World's Largest Cave, Son Doong, Prepping For First Public Tours

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The [url="http://www.sondoongcave.org/"]Son Doong Cave[/url] in Vietnam is the biggest cave in the world. It's over [url="http://www.sondoongcave.org/son-doong-cave-overview.html"]5.5 miles[/url] long, has a [url="http://oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-info"]jungle[/url] and [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-kuZ2A1Jig"]river[/url], and could fit a [url="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthpicturegalleries/8667804/Vietnam-caves-inside-the-giant-jungle-cavern-of-the-Hang-Son-Doong.html"]40-story skyscraper[/url] within its walls.
But nobody knew any of that until four years ago.
A [url="http://www.sondoongcave.org/son-doong-cave-overview.html"]local man[/url] discovered the cave entrance in 1991, but [url="http://www.sondoongcave.org/exploring-trips.html"]British cavers[/url] were the first to explore it in 2009. Now, tour company [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/"]Oxalis[/url] is running [url="http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Travel/2013/8/105865/"]trial tours[/url] of the cave and [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-treks/son-doong-tour-3#overview"]accepting sign-ups[/url] for real six-day tours to take place next year.
The man who discovered Son Doong [url="http://www.news.com.au/travel/holiday-ideas/inside-the-world8217s-largest-cave/story-e6frfqd9-1226711589519?from=public_rss"]didn't go in[/url] because the entrance he found had too steep a drop. On next year's tours, visitors will [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-treks/son-doong-tour-3#itinerary"]rappel[/url] 80 meters to enter Son Doong.

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On their [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-treks/son-doong-tour-3#itinerary"]first night[/url] inside the cave, visitors will camp near [url="http://mountaincatgeology.wordpress.com/2011/02/05/hang-son-doong-cave-in-vietnam/"]Hand of Dog, [/url]a humongous [url="http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/geology/stalactite-stalagmite.htm"]stalagmite[/url] that looks like a dog's paw.
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The roof of the cave [url="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/peter-photography#/04-jungle-inside-cave-714.jpg"]collapsed[/url] centuries ago, allowing a lush jungle to take root. Monkeys and flying foxes live in what explorers named the [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-info"]Garden of Edam[/url].
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[url="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/largest-cave-interactive"]Fields of algae[/url] from ancient pools blanket parts of the cave's interior.

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Son Doong is a jackpot of rare [url="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/largest-cave/peter-photography#/11-rare-cave-pearls-714.jpg"]cave pearls[/url]. The pearls form over hundreds of years as water drips down, dries up and leaves layers of calcite crystals on grains of sand.

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Scientists have [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-info"]discovered[/url] never-before-seen plant species around Son Doong's waterfalls. Oh, and there's a whole river in there, too.

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Can't shell out [url="http://www.oxalis.com.vn/son-doong-treks/son-doong-tour-3#prices"]$3,000[/url] for a tour? Take this virtual journey into Son Doong's forests!

[url="http://youtu.be/SKAXw4mzgIo"]http://youtu.be/SKAXw4mzgIo[/url]

[Maximus]

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[Anta Assamey]

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