Day 55 - Kayaking Into Darkness: Exploring the Phong Nha Caves as a Family

We woke up in our comfy beds at Palafida Bungalows and straight away felt human again. Warm blankets, decent pillows, proper sleep. The plan had been to get up a bit earlier and squeeze in some exercise before breakfast, but we all overslept slightly and ran out of time. At the time it felt like a missed opportunity, but as the day unfolded, it turned out we definitely didn’t need the extra movement.

Breakfast was at seven. Quick and simple. Emmett and I went with banana pancakes, which were unreal, and Kia and Maddie had omelettes with bread rolls. Coffees for us, lemon juice for the kids. Easy, relaxed, no rush except for the bus we thought was coming at eight.

Turns out there was a bit of miscommunication. The bus didn’t arrive until closer to quarter to nine, so we had a long wait. In hindsight, we could have exercised and just had breakfast later, but it didn’t really matter. The kids spent the time riding bikes around the pool, doing lap after lap, laughing and burning energy. Kia and I sat nearby and actually had space to talk. Proper talk. Planning, unpacking ideas, thinking about the next stages of the trip. Those moments don’t happen often, so it felt like a quiet win.

Once the bus finally arrived, we packed a small bag with the GoPro and borrowed towels from the resort. We’re very light on clothes at the moment because we handed over more than 13 kilos of washing, which is basically most of what we own. That meant a bit of careful outfit selection. I’m pretty sure we were all down to our last pair of undies, which added a small layer of pressure to the day, but we made it work.

We jumped on the bus and met Monkey, who was running the tour. He was awesome. High energy, great English, and constantly explaining what we were seeing as we drove. That’s exactly how we like tours. Not silent transport, but stories, context, little bits of local knowledge along the way.

We picked up another couple in Phong Nha town, then another out of town, then drove back into town again to collect shoes and helmets with head torches. Part of the cave system we were entering has no lighting at all. After that, we stopped to buy national park tickets, then finally headed toward the cave entrance.

The kids got changed into their togs, and because we were kayaking rather than taking a boat, we drove right up to the opening of the cave. Straight into the kayaks at the mouth of it.

The water was an unreal blue, glowing because of the limestone. As we paddled deeper into the cave, lights were spaced along the walls and ceiling. Not fully lit, just enough to see the water, the rock, the scale of the space around us. Enough light to feel safe, but still dark enough to feel like we were entering somewhere ancient and untouched.

There were three guides, each in their own kayak. Monkey leading, another guide managing the group, and the third was the cook who would later set up lunch inside the cave. Along with us were a couple from Malta and a couple from France, making it a small, calm group.

Paddling in took effort. There was a steady current flowing out of the cave, and you had to work against it the whole way. That made it especially hard for the kids. Maddie and Emmett were determined to paddle together, but they just couldn’t quite work it out. Both had a dominant arm, neither wanted to give ground, and the kayak kept spinning in circles. We tried coaching them, but they clipped rocks, bumped walls, and eventually ran straight into one of the larger tour boats.

About 50 metres in, we pulled up at a set of steps cut into the cave wall and reshuffled. Kia went with Maddie, and I went with Emmett. He wasn’t happy. He wanted to paddle on his own and prove he could do it. But with the current and the distance ahead, it just wasn’t realistic.

Once we got moving again, his competitiveness kicked in. We started pushing toward the front of the group. That made filming tricky. I was paddling hard and trying to hold the GoPro at the same time, which didn’t last long. I passed it to Kia, who had an easier time cruising with Maddie.

The cave just kept going. Much further than I expected. We passed the stepped area where some tours drop people off to walk part of the cave, then paddled deeper to a wide sandbank. A proper beach inside the cave. We were told we’d be coming back there for lunch later.

Beyond that, the cave changed constantly. Wide chambers narrowed into tighter passages. Rocky islands appeared in the water. The ceiling rose high, then dropped lower, close enough to make you notice it. The rock formations were incredible. Smooth, flowing stone shaped by water over thousands of years. It felt like another world.

Eventually, the lights stopped. Everything went dark. We switched on our headlamps, but sitting behind Emmett, all I could see was the back of his glowing orange helmet and life vest. Every paddle stroke lit up my own arms in front of my face. Disorienting and immersive all at once.

We paddled into a large chamber where Monkey asked everyone to turn their headlamps off. Instantly, it was pure black. No light. No shadows. Nothing. Kia said it felt like you couldn’t tell if your eyes were open or closed, and she was right. We just floated there, silent, weightless, completely removed from everything. No sound. No light. Just stillness. Total sensory relief.

We turned the lights back on and paddled until we reached the furthest point accessible by kayak. The boats were tied off, and we continued on foot. The hike through the cave was unreal. Ladder bridges between rocks, ropes to climb steeper sections, handrails bolted into stone, narrow ledges wrapping around massive formations. It felt like climbing a mountain, but underground.

We reached sandy ground where the guides explained that during heavy rains, sand washes deep into the cave. Fossils were embedded in the walls. Shells, crystals, layers of history frozen in stone. Further on, there was a huge internal waterfall cascading over stepped rock formations like rice terraces carved into stone. Pools of water sat beneath it. We climbed partway up and took photos, sitting quietly and taking it all in.

On the way back, we explored another massive, perfectly round tunnel sloping upward. At the top were stone pillars formed drop by drop over time. They called one set the Twin Sisters. Because of the artificial lighting, there were ferns and small plants growing off the formations, which felt strange and beautiful in a place that would otherwise be completely dark.

Further around was another large chamber with a massive column connecting roof to ground, known as the Tree. Ancient writing covered the walls. We asked Monkey what it meant. He said no one really knows. It’s not traditional Vietnamese, more like a mix of languages. The idea that people once came this far inside a cave, possibly lived or sheltered here, wrote on the walls, and left marks that remain today was mind-blowing.

Monkey told us the cave continues on into another system where you can do a three-kilometre loop, eventually sliding out through a small hole in the rock. They run it as a night tour. Complete darkness. Headlamps only. Intense and tempting.

Back at the boats, we reorganised again and paddled out with the current helping us along. On the way, we stopped at the sandy beach. The kids ran straight in, sprinting down the sandbank and jumping into the water. It dropped off fast. Waist deep, chest deep, then nothing. About 11 metres deep. Cool, refreshing water after all the paddling.

Lunch was set up above the sandbank. Picnic rugs, plates of rice, pork, chicken, corn, potato, cucumber, and other bits. Everyone was given a can of Coca-Cola. Out of the whole group, only one person opened theirs. Even the younger people left them unopened. It struck me that if they’d handed out water instead, every bottle would’ve been drunk. Interesting in a country where almost every drink is sweet by default. Fruit juice, tea, coffee. And yet diabetes rates here are lower than Australia. It’s one of those observations that sticks with you.

As we got ready to leave, Emmett tried to help by throwing my hiking sandals to me. They clipped the boat and dropped straight into the water. One sank immediately and was gone. He felt terrible. We didn’t make a big deal of it. Stuff happens. The guides laughed it off.

We paddled back out, were dropped home last around 2:30, and the kids went straight into the pool. Keir and I lay down for a bit. Even with better sleep now, we’re still catching up after the farm stay. We’ve been moving every day. It adds up.

Later, we rode our bikes to a small restaurant called Lotus. Quiet road. Flat riding. The kids had spaghetti. I had creamy chicken pasta. Keir ordered a beef stew with bread that was incredible. We let the kids ride up and down the road while we sat and chatted. We had beers, spring rolls, a juice for Keir, a banana peanut butter smoothie for me. Easy, earned, relaxed.

We rode home around 6:30. Early night. Showers, movies, beds. All asleep by 8:30.

A big day. Adventurous. Physical. Grounding. One I could happily repeat again and again. The kids might not have fully appreciated the cave itself, but they loved the kayaking, the hiking, the freedom. And that’s what matters.

Tomorrow might be scooters. More caves. Maybe a duck farm. We’ll see what trouble we can get into.