Authorities in Central Quang Binh province will officially open theworld's biggest cave, Son Doong, for tourism by January, 2015. Thisfollows a successful pilot programme this year.
Adventure toursto Son Doong will most likely run from January to August. However, theywill cease for the rest of the year to avoid flooding.
To protectthe delicate cave system, a maximum of 450 visitors will be allowed ineach year, almost twice as many as the eight month pilot period.
The pilot programme, organised by Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Oxalis Adventure Tours, had 243 visitors.
The2015 programme will offer six-day and five-night tours and four-day andthree-night tours at cost of 3,000 USD per head. Each month, only eightgroups will be allowed to tour.
Son Doong is more than 200mwide, 150m high, and about 9km long. It also houses a jungle and ariver, and could fit a 40-storey skyscraper within its walls. The cavewas classified as the largest cave in the world by the British CaveResearch Association.
It has been recently suggested by theAmerican news website huffingtonpost.com as one of the places to visit.Son Doong was also listed in the "52 Places to Go in 2014" by The NewYork Times Travel.
Located approximately 500km south of Hanoi,Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a famous destination in centralVietnam and was recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.-VNA
Adventure toursto Son Doong will most likely run from January to August. However, theywill cease for the rest of the year to avoid flooding.
To protectthe delicate cave system, a maximum of 450 visitors will be allowed ineach year, almost twice as many as the eight month pilot period.
The pilot programme, organised by Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park and Oxalis Adventure Tours, had 243 visitors.
The2015 programme will offer six-day and five-night tours and four-day andthree-night tours at cost of 3,000 USD per head. Each month, only eightgroups will be allowed to tour.
Son Doong is more than 200mwide, 150m high, and about 9km long. It also houses a jungle and ariver, and could fit a 40-storey skyscraper within its walls. The cavewas classified as the largest cave in the world by the British CaveResearch Association.
It has been recently suggested by theAmerican news website huffingtonpost.com as one of the places to visit.Son Doong was also listed in the "52 Places to Go in 2014" by The NewYork Times Travel.
Located approximately 500km south of Hanoi,Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a famous destination in centralVietnam and was recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.-VNA