Lost in the jungle, a few kilometers from the border with Laos, the Son Doong cave was only discovered in 1991. And it took another 18 years for a British team to explore its galleries, thus discovering the largest cavity in the world. It is rumored that a Boing 747 could fly quietly there or that a 40-storey building could be built in the bowels of Son Doong.
Gigantic dimensions
This gigantic cavity would have been dug between 2 and 5 million years before our era. You must first descend an 80 m chasm to reach the entrance to the immense cavity. This is why it was necessary to wait several years between the discovery and the exploration of the cave, which requires a relatively high technical level. This entrance was conveniently formed by the collapse of part of the cave ceiling. Its dimensions are enormous: the main gallery is between 5 and 6.5 km long, 200 m high and 150 m wide. By comparison its closest rival for the title of largest cave in the world, the Deer Cave in Malaysia, is twice as small in size.
A spot to explore
There are also stalagmites rising to nearly 80 m in height, a veritable jungle formed by the collapse of the ceiling, pearls and… an underground river 8 km long. Vietnam and Laos are true paradises for speleologists. In recent years, dozens and dozens of underground galleries have been discovered hidden in the jungle. Some have been known for generations by local populations while others are discovered by foreign teams. Since 2013, it is possible to visit the cave under the supervision of a team of speleologists and professional guides . Of course, the visit is a little more sporty than that of the Lascaux caves.
Video made with a drone by Ryan Deboodt:
Article updated on 7 December 2022
