QUANG BINH – Coming to Ruc Mon cave, Ms. Di challenged herself by free jumping from the cliff to the water, swinging on a rope, and climbing a wall hundreds of meters high in the dark cave.
The “cave kingdom” of Quang Binh is always attractive to those who love adventure travel and are not afraid to surpass their own limits. Ms. Le Ho Uy Di, who is working as a content creator in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that she returned to Quang Binh for the second time in November and spent 3 days and 2 nights exploring a cave “not yet on the tourist map” – Ruc Mon cave.
Ruc Mon Cave is located in Trung Hoa commune and Hoa Son commune, Minh Hoa district, Quang Binh province. The cave is 2,863 m long, the ceiling is more than 300 m high, and many underground rivers are flowing around in the cave. The reason the cave is called Ruc Mon is because this was once the residence of the Ruc ethnic people and ”Mon” means traces of people who used to live here. Ruc Mon means the residence of the Ruc people, according to the representative of the adventure tour organizer to explore Ruc Mon cave – Vietnam Expeditions.
In the picture is a “surreal” scene like the Milky Way inside Ruc Mon cave.
Trekking path to the cave entrance. Ruc Mon Cave is located on the Vietnam – Laos border, so there are two entrances to the cave. This cave system includes dry caves and wet caves. Participants will have to hike, swim through the entrance, cross several rivers and streams including those in the cave with the help of ropes. Ms. Di said that 3 days of eating, drinking, and sleeping in the cave gave her the experience of ”living like a Ruc person”.
On the first day, tourists drive from Phong Nha to Hoa Son commune. From here, start the trekking journey from Hoa Son village, located close to the Vietnam-Laos border, along the trail to reach the front door of Ruc Mon cave. Participants get acquainted with the cave by swimming in the cave and briefly exploring the cave’s lower floors. The water here is always clear green, the bottom is clearly visible when it is not raining. Ms. Di shared that the exploration group had more than half a day to search the nooks and crannies near the cave entrance, admiring the stalactite columns and emerald green calcium lakes.
Ms. Di said that unlike the previous trip to En cave, this time she explored the cave and had to overcome hundreds of meters high calcified walls using ropes with the technical support of cave experts and porters. There are also many other activities such as crawling into rock holes, jumping freely from cliffs into rivers, swimming in underground rivers, wading through calcium pools to see stalactites.
The first day of the trip ended with a BBQ of wild vegetables and stream fish at the cave entrance. This is also where the group camped, rested and prepared for the next day of exploration.
After the first day of warming up, on the second day, Ms. Di and the group continued to advance into Ruc Mon cave, the total exploration time lasted about 8 hours. The important destination is conquering Foggy stalactite mountain, which is over 400 meters high. At this height, the entire cave ceiling is covered with a thick, mysterious layer of fog. Here, visitors are instructed by tour guides and a team of safety assistants to use ropes and safety belts to climb safely.
The deeper you go, the easier it is for visitors to see the stalactite columns that have been and are in the process of forming. There are even stalactite columns that collapsed because they could not bear their own weight, increasing the difficulty for explorers. It takes a lot of strength to pass these passages.
”In the dark cave, when the light shines, you will see patches of color on the walls thanks to the amount of minerals deposited, creating a scene like the Milky Way,” Ms. Di said.
The reward for those who conquer Foggy stalactite mountain is a stalactite kingdom hidden behind the mist. Going closer to the ceiling of the cave, visitors will see the fossilized tomb of the Snake King. After conquering the mountain in the cave, visitors will have lunch, transported by porters. After eating, we will continue to swim out of the cave and end the second day of exploration.
Ms. Di called the last day of conquering Ruc Mon cave a “relaxation day” because the activities were lighter than the previous two days. The last point of the journey will be the back door of Ruc Mon cave. The back door of the cave is nearly 100 m high, covered with rich vegetation, and emerald green water. Here, visitors can enjoy immersing themselves in the water or try the thrill of climbing cliffs and jumping into the river surrounding the cave.
The last day was the most memorable day for Ms. Di when she had to freely jump from a cliff at a height of 5-6 m into the river and float freely out of the cave. This is an optional activity, visitors who do not want to participate will have a ladder prepared to step into the water.
”When it was my turn to go down the cliff, the ladder was swept away by the strong water so I was forced to jump free. I know how to swim and am not afraid of heights, but I am quite shy about activities without a safety belt,” Ms. Di shared.
Before the jump, everyone in the group gathered to calm their nerves and take Ms. Di down to the lower jumping point of the cliff. The free jumping challenge was completed when Ms. Di was held by the tour guide’s hand and jumped down.
On the third day, when the journey to explore the cave ends, visitors will get on the bus to return to Phong Nha. Ms. Di said that the tour to explore Ruc Mon cave was classified by the organizer as difficulty level 4/4. However, female tourists with average physical strength still completed the entire leg well. The rope techniques have expert guidance and safety supervision. Tourists who are afraid of narrow spaces and afraid of heights should consider this because there will be times when they will have to climb a wall more than 100 meters high.
”Everyone has their own fears, but the important thing is not to give up because it’s too difficult. I think this can be a trip that helps people face their fears very effectively. Like me, I had to jump off the cliff so as not to affect the schedule and others,” Ms. Di said.
The female tourist shared that this is a tour trip, the caves that are allowed to be exploited for tourism in Quang Binh are strictly managed. Currently, this discovery tour costs from 9.4 million VND to 11.9 million VND depending on the period.
($1~24,000 VND)
Photo,Video: Internet (Vinlove.net)