Phong Nha, Vietnam
Tra Ang Excursion
- Length
- One day
- How hard is it
- Gentle
- Group size
- 100
- Minimum age
- 7+
Only here: The cheapest guided cave in Phong Nha, and the only one that takes children from age 7.
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.
What you actually do
- The least expensive guided cave tour in Phong Nha at 800,000 VND
- About 20 minutes of walking, so the day is mostly cave and river rather than trekking
- Swim into Tra Ang cave following a fixed safety rope, with a life jacket and helmet lamp provided
- Barbecue lunch at the streamside camp, including the local Moi Cheo salt dip
- Reached from kilometre 17 of Route 20 Quyet Thang, deep inside the national park
- Open to age 7 and up, one of the lowest age limits in the catalogue
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 want to see a genuine wild cave without committing to a trek
- You are travelling with children aged 7 or over
- You cannot swim confidently: a life jacket and a safety assistant come as standard
- You have one spare day in Phong Nha and a small budget
Look elsewhere if
- You are a couple or a small group. This one runs as a private departure for 20 people or more, so you would need a large party or a group already forming
- You want a long day of walking. There is very little trekking in it
- You want camping. This is a day trip
How the day runs
Morning: into the park and through the cave
A guide collects you from your accommodation and runs the safety briefing at the Jungle Boss office, where you sign the release form and pick up kit. A vehicle then drives deep into Phong Nha-Ke Bang to a trailhead near kilometre 17 on Route 20 Quyet Thang. Twenty minutes of walking through old forest brings you to the camp beside the Tra Ang stream for fruit and pastries, after which safety staff fit your life jacket, helmet lamp and gloves. You cross the stream on a rope, scramble over a rocky apron to the cave mouth, and swim into the darkness with the team alongside.
Afternoon: lunch at the stream, then back
Back at camp lunch is grilled meat, rice and raw vegetables eaten with peanut sesame salt and Moi Cheo, the regional dipping sauce. The rest of the afternoon is yours to swim or lie about by the water. Around four o'clock the group walks back out to Route 20, where the vehicle is waiting to return you to the office.
What the price covers
- Guide, trained safety assistants and porters
- Helmet with headlamp, life jacket and gloves
- All food and drinks during the day, with vegetarian options
- PVI travel insurance
- Transfers within Phong Nha town
- Boots, sandals and towels to borrow
Not included: tips, personal spending, transfers from outside phong nha.
When to go
Runs year round. April and May are the driest and clearest months.
Questions worth asking first
Can two people book the Tra Ang Excursion?
Not on its own. The operator runs this as a private tour with a minimum of 20 people, which is stated in a footnote on their booking widget and is easy to miss. If you are a couple, either join a group that is already forming by contacting them directly, or look at the Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley day trek instead, which runs daily for individuals.
Do I need to be able to swim?
No. You wear a life jacket for the cave section and follow a fixed rope, and a safety assistant stays with the group. Plenty of people do this having never swum in open water.
What makes this the cheapest cave tour in Phong Nha?
It is short and close to the road. There is no camping, no rope work and only about twenty minutes of walking each way, so the operator needs fewer staff and no overnight kit. You still get a guided swim through a genuine river cave rather than a lit walkway.
What is Moi Cheo?
A Quang Binh salt and chilli dip that appears at almost every meal on these tours. It is worth trying with the grilled meat rather than politely ignoring it.
How the price compares
Every tour here, cheapest first. Bars use a compressed scale so the shorter trips stay readable next to the expeditions.
- Tra Ang Excursion$30
- Phong Huong Adventure$50
- Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek$75
- Phong Huong Excursion$75
- Phong Huong Adventure Overnight$130
- Bach Ma Discovery$175
- Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping$200
- Victory Cave Expedition$295
- Hang Pygmy Exploration$305
- Hang En Cave Adventure$340
- Hang Tien Exploration$420
- Do Quyen Waterfall Top Adventure$435
- Hung Thoong Exploration$460
- Tiger Cave Series Adventure$480
- Kong Collapse Top Adventure$1,345
- Son Doong Cave Expedition$3,060
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
Jungle Boss
Phong Huong Adventure
1DA 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.
Jungle Boss
Elephant Cave and Ma Da Valley Jungle Trek
1DThe 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.
The only day tour with pickup from Dong Hoi included, so it works without staying in Phong Nha.
Jungle Boss
Ma Da Valley Jungle Camping
2D1NThe gentlest way to sleep in the jungle here: the same caves as the day trek, plus a night camped on the sand at Ma Da Lake and cliff jumps if you want them.
The only overnight here with no rope work at all, and the lowest age limit of any camping trip.
Photographs by Jungle Boss.
Plan the rest