Hang Va

Friday 13th March

'Flowers' at the entrance

While Ruth was in Hang Son Doong I had a quick day trip into Hang Va, the purpose was to rig the traverse in the cave and to mark a route through the delicate formations prior to a visit by a Spanish film company producing a reality TV show featuring Andres Velencoso. In addition to preparing the cave, we had several porters with us who were to prepare a campsite by the entrance.

Cones and Gours

We were stopped near to the Hang Son Doong Exit drop off and then walked down a stream before going steeply up hill, and then a descent to the cave entrance.

Stream Passage

On route I spotted a large white lizard which was clinging to the ruins of an old tree, before I could get my camera out to take a picture, the porters, who were clearing the path, chopped a tree down which fell onto the old tree and lizard, they both disappeared in a fraction of a second!

Stream Passage

We left the porters to prepare the campsite while we entered the cave. The entrance was a steep descent down boulders into a streamway which was then followed upstream by squeezing through boulders at stream level, although the water was waist deep at times, it was a really pleasant passage and the water was comparatively warm. After a few hundred metres the passage enlarged with a massive bank of calcite on the left.

Cone Formations

Although the stream continued, our route was up the calcite to a traverse, which was easy but as there was a large drop we rigged a rope which we left in place ready for the film crew. From here on the cave is stunning, massive Gours, sometimes over two metres high, and the unique Cone formations which the cave is famous for.

Cone Formations

We marked a route through this part of the cave using metal rods with a piece of bright green tape attached to the top, each of these looked like a little plant trying to grow in the dark, the bundle we were pulling them from resembled a bunch of flowers (if you squinted a bit!).

Metal Plant

Beyond the Gours and Cones (where the film crew will stop), the cave continues but it is much lower with formations on the roof. The formations in this part are Stalactites and Helectites but there are also large numbers of Anthodites which are a very rare and beautiful formation. The cave ends soon after at a calcite blockage.

Anthodites

We returned to the entrance, gaining the surface after three hours of very enjoyable caving. After a quick bite of lunch we set off back to the road via a different route, which was a bit of a rocky scramble, to pick up the Hang Son Doong Exit path back to the road. After five minutes of walking down the road we were back to where we had been dropped off and the van which was waiting to take us back to Phong Nha.

Anthodites