Item #12


“The impulse to travel is one of the hopeful symptoms of life.”

-Agnes Repplier

When traveling the amount of places and things a person can explore and discover are infinite. However, usually the places people choose are eerily similar. This list typically contains a foreign country, city, or small town, almost never a mountain, beach, or cave. With so much of the world to discover it seems more fitting to choose something unique rather than something stereotypical. As a result, item number twelve on my bucket list is to explore one of these unique places, more specifically a cave. The place I think would be the most intriguing to explore and discover is the Son Doong Cave, also known as the Hang Son Doong Cave, in Vietnam.

The Hang Son Doong Cave is known as the world’s largest cave, stretching more than five kilometers (or three miles) long and reaching heights of 200 meters ( or 650 feet). The cave, which is located in the Quang Binh province in Vietnam, was only just recently discovered back in 2009 by British cavers. It wasn’t until 2010 that the Hang Son Doong Cave was determined to be the largest cave ever discovered due to the size of its cross-section. The name “Son Doong”, which means “mountain river cave”, is fitting when describing this cave because of the unique characteristics it possess. The ecosystem found inside Hang Son Doong is as unique as it is large. The cave, which was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone, has ample amounts of foliage and microorganisms. Not only that, but the cave is also so large that it has its own localized weather system, making the Son Doong Cave, in my opinion, truly magnificent.

Unfortunately, despite all this, the journey to Hang Son Doong is not that simple. With the exception of having to do two full days of intense jungle trekking and river crossings just to reach the entrance, to actually be selected in traveling there is an adventure all on its own. Since the cave’s discovery, it has become quite the tourist attraction. However, to preserve the cave from mass development and destruction the British cavers and the tour company, Oxalis, that now runs the expeditions have put multiple restrictions on the type of tourism that is allowed at Son Doong. Although it is completely open to the public and anyone is allowed to visit, the Han Son Doong Cave limits their tours to just once a week between the months of February and August. The amount of people allowed on a tour is also limited to just 10 customers per departure. Thus, making the possibility of traveling there that much more difficult. To actually travel to Vietnam and to the Son Doong Cave, a plane ride is the only option. The average flight from Philadelphia to the Quang Binh province in Vietnam is about $1,400 dollars. This along with the cost of the expedition, which is around $3,000 dollars, makes the total cost of the trip just $4,400 dollars.

One thought on “Item #12

  1. Blogging on your bucket list is an exceptional idea! When I was in tenth grade, one of my teachers made us write a bucket list with 100 items, and I still carry it around and mark off items when I complete them. The Son Doong Cave sounds like an interesting place to explore, especially as it is the world’s largest cave. I would be interested in seeing what the inside of the cave looks like, as well as if it has formations like stalactites and stalagmites. It appears to be pretty expensive and difficult to be selected though – I would suggest looking into caves around the United States as well! I know there are some walk-in caves in the southwestern United States (Carlsbad Caverns), as well as caves that are more typical when thinking about spelunking. Overall, this blog was written very well and made me re-think about my own bucket list!

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