Trekking Phong Nha

After some back and forth, we agreed to participate in a slightly more expensive guided trekking tour in the jungle of Vietnam, specifically in Phong Nha National Park. We decided to do this because we didn't want to visit overcrowded touristy caves where the experience would have been less spectacular. After spending a night in Phong Nha Town and getting some snacks in the evening, our Oxalis guide picked us up and we headed towards the jungle. After about 90 minutes of breathtaking scenic drive and heavy rain, we arrived at the headquarters, which was also the starting point of our tour. We weren't too worried about the rain as it would make the trek more challenging.

We received a brief overview of the tour, what animals and plants we could expect to see, and what to pay attention to in order to preserve both nature and ourselves. After being provided with the necessary equipment such as backpacks, water bottles, helmets, headlamps, gloves, and trekking shoes, we started the trek. Initially, we walked on fairly flat terrain with beautiful views, including the filming location of King Kong. Then, we crossed a river and continued our trek through the mountains and into the jungle. It was very muddy, and we had to climb over rocks and through thick vegetation, all at an altitude of 150m. We enjoyed it so much that we didn't even notice the effort, and we walked ahead with one of the guides as some members of the group were not very fast. We left our luggage with the porters (who took the direct route to the camp) and only carried our equipment on our shoulders. We had lunch in a cave along the way and then continued walking to the camp. After a short break, we went swimming in the next cave, which we also explored. After the 6km trek, we arrived at the camp around 5 pm, where we could go swimming and sit by the campfire. Our meals were cooked open-air for us, and we were served delicious food. The next morning, after breakfast, we climbed into the cave behind the waterfall at our camp and visited the next three caves on our itinerary. Along the way, we went up and down mountains, through dense jungle, and across rivers and lakes, some of which were underground and required swimming. After a break and a hot soup, we entered the last cave and unfortunately headed back towards the office. We would have loved to stay longer and had a lot of fun!

We spent 2 days and 1 night in the jungle, ate fantastic food, met super nice people, walked through glittering caves, and experienced a beautiful landscape without tourists. I also got attacked by a leech. In short: it was a wonderful adventure!

We will return to Phong Nha again, and thanks to this trip, it has become our top destination.