Two new boat tours have been piloted for the first time in central Quang Binh province by Oxalis Adventure Tours, the exclusive adventure tour operator to the world’s largest cave, Son Doong.

The one-day tour involves a boat ride along the Son River, which flows from the entrance of Phong Nha Cave in Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park, passing through picturesque scenes of mountain ranges, green fields, and local houses. 

The boat berths at floating fishing villages and other traditional craft villages making “non la” (conical hats), a Vietnamese cultural symbol, rice paper, and rice wine, and is where visitors can see local people going about their daily life.

The other tour takes visitors on another route with magnificent sunset views over the river before enjoying a BBQ dinner of delicious local food.

Visitors can also kayak and cycle at small villages in Phong Nha - Ke Bang, a world heritage site and a major tourist attraction in the central province.

Mr. Tran Tien Dung, Deputy Chairman of the Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee, thanked Oxalis Adventure Tours for its efforts in exploring new routes and opening unique tours to diversify the travel options available. After a six-month pilot period, Oxalis will report the results to the provincial people’s committee and seek approval on an official launch.

Oxalis Adventure Tours recently sponsored the installation of free wi-fi in the Phong Nha area, to help visitors more easily access information during their stay and connect with family and friends all over the world, contributing to promoting Phong Nha worldwide.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was opened to the public in 2003. It is home to over 300 caves and grottoes that are some 400 million years old. Around 30 are now open to visitors, including Son Doong, Tu Lan, En, Thien Duong, and Phong Nha. 

Son Doong has hogged the international spotlight since it was opened to tourists in 2013, four years after members of the British Cave Research Association finished their exploration and declared it the world’s largest.

Quang Binh welcomed some 3.9 million visitors in 2018, including 200,000 foreigners, up 18.2 per cent and 53.8 per cent year-on-year, respectively, with total revenue at $193 million, a year-on-year increase of 20.3 per cent, according to the provincial Department of Tourism.

VN Economic Times