More recently, the largest and most beautiful cave in the world was discovered in Vietnam. It is so large that a rapid underground river flows inside it . Impressive for its gigantic size, the natural attraction consists of 150 rooms, many of which have not yet been studied.
Amazing find
The amazing Son Doong Cave was discovered in 1991. It was discovered by a local resident and reported his find to fellow villagers who were afraid to enter it because of the terrible rumble of water and the frightening force of the wind in the pitch darkness of the labyrinths.
After 18 years, the underground kingdom was explored by English cavers. After passing about four kilometers, they stopped due to an obstacle in the form of a high wall of solid calcite. In 2010, the expedition prepared for the obstacle continued its study, having spent two weeks in tangled grottoes. Experts familiar with the huge number of caves noted the uniqueness of the Vietnamese miracle.
Underground city
And the detailed information compiled by the leader of the group shocked the entire speleological world. According to him, in the halls of the giant modern skyscrapers could fit. However, not only the gigantic dimensions struck scientists: deep abysses and unusual stone columns of amazing beauty hide in the dungeon.
Now I can’t even believe that for thousands of years no one knew about the existence of a giant natural miracle, reminiscent of a lost underground city.
Gigantic sizes
Located in the national park, Shondong Cave (Vietnam) impresses with its size not only ordinary tourists, but also many speleologists who have seen it. The 150-meter height and a length of almost nine kilometers made it the largest in the world. Prior to this, the title of the largest grotto on the globe was held by the Deer Cave in Malaysia, the length of which is much inferior to Son Doong Cave.
Difficult descent down
To get inside the underground mine, all courageous travelers will have to overcome the descent along the rope with the help of special climbing equipment, which is also useful when hiking through dark labyrinths with rock carvings cut out by water.
Inside a natural miracle, a rushing river makes noise, for a long time creating marvelous tunnels of various shapes in rocks, and in some places it comes to the surface. During severe floods, entrance to the caves is physically impossible.
Unusual phenomena
Enthusiastic tourists always gather near monstrously high stalagmites, under 70 meters in height, resembling huge cacti made of stone, capturing fantastic views of a long memory.
Incredibly, Shondong Cave is a unique place where you can observe the formation of clouds underground after mixing air masses of different temperatures. Tourists who have visited the underground note that a bewitching sight is worth it to go a long and physically difficult path.
Jungle inside the cave
Through the resulting ground holes, not only sunlight, but also plants with animals get into the cave. To the usual cave inhabitants - snakes, insects, rodents - added rhinoceros birds and small monkeys, who feel at home in the thicket.
In some places the ledges are completely covered with emerald grass, and a piece of the real jungle will make you stop to believe in the reality of what is happening. Cavers called this green oasis of the cave "Garden of Eden," in which some representatives of the flora, which got inside millions of years ago, were unknown to science.
Cave pearls
Shondong Cave in Vietnam became famous for its unique find, unexpectedly made by experts, an unusual pearl, which is a very rare natural phenomenon. The thing is that dripping water for a long time created layers of calcite, which seemed to envelop every pebble.
By comparing the find found in the cave with the mother-of-pearl pearl produced by the mollusks, the researchers found that the composition of the mineral is identical. The Pearl Hall is a revelation for travelers who have never seen anything like it.
Where is the shondong cave located?
The natural landmark, formed several million years ago, is located on the border of Vietnam and Laos, in the local national park Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quangbin province.
To get to it, you have to overcome a considerable path - more than a day to go through the impenetrable jungle. According to tourists visiting the cave, an exciting adventure with overcoming oneself and exhausting physical activity became the most memorable event in life.
Not far from the giant dungeon is the village of Ban Dong with friendly residents, the number of which does not exceed forty people. Being completely isolated from all the benefits of the outside world, the population grows crops and leads a lifestyle that has not changed for several hundred years, which children of modern cities see with great curiosity.
Expensive excursions
However, not everyone who wants to admire the stunning views of the dungeons takes Shondong Cave. An excursion for guests of Vietnam is a very expensive, although safe, event that requires good physical shape, as you will have to go down the rope to a depth of 80 meters and walk a lot through the mazes.
Groups of eight people are accompanied all the way by trained guides along with cavers. A tent camp is set up inside the cave , a bonfire is made on which the cook prepares food, and tourists go on an exciting journey through the fantastically beautiful multi-kilometer halls and pass a full-flowing river with the appropriate equipment.
Between September and the end of March, when the river floods in the rainy season, Shondong Cave does not accept tourists. True, many fans of extreme sports, dreaming of getting inside the secrets of a natural monument, do this with local guides, risking their own lives.
Travel Plans
In 2015, a very small number of guests who paid about three thousand dollars for a weekly tour were officially lucky to get to a local attraction that was not yet ready to receive a large number of visitors.
The Ministry of Tourism of the country believes that Shondong Cave is able to bring decent dividends to the treasury. It is planned to organize large tours for everyone who wants to get into the underground city, but the total number of visitors will not exceed 500 people, so as not to disrupt the fragile ecosystem of the Vietnamese attractions.
Shondong is the largest cave in the whole world, inside of which lies a completely new and unknown world for all cavers. Hidden from human views, its bowels are still not fully understood, and no one knows how many secrets will be unraveled in the process of studying the small underground universe.