Our Tu Lan Expedition 4D3N promises to give you a breathtaking journey into the heart of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. To give you an unforgettable experience, our tour includes an English-speaking skilled adventure guide, a safety expert from the British Cave Research Association, a porter team, and local cooks.
If you want a highly adventurous trip into the mysterious jungles, our Tu Lan Expedition 4-Day Tour won’t let you down. As a majestic part of Phong Nha-Ke Bang, the Tu Lan Caves System will significantly challenge its conquerors and give them a total escape from busy modern life. Come and get the best reward from Mother Nature!
In addition, Phong Nha Private Car would like to suggest other Phong Nha Tours that you might be interested in:
- Hang Pygmy Exploration 2 Days 1 Night – 336 USD/person
- Hung Thoong Exploration 3 Days 2 Nights – 345 USD/person
- Tiger Cave Series Adventure 3 Days 2 Nights – 532 USD/person
- Kong Collapse Top Adventure 5 Days 4 Nights – 1522 USD/person
TU LAN CAVE EXPEDITION 4D3N
Tour Details
- Operating time: from January to August (closed from September to December)
- Duration: 4 days / 3 nights on tour and 2 nights in a luxurious countryside resort
- Adventure level: moderate to hard, suitable for physically active travelers (swimming required)
- Availability: Weekly, every Thursday & Sunday
- Group size: 2 pax – 8 pax
- Minimum age: 16 years old
- Tour departure: 08:00 at Chay Lap Farmstay
- Tour end: 18:00 pm at Chay Lap Farmstay
What To Expect?
The Tu Lan Expedition 4D3N is a skills-based caving adventure that provides a highly informative insight into the unique caving region of Tu Lan. This tour is a golden chance for travelers to discover the most spectacular caves and jungles of Vietnam.
On this expedition, you will challenge yourself with tough routes to vast jungles and magnificent caves. Indeed, it will keep your heart racing with dark cave abseiling, bouldering, climbing, and swimming. During the journey, you will witness what others can’t see and feel rewarded with once-in-a-lifetime experiences that it brings to you.
Moreover, you can have overnight camping at different campsites in the jungles. Positively, the secluded and tranquil jungle campsites will give you spectacular views and fantastic experiences. It’s different from those you can easily have on shorter treks in the same region.
An extra point to this expedition is that we can carry and set up the lighting in some beautiful spots on the way so that you can have many chances for epic photography.
Apart from 3 nights in the jungles, you will enjoy 2 more nights in the cozy comfort of Chay Lap Farmstay, a luxury resort in Phong Nha’s countryside. All in all, with our tour, you will explore almost Tu Lan Cave System and save a one-of-a-kind memory with the Cave Kingdom of Vietnam.
Detailed Itinerary
Dong Hoi – Safety Briefing – Chay Lap Farmstay
- 14:00: Arrive in Dong Hoi in the afternoon of your briefing day (latest before 14:00). Our driver will pick you up and transfer you to Chay Lap Farmstay. Upon arrival, hospitality services will be happy to help you plan your extra time there. Then, you can spend the rest of the day resting, relaxing, and riding a bike around the Chay Village. Or you can splash in the pool with views of the karst mountains around you.
Please note that our tour price does not include breakfast and lunch for you on this day, so you have to pay for them.
- 17:30 – 18:00: You congregate at Expedition Restaurant within Chay Lap Farmstay, where you’ll meet your cave safety expert and guide team. Then, you go through the compulsory safety briefing and equipment check.
Please note that anyone who does not join the briefing may be eliminated from the tour without a refund.
Also, please prepare all belongings you’ll be taking on the trek and leave them in your room ready for the next day. We will collect everyone’s belongings in individually labeled large plastic bags and send them to our porters to prepare in the morning.
You will receive your belongings each evening once you get to your campsite. Therefore, anything you want to take with you during the day (e.g. cameras, tripods, etc.) should be kept in a separate backpack.
- 19:30: You finish the safety briefing by signing a Release Form. Then, you enjoy dinner with your team at Expedition Restaurant.
- Luxuriate in your comfortable bed at Chay Lap Farmstay before your 4-day jungle and cave adventure.
Day 1: Chay Lap Farmstay – Tan Hoa – Secret Cave – Hung Ton Cave – Tu Lan Campsite – Hang Ken
In the morning
- 08:00: The expedition takes off with a pick-up from Chay Lap Farmstay and a transfer to Tan Hoa Village. You’ll do a final check on gear and equipment at the Tu Lan office prior to trekking.
- 10:00: The journey gets underway with a hike across peanut and buffalo fields (2.5 kilometers) to the Rao Nan River.
- 11:00: After crossing the river, the group will go through the first cave of this expedition, the Secret Cave.
- 11:30-12:00: You tour around the Secret Cave for a while and then continue with a trek to the Hung Ton Cave entrance.
- 12:00-13:00: At the entrance of Hung Ton, you will take a break and enjoy lunch.
In the afternoon
- From Hung Ton, your team treks through the jungle to Tu Lan Campsite.
- Before reaching the camp, you can enjoy swimming into Ken Cave to get a wonderful photo viewpoint, where a famous picture of this cave was taken.
- After that, at your campsite, you’ll get settled and have time to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee.
- Later on, you can have more time for swimming at the small waterfall by camp, while our porter team prepares a delicious dinner.
- To call it a day, you have dinner and go to bed.
Day 2: Tu Lan – Hang Kim – To Mo – Hang Ton – La Ken – Hung Dung Campsite
In the morning
- 08:00: A hearty breakfast starts this second adventurous day.
- Then, your expedition group will see the namesake of the tour, Tu Lan Cave. With expert support from our guide team, you will visit Tu Lan Dry Cave and abseil down (10 meters) into the river passage of Tu Lan Wet Cave.
- To end the visit, you will either swim or boat out of the cave (exit mode depends on season/weather).
- Next, you visit Hang Kim, which you’ll enter through a dry entrance. After following the dry passage, you reach an underground river, where you swim to get through the Kim Cave.
In the afternoon
- 13:00-14:00: Right after exiting Hang Kim, you bump into the picturesque To Mo Valley, where the team stops to have lunch.
- Then, the team will continue to swim into Hung Ton Cave. You explore the dry passage inside the cave and climb up the ladder to get out of it.
- 15:00-17:30: It takes a further 2.5 hours to trek to La Ken Valley and then you’ll reach the Hung Dung Campsite. Here, everyone can enjoy swimming in the natural pools. Besides, in cooler weather, you can spend this extra time taking photos of the waterfall and drinking more cups of coffee or tea.
- 18:00: You enjoy a fulfilling dinner and take a long rest.
Day 3: Hang Doi – Hung Nhai – Tien Valley – Tien Campsite
In the morning
- 08:00: The day starts with breakfast ready when you wake up.
- 09:00: Your team treks over the hill and through Hang Doi, known as Short Cave or sometimes Bat Cave.
- Your team starts the cave exploration, which includes a very short swim. Later on, when you exit the cave, you’ll see a beautiful waterfall, where you have time to stop and take some photos.
- 11:00-12:00: We cross Hung Nhai Valley to the bottom of the hill, where we stop for lunch.
In the afternoon
- 13:00: After lunch, you spend a few hours trekking up and over the hill into Tien Valley.
- 17:00-17:30: Before reaching the campsite, your team gets through the hill and walks for about 30 more minutes.
- At the campsite, you enjoy swimming in the gorgeous natural lagoon, soaking up the surrounding beauty, and capturing some excellent photos.
- Then, as usual, you have a delicious dinner under the stars before going to sleep.
Day 4: Hang Tien 1 – Hang Tien 2 – Tan Hoa – Chay Lap Farmstay
In the morning
- 08:00: You have a big breakfast to get ready for the big final day of Tu Lan Expedition 4D3N.
- 09:00: Your team starts hiking to the largest cave in the Tu Lan Cave System, Hang Tien, also known as Fairy Cave.
- 09:30-13:00: As the largest cave, Hang Tien Cave has two big sections that you will need about 3.5 hours to explore. Indeed, Hang Tien 1 lies beyond a field of boulders and its entrance is magnificent. Inside it, rimstone pools are stacked high, adding to the magical feeling of this cave. After getting through Hang Tien 1 to its exit, your team conquers Hang Tien 2 before making your way back.
In the afternoon
- Lunch will take place on the return to Hang Tien, at the exit of Hang Tien 1.
- Then, the group will proceed back through Hang Tien 1. After that, you trek over the hill to the road where our driver picks you up.
- 16:00-17:30: You go back to the office in Tan Hoa, where you will have time to take the proper shower, have a cold drink, and collect your luggage. Then, we give you a drive back to Chay Lap Farmstay.
- 16:30: You check in at the hotel and enjoy a gala dinner with your expedition team around 19:30. Everyone will have an exciting night at Chay Lap.
Departure day: Transfer to Dong Hoi
- Firstly, you enjoy breakfast, take a swim in the hotel pool, or enjoy the Chay Lap water sports center before leaving.
Also, off-property excursions are available and we can see it directly from Chay Lap Farmstay. Please contact our sales executive to enjoy this service.
- We will arrange 2 group transfers from Chay Lap Farmstay to Dong Hoi. The morning transfer is at 07:30 and the afternoon transfer is at 14:00.
Please inform the tour guide of your preferred departure time the night before so that they can arrange a suitable transfer service for you.
- Our Tu Lan Expedition 4D3N officially ends after we drop you off at your accommodation in Dong Hoi.
After that, you might need our private car transfers from Dong Hoi/Phong Nha to other places in Vietnam, such as:
- Phong Nha to Hoi An private car – 143 USD/car
- Phong Nha to Hue private car – 95 USD/car
In case you want to explore Hue Imperial Citadel and Hue Royal tombs, you can book our Hue City tour full-day private tour (47 USD/person).
