If you are someone with a passion for exploration and a love for nature, if you want to set foot in a pristine land and challenge yourself with adventurous activities, then Tu Lan is undoubtedly an unmissable destination, especially for those who enjoy exploration and adventurous pursuits. The Tu Lan Cave system is one of the renowned attractions in Quang Binh. Trying it once to admire the majestic natural scenery and experience life in the pristine ancient forest, you are sure not to regret your choice. Join VnCarRentals.com to discover Tu Lan Cave exploration tours and find a suitable journey for yourself!
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General Information about Tu Lan Cave, Quang Binh
Quang Binh is a renowned tourist destination known for its stunning landscapes, including majestic limestone mountain ranges and pristine beaches resembling paradise. Particularly, this area is also famous for being the land of caves with magnificent and splendid beauty, harboring many mysteries such as Phong Nha Cave, Paradise Cave, Va Cave, Swallow Cave, and, of course, the Tu Lan cave system – an ideal tourist destination for those who have a passion for exploration and want to challenge themselves in the face of the mysterious nature.
Tu Lan Cave: Where is it, and how to get there?
The Tu Lan cave system is located 112km from the center of Dong Hoi City and an additional 70km northwest of Phong Nha Ke Bang. If traveling from Phong Nha Ke Bang, you can follow the legendary Ho Chi Minh Trail, with Tu Lan situated near Tan Hoa Commune, Minh Hoa District, Quang Binh Province. On the other hand, if coming from Dong Hoi, it is recommended to take the QL1A and DT559B routes to reach Tu Lan. This route is closer than the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and you can reach your destination in just under 2 hours.
However, if you choose to go on the Oxalis tour, there will be a bus picking up passengers at the Oxalis office in Phong Nha, responsible for taking them to the meeting point at the Oxalis Tu Lan tour office in Tan Hoa. Therefore, you can take a bus, taxi, or rent a car, motorbike in Dong Hoi to travel to Phong Nha and stay there overnight before waiting for the Oxalis bus to pick you up.
Most international tourists usually fly to Hue or Da Nang and then find transportation to Dong Hoi City in Quang Binh. If you are looking for a quick and safe mode of transportation, you can book private car rental services with drivers from Da Nang to Dong Hoi or from Hue to Dong Hoi through VnCarRentals.com’s. Our private car rental service in Quang Binh will ensure the most convenient journey for you. Contact us today to arrange a detailed itinerary.
When is the best time to visit Tu Lan?
Quang Binh, located in the northern part of Central Vietnam, experiences unpredictable and harsh weather conditions with two main seasons: the rainy season and the dry season. Experienced travelers to Quang Binh often choose to visit from March to the end of June. This period coincides with the dry season, providing exceptionally clear weather, suitable for exploring caves and trekking through the forests.
Additionally, based on the experience of visiting Tu Lan, you can also consider going from mid-November to early March. However, during this time, the weather can be dry and cold. Explorations involving water activities like stream crossings or swimming inside the caves might be challenging, and you’ll need to prepare warm clothing and complete equipment to avoid getting cold.
Tu Lan tourism is inherently an adventurous exploration tour. To ensure safety, travelers should avoid going on Tu Lan tours from mid-July to mid-November, as this is the rainy season in Quang Binh. The humid and rainy weather, along with possible unusual rainstorms or floods, can impede the journey and compromise the safety of tourists.
What makes Tu Lan Cave in Quang Binh special?
Located adjacent to the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, the Tu Lan cave system, featuring more than 10 caves, has been explored and developed for tourism since 2011, attracting thousands of domestic and international tourists every year. Possessing a pristine and rugged beauty with many hidden mysteries, this place has become an unmissable destination for travel enthusiasts, especially those passionate about adventure and conquering nature. Tu Lan in Quang Binh was even chosen as a filming location for the Hollywood blockbuster “Kong: Skull Island,” directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, released in 2017, and received much acclaim from audiences.
Tu Lan is truly unique, even differing from other caves in Quang Binh due to its distinctive geological formation. Continuous geological movements and collisions have resulted in rivers cutting through the mountain walls, constantly shaping the caves. This is why the cave structures here always appear uniquely novel, enticing the curiosity of many tourists. The Tu Lan cave system consists of two main types of caves: dry caves and wet caves. The constant flow and transformation of the geological features have created a series of caves from high to low, with the dry caves situated above, having a longer lifespan, and the wet caves below formed much more recently.
Special Experiences in Tu Lan Cave Exploration Tour, Quang Binh
Diverse and Fascinating Journey
It’s not by chance that Tu Lan has become the backdrop for many famous films both domestically and internationally, such as Kong and The Immortal. This place possesses a unique beauty with a system of caves within the ancient limestone mountains. When joining Tu Lan tours, you will experience exploration through many interesting locations along the way, such as Rao Nan River, Kim Cave, Chuot Cave, Hung Ton Cave, or La Ken Valley. With a round-trip route covering 18km, participants in the Tu Lan Tour are sure to be amazed by the majestic beauty of each destination in this journey.
Hang Kim – a destination in the journey to explore Tu Lan
Challenge Yourself with Adventurous Activities
Participating in the Tu Lan Tour gives travelers the opportunity to experience many outdoor adventure activities that are both exciting and captivating, such as trekking through the jungle, swimming in caves, stream crossings, rock climbing, rope swinging, hill climbing, and more. While these activities may sound simple, they are complex and challenging. The rugged and treacherous path, including rocky terrain, whirlpools, and waterfalls to swim through, will be forgotten as travelers are rewarded with breathtaking scenery after each challenge, leaving them satisfied and forgetting all difficulties and fatigue.
These are undoubtedly the experiences that any adventure enthusiast hopes to find when participating in a Tu Lan tour. Moreover, visitors also have the opportunity to experience camping amidst the majestic mountainous landscapes. This activity is a great chance for you to immerse yourself in nature, relax after a long period of work, and enhance essential survival skills.
Explore the Beauty Inside Tu Lan Cave
From the trekking trails leading to Tu Lan Cave, tourists can already enjoy the panoramic views of majestic mountains, lush cornfields, green valleys, and the pristine, dense ancient forest. Furthermore, as Tu Lan is located in a remote highland area, far from the bustling urban areas, the air here is extremely fresh, providing a peaceful and serene feeling for travelers during their journey.
Venturing deep inside Tu Lan Cave in Quang Binh, you will be even more surprised by the diversity of stalactites and giant rock formations with unique shapes. Flat and smooth stone slabs, round pebble-like stones, sparkling stalactite columns—each possesses its own unique and incredibly interesting beauty. Even each cave within the Tu Lan Cave system is distinct. Chuot Cave has layers of protruding rock formations resembling stakes. Hung Ton Cave is notable for prehistoric traces like seashells and ancient pottery fragments. Kim Cave stands out with moss covering its rock walls in a copper color.
Oxalis Tu Lan Exploration Tours
The Tu Lan cave system in Quang Binh is part of the Oxalis cave system that is currently being explored and developed for tourism. Tu Lan tours provided by Oxalis offer various levels with different durations, allowing travelers to easily choose a tour that suits them. The tours include the Tu Lan 1-Day Experience, Tu Lan 2-Day Adventure, Tu Lan 3-Day Discovery, and Tu Lan 4-Day Expedition. Let’s delve deeper into the itineraries and features of each tour with VnCarRentals.com!
Tu Lan 1-Day Experience
The Tu Lan 1-Day Experience is a moderate trekking tour. Participants will engage in gentle trekking activities to explore the pristine and majestic natural landscapes of two caves: Rat Cave and Mouse Cave. These two caves boast unique beauty with many interesting check-in points, promising unforgettable exploration destinations in the Tu Lan experience journey. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to visit Laken Valley before approaching Mouse Cave.
Moreover, activities like swimming, refreshing baths, and relaxation amidst the grandeur of mountains and valleys add an interesting touch to this experience. Suitable for participants aged 16 and above with good physical fitness, the Tu Lan 1-Day Tour is reasonably priced at 1,800,000 VND, making it a great choice for outdoor activities with family.
Tu Lan 2-Day Adventure
The Tu Lan 2-Day Adventure is a level 2 tour—moderate difficulty. On this tour, you will have the opportunity to explore more caves, including Ken Cave, Tu Lan Cave, Kim Cave, and Hung Ton Cave. Along the way, you will also visit Hung Ton Valley, Tomb Valley, and camp beside the waterfall in Tu Lan Valley. Joining this Tu Lan tour, you will face more challenging activities such as climbing a 250m high slope, swimming across a 1km-long river, and trekking a 12km uneven terrain.
The itinerary for this 2-Day 1-Night Tu Lan tour is available on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays weekly, suitable for participants aged 16 and above with good physical fitness. The tour is priced at nearly 5,500,000 VND. You can gather information and schedule a suitable time to explore with friends or family.
Tu Lan 3-Day Discovery
Participating in the Tu Lan 3-Day Discovery, travelers will experience increasingly challenging adventurous activities, reaching level 3—moderate difficulty. On this type of tour, visitors will mainly explore six of the most beautiful dry and wet caves in the Tu Lan cave system, including Rat Cave, Mouse Cave, Ken Cave, Tu Lan Cave, Kim Cave, and Oxalis Song Cave—the unique cave with rare coral-like stalactites.
Activities in the Tu Lan 3-Day 2-Night tour are more adventurous and challenging, such as climbing a 450m high slope, swimming 1km through an underground river, trekking a 14km forest path, exploring 4km inside and outside caves, stream crossings, and cave swimming. The price for a Tu Lan 3-Day 2-Night tour is nearly 8,000,000 VND.
Tu Lan 4-Day Expedition
The Tu Lan 4-Day Expedition is a level 4 tour, primarily focused on exploring the beauty inside the caves. This is the longest tour, taking participants to visit all eight most beautiful dry and wet caves in the Tu Lan cave system. The tour organizes high-risk activities such as jungle trekking, adventurous abseiling down an underground river, cave swimming, stream crossings, and climbing. Additionally, travelers have the opportunity to explore and admire the majestic scenery inside the largest dry cave in the Tu Lan system—Hang Tien. The price for a Tu Lan 4-Day 3-Night Expedition is 15,000,000 VND.
The Travel Experience Exploring Tu Lan Cave is a fantastic blend of relaxation and challenge. As travelers return to Oxalis Home in Tan Hoa, the amazement persists. This article aims to provide you with essential information about Tu Lan tours and explains why Tu Lan is an unmissable destination. Venture here to personally experience and discover new sensations in the world of Tu Lan Cave!
