Exploring the spectacular Hang Son Doong river caves in Quang Binh province, Vietnam

By Peter Barrett
Updated October 25 2016 - 11:13am, first published 9:44am
Pristine waters flowing through Phong Nha national park. Photo: iStock
Pristine waters flowing through Phong Nha national park. Photo: iStock
The cave entrance.
The cave entrance.
Cave camping.
Cave camping.
The mouth of the cave.
The mouth of the cave.
The spectacular Hang En cave, Quang Binh. Photo: iStock
The spectacular Hang En cave, Quang Binh. Photo: iStock

In the darkness above, thousands of swifts nest in nooks and crannies, 140 metres above our heads. Their high-pitched chirps ripple and echo endlessly through the 200 metre-wide cavern. Someone shines a torch above us and, gazing through the flywire screen of my tent door, I'm suddenly reminded of the sublime dimensions of my home for the night: Hang En, a 1.6 kilometre-long limestone river cave, deep in the jungle of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park.