Uyen is an office worker living in Ho Chi Minh City. She spent nearly VND13 million ($551.16) on a guided trekking trip that included Tiger Cave, Over Cave, and Pygmy Cave at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in central Vietnam. Uyen had never before been on a trekking expedition.
She selected a three-day trekking trip that was rated as challenging by the tour organizer. To prepare for the trip, Uyen biked 10 kilometers every day for a month, in addition to other exercises. "Those who have never trekked or who don't engage in many outdoor activities can nonetheless enjoy this vacation," she said. "The activities are divided equally into 3 days to suit different people."
Uyen's trip traversed a variety of landscapes that included dangerous cliffs. The tour also included walking more than 3 kilometers in a dark cave, as well as both swimming and rock climbing inside caves. The journey totaled 21 kilometers of walking, 6.5 kilometers of cave exploration, and a 500-meter cave swim.
The first day, the group of travelers made it to Tiger Cave, and set up camp at Kong Sinkhole that night. The party spent the second day exploring the Kong Sinkhole, Tiger Cave, Over Cave, and Pygmy Cave, which is the fourth biggest cave in the world, according to the British Cave Research Association (BCRA). Joining the trip were tour guides, safety assistants and porters who helped visitors carry their belongings.
The most important thing, according to hiking guide Nguyen Manh Cuong – a native of Phong Nha Town, Quang Binh Province – is making sure that everyone is safe. The peak tourism season, which runs from February to August, offers clear weather with few storms and floods. On average, Cuong guides 8 groups of trekkers per month.
"I was quite worried when leading Phuong Uyen's group because several members had never hiked before," said Cuong.
"I was most worried when swimming through Tiger Cave into the Kong Sinkhole. The group had to swim more than 300 meters in cold water, and many people had little swimming experience. In order to prevent anybody from getting a cold or cramp, I had to swim while also taking care of them," he continued.
"Thankfully, everyone was safe."
Phuong Uyen said that she just recently learned to swim, so the journey’s total swimming distance of 500 meters was a challenge. Visitors were provided with life jackets, lights, and guided by a safety assistant when they entered the water. "The most challenging aspect is that the weather in Quang Binh at the end of February is fairly chilly, and the water temperature is low. Swimming in cold water in a dark tunnel is an experience that made me a bit scared," Uyen said.
The second day of the journey presented another difficulty for Uyen, when she had to rappel from a cliff. Uyen was anxious since she had acrophobia (fear of heights). To go through this section, you need to follow a safety rope along a cliff and rappel downwards to arrive at Pygmy Cave.
According to Coung, the trekking route to Tiger Cave is not difficult for those who often exercise. But even people who are office workers and are less physically active like Uyen can still participate. However, they must maintain good physical and mental health. A team of porters and safety assistants will support them along the way.
The hardest challenge was on the morning of the last day when the group had to climb Co, a slope of 45 degrees. This was a pretty big challenge for first-time trekkers like Uyen whose whole body went numb during the last day of the trip.
Travelers also need to avoid damaging the environment.
"We take back home whatever we bring on the journey, especially non-biodegradable plastic products," said Cuong. Organic waste is buried in the ground and leftover rice is left for animals to eat. Other organic waste is handled via the microbial breakdown method.
In addition to safety concerns, the subject of personal cleanliness is important to many individuals. Uyen revealed that the tour company supplies travelers with necessities including rice husks, tissues, and biological soap.
A porter is in charge of carrying toiletries and disposing of waste. Everyone uses a kind of bio toilet. Waste is dumped with rice husks and buried to slowly decompose in the environment. Visitors must use the toilet outside the forest before entering the cave. Uyen recounted that during the 3 days of trekking, she did not have a proper shower but only cleaned herself by swimming and soaking in the water.
Uyen's group had 3 full meals a day. All the food prepared for the trip has a shelf life of 3 days. Food is stored in a styrofoam container, vacuum sealed, frozen, and kept refrigerated by ice. Tours that extend to the fourth day get resupplied with more food by delivery. They use gas stoves to cook. Rice is cooked with a charcoal stove to avoid using branches from the forest as firewood.
