Quang Binh enters Top 52 places to go in 2014
VGP - Son Doong Cave in the central province of Quang Binh was placed at the 8th position out of 52 ideal destinations for tourists in 2014, according to New York Times.
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Exploring Son Doong Cave. Carsten Peter/National Geographic, via Getty Images |
The American daily newspaper said that Son Doong is one of the world’s largest caves and now, for the first time, accessible to tourists, thanks to the tour operator Oxalis.
Huge shafts of light penetrate its vast caverns, allowing forests of 100-foot-tall trees to thrive in spaces big enough to accommodate 40-story skyscrapers. Colossal 260-foot stalactites are also present.
Monkeys, hornbills and flying foxes have all been spotted in this surreal habitat, first fully explored in 2009.
While trips into Son Doong are limited in number (only 220 permits for the year) and to visitors with deep pockets (over $6,000 per trip), the nearby and more affordable Tu Lan Cave is also now open to adventurous travelers.
Out of the 52 places to go in 2014, Cape Town, South Africa (A place to meditate on freedom, and the creative life that followed) took the lead; followed by Christchurch, New Zealand (the rebirth of a quake-ravaged city); North Coast, California (A glorious new preserve for the public); Albanian Coast (On a rugged shore, Europe at its best); Downtown Los Angeles (Downtown? Really? Yes, thanksto a thriving food scene); Namibia (Africa’s latest conservation success story is a boon for travelers); Ecuador (Epic biodiversity, and a newly renovated railway to get you there); Quang Binh, Viet Nam (Now open: One of the world’s largest caves); Perth, Australia (For Australian panache, go west); Rotterdam, the Netherlands (First-class architecture in the Netherlands’ second city)./.
By Kim Anh
