Hang Son Doong Tour 51, the first tour of the year!

My first trip into Hang Son Doong of the year. Labelled as SD51 because this was an extra tour, originally it was due to be a film trip but this was cancelled.

Hang En, the new version

The tour was due to coincide with a cold spell which turned out to be the coldest period ever recorded in Phong Nha.

Crossing the second bridge in Hang En

The first day was raining all day so I walked in my Vietnamese waterproof, unheard of but totally necessary as I was freezing by the time we got to Hang En.

Camp One Hang Son Doong

As ever, there was a strong breeze blowing through the campsite which made it very cold even with all my clothes on. The customers were feeling the same so we all pretty much disappeared off to bed as soon as we had eaten.

Crossing the lakes after Doline One

The next day was similar, rain and cold, the water levels were high so we took the high level route to the Son Doong entrance, waterproofs were needed again.

Doline One Hang Son Doong, note the waterfalls

Once inside the cave things were a bit warmer or at least drier but the water levels were too high for the river crossings so we used the new bridges which are fine constructions. As it was so cold, the visibility in the cave was very clear.

Camp Two Hang Son Doong

Another cold camp though, as there was still a strong breeze so once again it was early to bed!

My tent, Camp Two Hang Son Doong

Day three proceeded as normal, except there were no sunbeams at Doline One, instead there were waterfalls and lakes at the green gours.

View from Camp One Hang Son Doong

No further changes until we got to Camp Two, this was the same but at the end of the cave the lake was higher than I've seen. We have proper boats this year, although they are a little low in the water and one group of three customers sank at the wall and had to swim back. Fortunately the boats float, even when full of water, if not customers!

Hang En campsite

However, despite the sinking incident everyone really enjoyed themselves.

Porters on the first bridge, Hang En

It was still a cold and windy night at Camp Two, but by the morning the breeze had eased so breakfast was a much warmer affair. New addition to the breakfast menu, Eggy Bread, a great success. The water was still too high on our return to Hang En so we had to use the bridges again.

Porters on the second bridge, Hang En

Another cold and windy night (as expected) in Hang En, but not as bad as our first night. Our final day saw an improvement in the weather, not exactly sunshine but no rain and a lot warmer so we too our time on the walk out
A great start to the season, everybody had a great tour.