the Son Doong Cave in Vietnam is the biggest cave in the world. It's over 5.5 miles long, has a jungle and river, and could fit a 40-story skyscraper within its walls.
But nobody knew any of that until four years ago.
The newly discovered cave has been touted as the largest in the world, although other caves vie for the title of longest (Mammoth Cave in Brownsville, Kentucky nabs that title with about 400 miles of passageways) and deepest (Krubera Cave in the nation of Georgia).
A local man discovered the cave entrance in 1991, but British cavers were the first to explore it in 2009. Now, tour company Oxalis is running trial tours of the cave and accepting sign-ups for real six-day tours to take place next year.
The man who discovered Son Doong didn't go in because the entrance he found had too steep a drop. On next year's tours, visitors will rappel 80 meters to enter Son Doong.
Located near the Vietnam-Laos border, the cave was found by a local man named Ho-Khanh in 1991. The locals, it is said, were too afraid of the cave to go exploring because of the sound coming from the fast-moving underground river, as well as the huge vertical drop.
In 2009, a group of scientists from the British Cave Research Association began an extensive survey of the cave's depths. According to Howard Limbert, the man leading the survey, the cave is five times larger than Phong Nha, which once held the title of the largest in Vietnam. The biggest chamber, his team found, is over five kilometers long and 200 meters tall.
The jungle found inside of the cave has formed underneath a collapsed roof in one of the caverns. After the roof collapsed, enough light spilled into the cavern that vegetation was able to creep in slowly from outside. As the vegetation took hold, larger and larger plants began to grow, and now hornbills, flying foxes, and monkeys dwell in its branches.
In 2013, public visits started to be offered by Oxalis that offer the chance to spend days inside exploring, as well as camping, in this massive cave. These breathtaking images capture the hidden depths of the world's biggest cave passage - so large the end is yet to be found. Hidden in the depths of the Vietnamese jungle lies The Hang Son Doong, part of a network of over 150 caves. Surrounded by jungle and used in the Vietnam war as a hideout from American bombardments, the cave passage is so large that it could hold a block of 40-storey skyscrapers
Son Doong cave (Vietnamese: Hang Son Doong) is world’s largest cave, located in Son Trach, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh province, Vietnam. It is found by a local man named Ho Khanh in 1991 and was recently discovered in 2009 by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert. The name “Son Doong” cave means “mountain river cave”, It was created 2-5 million years ago by river water eroding away the limestone underneath the mountain Where the limestone was weak, the ceiling collapsed creating huge skylights.
Son Doong cave is more than 200 meters wide, 150 meters high, and approx 9 kilometers long, with caverns big enough to fit an entire city street inside them, twice as large as Deer Cave in Malaysia (currently considered the world’s largest with 90 meters wide, 100 meters high and 2 kilometers long). Son Doong cave was classified as the largest cave in the world by BCRA (British Cave Research Association) and selected as one of the most beautiful in the globe by the BBC news.
Son Doong cave is hidden in rugged Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province near the border with Laos, the cave is part of a network of 150 or so caves, many still not surveyed, in the Annamite Mountains. It is very difficult to travers. During the first expedition, the team explored two and a half miles of Son Doong cave before a 200-foot wall of muddy calcite stopped them. They named it the Great Wall of Vietnam.
Above it they could make out an open space and traces of light, but they had no idea what lay on the other side. A year later, they have returned—seven hard-core British cavers, a few scientists, and a crew of porters – to climb the wall, if they can, measure the passage, and push on, if possible, all the way to the end of the cave…
The coast area of Quang Binh has tropical climate and is divided into two distinguished seasons. The dry season (from March to August) has a maximum temperature of 40o C and the colder, rainy season (August to January) has temperatures that can go down to 19o C. In higher areas (on mountains, highlands) the temperature is generally cooler.
From March to August will be the best time to explore Son Doong Cave, especially between March and April when the temperature is more pleasant, though rainfalls are still likely. During the rainy season, between September and January rain is more frequent and can be heavy.




Tours of Son Doong Cave, the largest cave in the world, will begin this August, now that a pilot program has been approved by government officials.
Located in the heart of the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in Vietnam’s Quang Binh province, Hang Son Doong, first found in 1991, was only explored in 2009/2010 by the British Cave Research Association. Since then very few people have been allowed to enter the amazing cave, as visitation is restricted for conservation purposes.
The government of Quang Binh Province has now granted Oxalis Adventure Company a permit to conduct pilot tours in Hang Son Doong from August 2013 to March 2014.
Oxalis Adventure Company, with the help of some of the original British cave explorers as safety guides, will be holding a limited number of five and seven-day tours in August, then taking a break for the rainy season, before re-starting again in February 2014.

Son Doong Cave in Vietnam, the world’s largest cave with an underground jungle and a river, has been opened to the public for the first time since its discovery in 2009.

The Son Doong Cave was discovered by British cavers, led by Howard Limbert, in 2009, eight years after a local man named Ho Khanh found it in 1991. Four years on, the cave was officially opened for tours in July and it will be hosting its first tourists, a batch of 220 adventure travellers, until the end of August 2014.
The Son Doong Cave which is located in the heart of the Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province near the Laos-Vietnam border is so large that a skyscraper could fit inside it, according to National Geographic.
Oxalis, a Vietnam-based adventure tour company has opened bookings for six days and seven night tour package for the world's largest cave’s exploration. Oxalis is the only official operator with permission to host tours to Son Doong Cave.

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Twenty two years ago it was believed that Phong Na in Vietnam was the largest cave until Hang Son Doong was discovered. The later one was found by a local in 1991 who took his chances to explore it although many locals were too scared by the sounds taken out from the river running underground at a fast pace.
But it was only four years ago when scientists started to explore the depths of this amazing cave. The features they discovered were truly amazing: the cave is 5 times larger than the other one with its largest room measuring 200 m tall and more than 5 km long. Aside from this, the cave ‘hosts’ as well a small jungle that was created due to a collapsed roof that allowed light to enter the cave that further enabled vegetation to grow inside.
Every single detail inside Hang Son Doong cave in Vietnam appears in a massive structure that takes one’s breath away.
The cave, dubbed Son Doong Cave (Hang Son Doong in Vietnamese), which means mountain river cave, is located in the Quang Binh province of Vietnam. A local farmer stumbled on the cave in 1991, but he didn’t go in because the entrance he discovered had an extreme drop. So it wasn’t explored until 2009 when a group of British explorers led by Howard Limbert went into the cave to take a look around. The cave roof has collapsed in a few places, allowing sunshine to reach down and create hidden patches of rain forest. In some places the cave is so large that you could fit an entire city block, buildings included, inside.
Explorers have joked that the cave looks like an artist’s rendering of the prehistoric landscape and some parts of the cave have been named accordingly. Previously, this natural marvel was only explored by a handful of permitted individuals, but a company called Oxalis Adventure Tours has permission to take people on tours starting next year. Only 220 permits will be issued, however, so the opportunity to see the amazing cave is extremely limited. But for those lucky enough to go (and with $3,000 to spare for the tour), it will be an event never to forget.

Takinoue is located about 2 hours north of Asahikawa and is famous for three things; Shibazakura (phlox), Turkey, and herbs, with Shibazakura easily the most popular of the three.

As with many places within easy reach of Asahikawa, driving there is definitely the best way to go. The spring mountain views and fresh mountain air make for a splendidly relaxed scenic drive. You'll find plenty of places along the way to stop, stretch the legs, and take a photo or two of the stunning white peaks of the Taisetsuzan Mountain Range. The roads are new, well marked, and easy to navigate, with little or no traffic congestion. If you don't quite feel up to driving there, bus tours will get you there just as easily.

The trip to Takinoue takes you about half of the way to Mombetsu City on the north coast of Hokkaido. Mombetsu is definitely worth visiting as part of your round trip to the area, with Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park a third stop on your way back to Asahikawa. With beautiful scenery for the whole journey, and plenty of places to visit along the way, a trip to Takinoue Town is highly recommended for lovers of nature.
Home to nearly one million pink shibazakura flowers, spread over an area of 100,000 square meters, on a hillside overlooking the picturesqe town of Takinoue, the Higashimokoto Flower Park is a must-see attraction for flower lovers.
There are lost of impressive tourist destinations on Japan’s Hokkaido island, but the hillside flower park overlooking the town of Takinoue stands out as the most colorful. Every year, from early May to mid June, the hill is covered with a pink carpet of Moss Phlox flowers, commonly known as shibazakura. Winding paths lead visitors from the base of the hill to the very top where they are treated to a magnificent view of the surrounding sea of flowers. Higashimokoto Park was founded in 1956, with only a box full of shibazakura seeds, but a growing number of plants have been planted every year since, and today the pink flowers cover an area of over 100,000 square meters. During the month-long blooming season, the bright pink flowers fill the air with a sweet scent that complements the amazing view. At the height of the moss phlox season, locals hold an annual festival dedicated to the flowers, featuring all kinds of themed events, and stalls selling snacks and souvenirs.The Shibazakura (Pink Moss) Festival is one of the most unique and colorful festivals on the Hokkaido flower calendar. Winding paths lead you across a surreal pink and purple hillside overlooking Takinoue town.

Every year from early May to early June, Takinoue Park is covered with a carpet of Shibazakura which started from the equivalent of a single tangerine box filled with seedlings. These flowers have spread and grown every year and now cover an area of 100,000 square meters.

The backside of the Daisetsuzan Mountain Range offers its pointy snow-covered peaks as a backdrop and tulips adorn the the wide gently-sloped paths on your journey across the hill.

A short distance to the right of the upper car-par you'll find food and drink stalls, playground equipment, tables and benches and a stage featuring music and dance performances.

All in all, this is a great place to spend a few hours and take some great photos before moving on to other sightseeing spots in the area.The Shibazakura (Pink Moss) Festival is one of the most unique and colorful festivals on the Hokkaido flower calendar. Winding paths lead you across a surreal pink and purple hillside overlooking Takinoue town. Every year from early May to early June, Takinoue Park is covered with a carpet of Shibazakura which started from the equivalent of a single tangerine box filled with seedlings. These flowers have spread and grown every year and now cover an area of 100,000 square meters.

When we booked a tour to Hokkaido for end of May, our friend, who had just returned from Hokkaido two weeks before, told us in all seriousness: 'I have bad news for you.' Surprised, we asked him why. He said: 'There is nothing to see there. I caught the end of the sakura (cherry blossom) season, but the cherry blossoms would have all fallen from the trees by the time you get there.' He added: 'I drove all the way to Furano* and saw just a vast expanse of brown earth!'

In spite of being assured by the travel agency staff that we would see another type of 'sakura' called 'shibazakura' (grass sakura / moss pink or pink moss, depending on which website you access), we departed for Hokkaido with some misgivings.

Imagine our delight when, on the third day of our journey, we saw this (see pictures below) as we approached the Takinoue Park - hillsides carpeted with pink, white and purple flowers!Takinoue Park in Takinoue Town (Takinoue-cho) is famous for moss pink, tiny flowers that spread for 100,000 m2. The flowers grew from a carton of seedlings to become the biggest moss pink community in Japan. The best season is from mid-May to early in June. Pink Moss Festival is held in mid May.