From blood-sucking leeches to mud-soaked treks: I conquered a caving expedition in North Vietnam

Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Credit: Oxalis Adventure; the four-day three-night trip requires one to traverse through steep terrain, jungles and water bodies

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Ming and I signed up to explore the Tu Lan Cave System with Oxalis Adventure, a travel company that specialises in caving and jungle tours in Northern Vietnam. The Tu Lan Cave System comprises over 10 unique wet (meaning caves with an underground river) and dry caves, some of which were originally discovered in 1992. To date, authorities are still uncovering parts of the entire cave system.

To compare how difficult the trek would be, the tour of Son Doong – the most famous and largest cave system in Vietnam – takes six days to complete and is classified as “Adventure Level 5” (Level 5 being the hardest). On the other hand, the Tu Lan Cave expedition is ranked at Level 3, and is a four-day three-night trip. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d bitten off more than I could chew.

Hiking, swimming, and going for days without a shower

Credit: Oxalis Adventure; it's a strenous trek that also involves swimming

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The trip would include quite a fair bit of swimming, and you had to do so in full hiking gear – with a helmet and 30-litre PVC backpack provided by Oxalis, as well as with socks and shoes on.

There was also little chance to change out of your wet clothes as there were many parts of the trek that you had to swim through. Being unable to shower for days, and having my clothes and shoes covered in mud, made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I had no idea what was really in store for me, but at this point, there was no turning back.

Day 1: Getting into the thick of it all

Credit: Oxalis Adventure; the expedition started from Tu Lan Lodge in Tan Hoa, 470km from Hanoi

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The trip kicked off from Tu Lan Lodge at Tan Hoa, a commune in Minh Hoa, a district within the Quang Binh province, 470km away from Hanoi. Filled with rolling green plains, tiny villages, and towering limestone caves in the distance, the area was peaceful and stunning. Our expedition was led by Ngo Phuong Dat (aka Dat), who’d been working with Oxalis for four years.

During the pre-tour briefing, he shared in detail everything we needed to know: how we’d be exploring six different caves, completing several kilometres of trekking and caving, conquering elevation gains beyond 400m, and swimming for a distance of about 1km.

He also mentioned that there’d be no showers for nearly three days, how we had to look out for snakes, and to avoid coming in contact with Nang Hai, a native species of poison ivy that causes extreme itching and awful skin-burning sensations for up to a week. My discomfort grew.

Day One started out relatively easy, with flat terrain. Dat talked us through some fun facts about Phong Nha (Here’s one for you: It’s where the 2017 movie Kong: Skull Island was filmed). But what a turn things took after that, as we climbed and descended three very steep hills, back to back, in one afternoon. I trailed behind the group of 11 so much that I was worried I wouldn’t make it to the campsite in time.

At about 2pm, I made matters worse for myself by asking what time we had to reach the campsite. “5pm,” said Dat. “What’s the latest [time] people have made it there?” I asked. He paused and said “11pm”, accompanied by a nervous chuckle. At that point, I decided to stop asking him questions and just power on.

Answering nature's call in the great outdoors... complete with creepy crawlies

Credit: Provided by Samantha David; trekkers will have to navigate elevation gains that go beyond 400m

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Eventually, we made it to the campsite, albeit some time after 5pm. Then came the second most difficult part of this adventure: camping.

The only form of “showering” we got was to rinse off our incredibly sweaty selves in a little waterfall lake that was set a short walk from our tents. No shampoos or soaps were allowed either, as Oxalis makes it a point to protect the waters, caves, and trails that are a part of its tours.

One thing I didn’t have to worry about was food: Oxalis served up quite a feast for the tour, going beyond boring camping grub like canned food and processed meats. Instead, we got pho, spring rolls, beef stew, stir fried vegetables, grilled pork, and fresh tangerines for dessert – you get the drift.

But discomfort once again greeted me in the dead of the night, when it hit me how hard it was to get quality rest, especially as a light sleeper who’d never done any proper camping before. Visiting the outhouse area was another challenge, where massive creepy crawlies awaited in the dark, and sometimes, under the toilet seats. Screaming was not an option either – after all, I did not want to wake up the entire campsite.

Needless to say, I had a splitting headache that night due to the overwhelming stress of it all. I did my best to sleep it off as I needed all the energy I could muster for Day Two.

Day 2: Taking it all in

Credit: Provided by Samantha David; some of the stunning attractions include ancient stalagmite and calcite formations

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It was music to my ears when Dat informed us that Day Two was going to be the most relaxing day of the trip. This was the day we did most of our swimming, and what an experience it was. There was something so mesmerising about wading through cool waters in million-year-old caves, and even though I was worried about dealing with my wet socks and shoes, and having bugs fly into my face. I have to admit that swimming was my favourite part of the journey.

Day Two is also what Dat called “Photoshoot Day”, and he and his crew worked together to ensure that everyone on the tour had amazing shots in the caves. This was by no means an easy feat in low-light conditions, but he revealed that he and the rest were trained to capture Instagram-worthy snaps using mobile phones.

As this day was much slower-paced, I was able to really pay attention during our unique speleology (the scientific study of caves and their structure and history) lessons.

Dat took the time to explain in great detail everything we needed to know about the caves we were in: when and how they were discovered, the differences between old caves and young caves, the nuances when it comes to stalactites and stalagmites, the various materials and elements that form caves, and even Vietnamese folklore linked to the caves. I learnt so much when I wasn’t focused on my discomfort.

Day 3: The final push

Credit: Provided by Samantha Daivd; the Tu Lan Cave System includes both wet (caves with an underground river system) and dry caves

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I’ll admit I was a little terrified of Day Three. The last challenge was a steep hike up to the Song Oxalis Cave, a dry cave located near the top of a mountain. I almost skipped this part – you can if you want to, and you just wait for everyone to get back from the trek – but I decided to give myself this final push, knowing that I would probably never do something like this again.

The uphill journey was tough (I even dealt with my first-ever leech!), but being in the Song Oxalis Cave was a special experience. Within it, there were countless beautiful calcite formations that covered vast areas of the cave floor, and these structures were so intricate in detail, looking very much like coral reefs in the ocean (sans the vibrant colours, of course).

There was a moment when 700m-deep into the cave, our guides had us sit down and switch off all our headlamps. The group stayed quiet for a few minutes, and the darkness was so real, as was the silence.

That small period of time gave me a chance to practise gratitude for where I was, be present, and appreciate this opportunity I had to explore a marvellous part of our natural world.

Life lessons are everywhere

Credit: Provided by Samantha David; writer Samantha David (right) conquered her first caving expedition with Ming, her travel companion

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We said our goodbyes to Song Oxalis Cave and returned to the campsite to pack up, before making our way back to Tu Lan Lodge – the starting point of our expedition. On the last evening of our tour, Oxalis arranged for the group to have dinner at a home in the nearby village.

The home belonged to one of the porters who worked with Oxalis, and his wife and family whipped up a delicious local spread for us that was fit for a king. We were also shown bits of the house and learnt the reason why it was so empty (as with every other house in the area): Every October, this part of Vietnam gets severely flooded.

To counter this natural occurrence, the locals shift everything into a “floating home” that is located right outside each landed house. All residents have a floating home that’s fitted with large empty barrels beneath to prevent the structure from sinking. Interestingly enough, this made me think of how the locals couldn’t have always found this arrangement to be comfortable.

They must have gone through the motions to find comfort in the chaos by learning to overcome, adapt, and survive. Granted, my situation was entirely different from theirs, but I did see this as a metaphor for myself during this entire caving experience.

Looking back, I’m glad I pushed myself to step out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad I caved and went on the trip after years of apprehension. In the end, it didn’t matter that I had all these fears and worries about hygiene, my physical fitness and creepy crawlies.

What mattered was that I did it. After all, life is always about discovering ways to overcome, adapt, and survive. No matter the discomfort, you have to find a way to make it through.