Son Doong was only discovered in the 1990s. Difficulty of access prevented it from being fully explored until two decades later. In 2013, tour operator Oxalis began offering five-day spelunking expeditions for 25 people at a time.
Oxalis (Chua Me Dat) says Quang Binh provincial authorities grant a limited number of entry permits and the quota for 2017 is 640. Weather plays an important role in Son Doong tours and an Oxalis representative noted that the number of people who would be able to take part would probably be 600 at most.
People wishing to join the planet’s most exclusive caving tours have to be in good enough shape to hike for 50kms, traverse fast-flowing rivers and climb rock-faces. The reward for joining a Son Doong tour is seeing the sights in a place which, has up to now, seen fewer humans than Mt Everest.
Oxalis says the central cave is spacious enough to fly a large aircraft in. Stalagmites 70-metres in height and outsized cave pearls are among other peerless natural curiosities in the caves.
Rush for exclusive 2017 tickets for Vietnam Son Doong Cave
News in Asia
Adrenalin junkies have been rushing to get just released tickets for tours of the world’s most high octane and biggest cave. The cave in question is Son Doong and at five kilometres in length it is the longest in the world.