Son Doong Cave Tours Fully Booked Through 2015

Vietnam's Son Doong Cave, the largest in the world, is fully booked until 2015, according to Vietnamese tourism officials.

The cave, located in Quang Binh Province, was discovered by a Ho Khanh in 1991, but it wasn’t until 2009 when a group of British cavers repelled into the cave that a jungle, rivers and a vast array of wildlife were found inside.

Since the cave made international headlines, hundreds of tourists have booked 7-day tours of the cave at $3,000 a head. According to Nguyen Van Ky, deputy director of Quang Binh Province's Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, tours are fully booked for 2014 and 2015 is nearly full too.

The sole tour operator for the cave, Oxalis Adventure Tours, is only able to offer four caving and trekking tours each month with just eight people per tour and has recommended allowing more tours to meet demand.

Let’s just hope that the cave is spared from the degradation many other Vietnamese tourism destinations have suffered. 

[Thanh Nien]