North Vietnam Trip: 10 Days

The Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a renowned UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the perfect way to spend a day in Vietnam. The 415-million-year-old rainforest is host to 300 caves and grottoes begging to be discovered. With 126 km of caves to explore, you’ll never want to leave.

Grab a bathing suit or boardies (the ones you don’t really like) and prepare to get dirty! We’ll be following two well-informed and hilarious guides so you don’t miss any of the amazing history of this magical place—or any of the fun. Our first stop is at 8-Ladies Cave and temple where we learn about the history of the area in relation to the American War and get to walk on part of the original Ho Chi Minh Trail.

From there, we ride Vietnam’s longest zipline into the entrance of Dark Cave, and continue our journey trekking through, and then swimming inside, this well-named pitch-black cave with nothing but your friends, your bravery, and a headlamp.

Next up, a brand new mud pit! Well, new to us anyway. Just discovered in 2014, this is what backpackers are always on the lookout for: fresh experiences. The mud itself is said to have anti-aging properties, and you can lay right back and float through it like a brown bean in a can. Plus, your inner child will squeal at the fact that the exit is a mud-slide!

A 30m mud-slide straight into more adventures with kayaking, water play, and even more ziplines and obstacles. It’s like an adult jungle gym hosted by nature itself.

Following your mudding adventures in the Dark Cave and a delicious lunch to refuel, we head to the big draw: Paradise Cave. As Asia’s largest dry cave at 31 km long, it’s pretty hard to beat! After your initial breathtaking view, take your time exploring and trekking around the 1 km area that is open to tourists in this real-life postcard.

From a distance the view is once in a lifetime, with wooden boardwalks sprinkled around the massive caverns and everything spectacularly lit with multicoloured lights. It gets even cooler closer up as you explore the stalactites and stalagmites that seem to have their own inner glow. The sparkle is from their mineral makeup and explains why with 31 kms of stunning, sparkling cave scientists chose to call it Paradise.

With a surprise around every corner and a constantly beautiful backdrop to boot, this absolutely epic experience is what backpacking dreams are made of. The entire National Park is a treasure that will be attracting more attention as time passes, and you’ll be one of the first waves of travelers to experience it. Fresh off this adventure, you’ll be glad to have your friends around the next morning so you can convince each other it all really happened.

The Abandon Valley Day Trek takes you through an array of sights in the Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, a 415 million-year-old rainforest that up until 2009 had been unexplored by humans. You could be in the first generation of explorers to get to know this amazing area.

A trek for hikers looking for a challenge, be prepared for adventure with knowledgeable, local guides to take you through this experience! This 16 km trek goes through rough, beautiful jungle and takes you to the back entrance of the Dark Cave shrouding a portion of the trek in darkness. Climbing over boulders and walking through streams you’ll be satisfying your need for adrenaline-pumping action while backpacking in Vietnam.

Making it all the more mysterious, the town didn’t become accessible by road or have power until 2009. What better way to enjoy a perfect warm afternoon than grabbing some bicycles, some road pops, and your new crew and embarking on a ride where what keeps you going isn't the destination, but the joy of pure discovery.

Hop on and join the ride passed a great river, through beautiful rice terraces and passed Vietnamese villages untouched by the outside world. Our first stop, Pepper House, gets us some shade, a dip in the pool and a refreshing beverage. After another cruise through some local villages, we head to Moi Moi, a restaurant in the middle of a farm by the river. Picturesque, or what? And with a well-deserved BBQ buffet worth writing home about and quick tube rides on the river, it's more than a pretty face.

After being fed and watered, and keeping an easy-going FnEZ pace of course, we pedal across a bridge to the Pub with Cold Beer (the best named pub ever!) for another quick break.

Nearing the end of the day, the Phong Nha Farmstay is a great place to go to watch the sunset with your friends by your side. While eating an amazing dinner and letting the whole ride sink in, the day turns into night, and our adventures slowly turn into stories we'll never forget.