The caves of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park - Rusty Compass travel photo gallery
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    The caves of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park

    / Last updated 30 Aug 2012

    Introduction

    A photo gallery of the caves of World Heritage listed Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park. They're some of the largest and most beautiful caves ever discovered.
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • ©Photo: Mark Bowyer
    • The Son River at Son Trach where the 1 hour boat journey to Phong Nha and Tien Son caves begins. International travellers are only just discovering Phong Nha - Ke Bang. The domestic market is all over it though - especially in summer months.
    • Boat man, Phong Nha. It's a spectacular with countryside not unlike the karst mountains around Ninh Binh.
    • Son River, Phong Nha. The scenery outside the caves is almost as spectacular as what's inside.
    • Unexpected church enroute to Phong Nha. There are lots in this area though I couldn't get a clear answer as to why. One of the first 19th century explorers of Phong Nha was a French priest but I'm guessing he can't take all the credit. Perhaps the belt of Catholicism that starts in Ninh Binh stretches south this far?
    • Entering Phong Nha Cave
    • Phong Nha Cave
    • Phong Nha Cave
    • Phong Nha Cave. Make sure you visit this area away from the summer holiday crowds. The cave experience requires a little space and even some quiet. I was very fortunate and beat the morning crowds to Phong Nha and arrived after them at Paradise Cave in the late afternoon.
    • Tien Son Cave sits about 200metres above Phong Nha. Be ready for some steps.
    • Tien Son Cave. The steps are a deterrent to some so you're likely to get more atmospheric experience of the caves here.
    • The view from Tien Son Cave
    • Stairs into Paradise Cave.
    • Nothing prepares for the scale and beauty of Paradise Cave. It only opened to travellers in 2010. Many of the formations resemble massive coral outcrops.
    • Paradise Cave, Phong Nha - Ke Bang
    • A relatively bare stretch along Paradise Cave - both people and formations. Avoiding the crowds is very important here.
    • Paradise Cave, Phong Nha
    • Paradise Cave, Phong Nha
    • Paradise Cave, Phong Nha, Ke Bang
    • Around Phong Nha
    • The roads are good with little traffic. I got around on a motorbike. If time permitted and bikes were available, cycling would also be very nice here.
    • My bike on the Ho Chi Minh Highway. This area formed part of the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the Vietnam War.
    • Ho Chi Minh Trail memorial, at Son Trach, Phong Nha
    • The karst landscapes of Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park are some of the oldest and most impressive in Asia.
    • Near Phong Nha
    • Around Phong Nha
    Quicklink - Introduction - Phong Nha