, and the peaceful space of Phong Nha, visitors take the car to Dong Hoi to return home.
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