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Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek: elephant cave, used as a shelter by vietnamese soldiers during the war, with the story told on site

Phong Nha, Vietnam

Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek

Length
One day
How hard is it
Gentle
Group size
60
Minimum age
9+

Only here: The only day tour with pickup from Dong Hoi included, so it works without staying in Phong Nha.

The best single day in Phong Nha if you only have one: a war-history cave, a swim in an emerald lake, and 600 metres of river cave to finish.

What you actually do

  • Elephant Cave, used as a shelter by Vietnamese soldiers during the war, with the story told on site
  • Ma Da Lake, clear and green enough that most people swim before lunch
  • Swim 600 metres into Tra Ang river cave in the afternoon
  • Grilled lakeside lunch cooked by the crew, with the regional Moi Cheo salt
  • Pickup included from Dong Hoi as well as Phong Nha, which few day tours offer
  • Three distinct landscapes in one day for 1,950,000 VND

Is this the right tour for you?

Worth reading before you book. Age limits and group rules rule people out more often than fitness does.

Book it if

  • You have exactly one day in Phong Nha and want the most varied one
  • You are staying in Dong Hoi, since pickup from there is included
  • You have children aged 9 or over who are comfortable in water
  • You want a real cave rather than the lit walkways at Paradise and Phong Nha caves

Look elsewhere if

  • Your children are under 9
  • You want to sleep in the jungle. The 2 day version of this trip camps at the lake
  • You dislike being wet for hours. Two of the three stops involve swimming

How the day runs

  1. Morning: Elephant Cave

    Pickup is around eight, followed by kit and a briefing at the office and the drive into the core zone of the national park. The trail leads to the mouth of Elephant Cave, a large opening hidden behind forest. After a snack stop the safety team hands out helmets, lamps and gloves, and you pick your way over mossy ground between stalactites while the guide explains how the cave formed and how it sheltered soldiers during the war.

  2. Midday: Ma Da Valley and lunch

    You leave through the back entrance of the cave and continue to the camp in Ma Da Valley. The lake here is startlingly clear and cold enough to be a relief by late morning, so most groups swim before eating. Lunch is grilled by the crew on the shore.

  3. Afternoon: Tra Ang river cave

    The last stretch walks on to Tra Ang Valley and its water cave, which runs over 600 metres into the hillside. Life jackets and headlamps go on at the camp and you swim in as a group. Afterwards there is hot tea or coffee at camp and a short walk of about fifteen minutes back to Route 20, where the vehicle waits.

What the price covers

  • Guide, trained safety assistants and porters
  • Helmet with headlamp, life jacket and gloves
  • All food and drinks, with vegetarian options
  • PVI travel insurance
  • Transfers within Phong Nha and Dong Hoi
  • Boots, sandals and towels to borrow

Not included: tips, personal spending, transfers from outside phong nha and dong hoi.

When to go

Runs year round. April and May are driest; inside the caves it stays around 23C.

Questions worth asking first

Is this better than Paradise Cave or Phong Nha Cave?

It is a different thing. Paradise and Phong Nha caves are ticketed sites with boardwalks and boat access that you visit on your own for 250,000 and 150,000 VND, and they are genuinely spectacular. This is a guided day in the jungle where you swim through an unlit river cave. Most people with three days do both; if you only have one day and want an experience rather than a sight, take this.

How much swimming is involved?

A voluntary swim in Ma Da Lake and a 600 metre swim into Tra Ang cave. Life jackets are provided and the cave swim follows the guides, so non-swimmers do it regularly, but you will be in the water for a decent stretch of the afternoon.

Can I do this from Dong Hoi rather than Phong Nha?

Yes. Pickup and drop-off within Dong Hoi city is included in the price, which is unusual: most Phong Nha day tours expect you to already be in the town. That makes this workable as a day trip if you are based near the airport or the train station.

What is the war history at Elephant Cave?

The cave sat near Route 20 Quyet Thang, a supply road through the park, and was used as shelter by Vietnamese soldiers. Your guide tells the story in the cave itself. Route 20 is still the road you drive in on.

How the price compares

Every tour here, cheapest first. Bars use a compressed scale so the shorter trips stay readable next to the expeditions.

Approximate figures, per person; the operator bills in VND. Cheapest is 800,000 VND (about $30), dearest is 79,500,000 VND (about $3,060).

If you want something bigger

Phong Huong Adventure, Khe Sanh

Jungle Boss

Phong Huong Adventure

1D

A 9.5 kilometre walk through a sweet gum forest that turns red in winter, ending with lunch and a paddleboard on a reservoir ringed by wind turbines.

The only walk here through a forest that turns red, and the lowest age limit in the catalogue.

Moderate
1,350,000 VND
about $50 · age 6+
Phong Huong Excursion, Khe Sanh

Jungle Boss

Phong Huong Excursion

2D1N

The most relaxed trip in the catalogue: a boat to an island camp on Rao Quan lake, a barbecue, a campfire, and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.

The only trip with no hiking whatsoever: a boat to an island camp and nothing more strenuous than a paddleboard.

Gentle
1,950,000 VND
about $75 · age 6+
Tra Ang Excursion, Phong Nha

Jungle Boss

Tra Ang Excursion

1D

The cheapest way into a real Phong Nha cave: a short walk off the Ho Chi Minh trail, then a swim into the dark with a rope to follow.

The cheapest guided cave in Phong Nha, and the only one that takes children from age 7.

Gentle
800,000 VND
about $30 · age 7+

Photographs by Jungle Boss.

Plan the rest

All guided toursVietnam visa rulesBest time to visit Phong NhaThings to do in Phong NhaAll 11 tours in Phong Nha