Phong Nha Cave & Paradise Cave Full Day Tour in a Small Group

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Our tour guide and the vehicle will pick you up at your hotels in Dong Hoi central area or locations on the way to Phong Nha then depart to Phong Nha National Park. Arrive in Phong Nha and then the group starts to visit Paradise Cave - the longest dry cave in Asia. Surrounded by forested karst peaks, this staggering cave system extends for 31km, though most people only visit the first kilometer. The scale is breathtaking, as wooden staircases plunge into a cathedral-like space with vast alien-looking stalagmites and stalactites. Get here early to beat the crowds, as during peak times (early afternoon) tour guides shepherd groups using megaphones. Paradise Cave is about 14km southwest of Son Trach. From the buggie drop-off, it's a further 600m-plus sweaty climb up to the cave entrance. To explore deep inside the cave beyond the barrier at the end and with luck see the eyeless cavefish that are part of its ecosystem

   2 hAdmission included

2. By 12:30, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant in Phong Nha village.

   1 h

3. After lunch, the group will continue the trip to explore the most impressive Phong Nha cave. You will take a boat to cruise on the Son River for about 25 minutes to the Phong Nha cave. While on the boat you will see the greenfield, people, houses, and limestone along the river. Arrive in Phong Nha and start visiting, this cave is a water cave famous for its rock formation which has been given names such as the “Lion”, the “Fairy Caves”, the “Royal Court”, and the “Buddha. As the boats reach the caves they queue up, entering only one or two at a time. Engines die and the operators drag them along with long poles, slowly and methodically spearing them into the murky water. Once past the entrance, the immense cavern opens up. Giant stalactite chandeliers hang down from the ceiling. Without prodding or asking, everyone falls silent as eyes gaze up and the stone cathedral’s grandeur spills out. It’s a spectacular sight.

   2 hAdmission included

4. Come back to the vehicle to leave Phong Nha. The group will go back to Dong Hoi for drop-off at your hotels/places. The trip will end around 17:30

   Passes by

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 28 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 4Paradise cave was amazing!!!

  Loved so much the paradise cave but because we were in high water level season the cave with the boat became a walking tour instead and wasn't what we were hoping for. The lunch is great a bunch of shareable items for a table of 8. They were great to make vegetarian food options if needed and was a crowd pleaser. It was a long day make sure to wear really.comfy shoes and be prepared to sit uncomfortably in the boat to the last cave for 30 minutes... but highly recommend doing!

  Lindsay_ROctober 2025via Viator

• 4Cave tour with Andy

  Andy was our tour guide and he was very informative, entertaining, knowledgeable and fun. We did the March morning tour and avoided the masses - best time to go so we could enjoy the serenity and magnificence of these amazing natural caves. Definitely rely recommend the tour

  zsuzsokasMarch 2025via Tripadvisor

• 2Great places but false advertisement

  The places were amazing but unfortunately the tour was not advertised properly. Starting from the title (it is not a small group tour since we were on a. If bus with more than 20ppl). The tour description said not more than 15 ppl and it wasn’t like that. Some of the pictures included in the tour description were part of another adventure tour the tour operator organizes but it is not the one you will book.

  Tommaso_MDecember 2024via Viator

• 5Honestly don’t skip this. It’s special.

  This tour was great value for money, had an entertaining guide and showed us all some of the more remarkable things we’ve ever seen. The caves are stunning. The immensity of the Paradise cave complex has to be seen to be believed; seeing the Phong Nha caves by boat was also incredible. I’m so glad we did this.

  704neilbDecember 2024via Tripadvisor

• 2Expensive and not what we expected

  The caves were impressive but we were unable to take the boat into Phong Nha cave due to the high water level, which we weren’t told about until the cave entrance. The pictures used to advertise the tour are not representative of the actual caves, in order to see the skylight openings in the paradise cave you need to do a separate full day hiking tour. The tour was also advertised as max 15 people but we were on a coach in a group of 26. Overall it was an ok but expensive way to see the caves, we wish we had just gone to the caves ourselves and bought entrance fees at gates.

  V3581IIryanbNovember 2024via Tripadvisor

• 4Incredible Paradise Caves.

  The Paradise caves were awesome. Thirty minutes each way of stunning rock formations and the sheer scale was incredible.

  Keith_TJune 2024via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Dong Hoi

• Its from-price is close to the median of the 83 day trips we list in Dong Hoi.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 12 of 83.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Dong Hoi

Dong Hoi is a coastal city in central Vietnam, the gateway to Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park and its giant caves.

Dong Hoi is the capital of Quang Binh province, on a narrow stretch of Vietnam's central coast where the Nhat Le River meets the sea. The gate of the old citadel, Quang Binh Quan, still stands, though much of the city was rebuilt after the bombing of the Vietnam War. It is a quiet seaside town with a long beach at Nhat Le and a riverside promenade.

See all 133 experiences in Dong Hoi