Tu Lan Caves

When people imagine caves, they often imagine them as a big hole in the ground or mountain. However, most caves in Central Vietnam are actually part of cave systems; networks of caves, channels and chambers, and the Tu Lan Cave system is a perfect example of this.

There are 1 day, 2 day, 3 day and 4 day tours to the Tu Lan Caves, which give some idea to how expansive they are, and how much there is to see. Some of the caves to be seen on these tours are Ton Cave, Ken Cave, Kim Cave, Tu Lan Cave, Chuot Cave, Tien Cave, Uoi Cave, Ruc Cave, Secret Cave, Doi Cave, and To Mo Cave. None of them are huge, but to explore this cave system involves trekking through the jungle, trekking and swimming through caves, river crossings, jungle campsites and so much more, so the experience is varied and a lot of fun.

The caves vary in elevation – some are lower down, so are younger in age at around 3,000,000 years old. Some are higher in elevation, so are older, approximately 5,000,000 years old. This is still very young in geological terms, as the limestone basin on which this system sits is 400 million years old.

The Tu Lan Cave system is located in Tân Hóa Village in the Minh Hoa District, about 70 km North-West of Phong Nha, so not actually in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It was used recently in the Hollywood production “Kong: Skull Island”, and there are rumours of more productions to follow.