The second chamber
Columns of joined stalactites.
Mike Colvin from Manchester, UK — CC BY 2.0 · Mig Gilbert from Brighton — CC BY-SA 2.0 · YangChen(TW) from Taichung, TAIWAN — CC BY 2.0
One of the largest and best-known caves in Ha Long Bay, high in the rock of Bo Hon Island in the middle of the bay. The French called it the «Cave of Surprises», and the Vietnamese name means the same: the entrance is narrow, and the cave opens into enormous chambers once you are inside. A stone stairway climbs through the trees to the entrance, and inside a paved path several hundred metres long crosses two main chambers. The first is like a vast theatre hung with stalactites; the second is larger still, with columns where stalactites and stalagmites have met, and still pools of water. At the exit a terrace looks down on the boats moored in the bay below. The cave is on route 2 of the day trips, together with Ti Top Island, and is a fixed stop on most cruises. It gets crowded around midday, and the steps and damp floors call for good shoes. The visit takes 45 minutes to an hour, including the climb.
Columns of joined stalactites.
A view over the moored boats.
Paired with nearby Ti Top Island.
Bo Hon Island, central Ha Long Bay, by boat from the Ha Long ports
By boat from the Ha Long ports on route 2 of the day trips, together with Ti Top Island, or as part of most overnight cruises.