VIETNAM ADVENTURE AND OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

VIETNAM ADVENTURE AND OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

If you want to get out into the countryside and do a spot of canyoning and white water rafting, Dalat’s Datanla Canyon, is a good place to clamber, rappel, slide and jump its waterfalls, while the Cai River, depending on seasonal flows can offer grade II – III rapids, making for a pleasant river raft or kayak excursion. A rope-based playground including a zip line can also be found in this area.

An excellent dry rappel can be found in the Marble Mountains, at Thuy Son Mountain, near Danang, which features a triple cave descent of 22 metres, 15 metres and 50 metres respectively.

The ultimate dry rappel in Vietnam, however, is found in in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, with its 82 metre (270 feet) descent into the spectacular spaces of the world’s largest cave, Son Doong, containing within itself its very own jungle, the staggering depths of which provide for a truly awesome and amazing adventure.

Understandably a much sought after experience for adventurers from all over the world and requiring more than casual skill and experience, access to the six day exploration tours of this stunningly beautiful and otherworldly cave is restricted by party size and often fully booked well in advance, even years, especially at peak times.

Son Doong, however, is just one of some 300 caves in the surrounding UNESCO World Heritage Park, including the beautiful Phong Nha Cave, and with other features including the world’s longest underground river, the whole area is a wonderfully scenic place to explore on foot, mountain bike and kayak.

With several steep peaks over 1,000 metres, the area also presents some challenging climbing. A spectacular cave requiring no expertise is Thien Duong, over 30 kilometres long, while the Chay River-crossing ziplines are an additional novel reason to visit Toi Cave.

Other splendid caving sites in Vietnam include the three caves at Tam Coc, south of Hanoi and the wonderful Dau Go Cave in Ha Long Bay.

For climbers, Ha Long Bay presents some interesting and unusual climbing challenges, and on Cat Ba Island the sport climbing crags at Butterfly Valley provide some 50 routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.13. For the novice, climbing courses are also available here.

The numerous island cliffs in Ha Long Bay afford the novel opportunity to climb above the water, and many feature some splendid overhangs and serious walls. Other interesting sport climbing routes can be found at Quoc Oai and Huu Lung, close to Hanoi or at Hoi An.

Close to Hue, Thanh Han Hot Spring features an interesting collection of fun aerial games, including a highwire and 560 metre zip line.

Taking to a Kayak is a great fun way to explore the scenic areas of Vietnam, such as Ha Long Bay, Ba Be National Park, Tam Coc and the Mekong River.

Please note: this is one of our tailor-made itineraries – all elements can be fully customized to suits your requirements. Just email and let us know your travel style.