Every cave worth your time

Camp deep inside one of the planet's biggest caves, with abseiling and an underground river. The smart Son Doong alternative you can actually book.

Sleep on a beach inside a vast cave and wake to thousands of swifts pouring out at sunrise. The single most-loved moment in Phong Nha.

The prettiest cave you can see without a guide or a big budget. A lit boardwalk leads into enormous, jaw-dropping chambers.

A full afternoon of fun: a 400m zipline over the river, a natural mud bath, kayaking and headlamp caving.

The original river cave that named the park. You glide in by dragon boat along an underground river, past lit formations.

A whole system of river caves you swim through, surrounded by jungle and karst. The closest experience to the Kong: Skull Island shots, run as a 1 to 5 day trip from Tan Hoa.

Forests of cone-shaped tower stalagmites rising out of jade-coloured pools. One of the strangest, most photographed caves on the planet.

Cascading calcite terraces like a frozen waterfall in stone, in the Tu Lan area. The 2-day camping trip is the sweet spot of beauty and access.

Four caves in three days, including a giant underground river chamber and the surreal Cha Loi cave. The best multi-cave expedition without the headline name.

A 100m abseil into a vast jungle-floored sinkhole, then onward through five caves over five days. The closest thing to Son Doong scale you can book without the wait.

A 3-day, 2-night expedition series with an abseil, river swims and two nights in the jungle, ending at the mouth of Pygmy. Proper expedition caving for the money.

A one-day jungle trek to a hidden cave and a green valley. The gentlest way to feel what real Phong Nha expedition caving is like.

A 1-day swim-through cave with cool, clear underground river water and a short jungle approach. Brilliant on a hot day.

A gentle 1-day swim into a hidden cave river, the quiet cousin of Hang Va. The overnight camp is now part of the Hang Va expedition.