In 1991, Ho Khanh, a local farmer was out gathering wood in the dense jungle of Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, when he stumbled upon an enormous cave entrance. The roar of a rushing stream and the whistling sound of wind in the cave can be heard through the entrance located in a limestone cliff.
It “felt like something from the underworld.” Khanh said. He soon forgot the cave’s location until he met British spelunkers exploring the area, some 20 years later. He began looking for the cave entrance again, which he found in 2008. The following year, he led an international team of scientists from the British Cave Research Association, led by Howard and Deb Limbert, in exploring what is now known as Son Doong Cave, the largest cave in the world.
The name “Son Doong” cave means “mountain river cave.”
Below are stunning photos that capture the cave’s surreal, massive beauty. Enjoy!
Khanh, who discovered Son Doong didn’t go in because the entrance he found had too steep a drop. On tours, visitors rappel 80 meters to enter Son Doong.
On their first night inside the cave, visitors camp near Hand of Dog, a humongous stalagmite that looks like a dog’s paw.
The roof of the cave collapsed centuries ago, allowing a lush jungle to take root. Monkeys and flying foxes live in what explorers named the Garden of Edam.
Fields of algae from ancient pools blanket parts of the cave’s interior.
Son Doong is a jackpot of rare cave pearls. The pearls form over hundreds of years as water drips down, dries up and leaves layers of calcite crystals on grains of sand.
Scientists have discovered never-before-seen plant species around Son Doong’s waterfalls. Oh, and there’s a whole river in there, too.
NTD Television