Phong Nha Cave & Paradise Cave Full-Day Exploration from Hue

Very disappointed, an excursion that started in Hue, we found ourselves for 4 hours in the bus without the guide, with a driver who did not speak English and was not very pleasant. When we arrived in Phong Nha to pick up the guide, there was no snack even though we had woken up very early to leave at 4:30. We had lunch in a terrible restaurant!! littered with trash on the floor with Chinese people spitting on the ground. The meal was bad, far from the dream that this tour sold us on the internet!!! I absolutely do not recommend this tour, AVOID!!!!!

The day trip to the two caves was very interesting. Our guide, Lily, explained everything perfectly. She presented her country with passion. She always had a competent answer to any additional questions we asked. Lily clearly enjoys her work. Thank you for the wonderful day.

Visiting the Phong Nha and Paradise Caves from Hue was perfect, with impeccable organization and the guide Huong Tra (Jessica) being outstanding. I highly recommend it! ☺️

Our trip to Phong Nha - Ke Bang was wonderful and unforgettable! The caves were beautiful. And our guide, David, was so nice; he took great care of us throughout the tour. We had an amazing tour.

I want to be fair because parts of this tour were genuinely great. The caves were stunning, the locals manning the boats are incredible and should be supported, our drivers were safe, and our guide David was personable and made genuine efforts to make the day memorable for us. The overall experience had enough issues though that I feel other travelers should know what to expect before booking. The problems started before we even got in the car. I was told the day before by Sovaba staff that 4 people would be on the tour including us, with pickup at 4:15-4:20AM. She asked us to accommodate them by meeting on the main road since the vehicle might not fit our hotel alleyway, which we’d agreed to. On the morning of, I received a WhatsApp message at 4:26AM while already standing outside, informing me that the original 16-seater van had been switched to a 7-seater due to a broken rearview mirror. I understand things happen, but I wished it was communicated earlier. We also aren’t local and were navigating this at 4AM, so we ended up on the wrong end of the alleyway. The car that picked us up ultimately drove through the alleyway anyway since it was empty at that hour. Before I got into the 7-seater, the driver flipped the chairs up in the back row but didn’t indicate anyone should sit there or fold down the middle seats to make it easier to climb back, so I squeezed into the middle row with two other people. Despite knowing it would be a long drive, he made no effort to direct us to the more comfortable back row. When we arrived at the Dong Hoi office, no staff directed us or let us know what was happening. I had to follow up myself to find out, and was told the guide had just been contacted. We were standing outside with no information while several Sovaba staff sat inside. I was genuinely confused at being left without in-person guidance this early in the day. What made it more frustrating was finding out the group was significantly larger than what I’d been told. By the time the tour started at the national park around 9:45AM, there were 13 people total. I am usually fine with group tours, but I had specifically asked about group size the day before and was told 4 people. The discrepancy and the additional stops to pick people up added to an already frustrating morning. Towards the end of the tour around 4:30PM at their Dong Hoi office, the Sovaba staff came to explain the morning situation and apologize in English. Although the gesture was appreciated, it came at the end of a long day and was directed at my sister after she verified my sister’s name, despite my name being on the reservation and all communication having gone through me. Afterwards, she spoke to our return driver in Vietnamese and referred to my sister and I as “hai bà” while pointing at us. I speak Vietnamese. For a woman in her 30s, “chị,” “cô,” or “bạn” are all standard and appropriate. “Bà” used by someone of similar or younger age toward paying clients, not as a close friend and not in a joking context, is dismissive and unprofessional. Lastly, we were told we would be back in Hue by 8:30PM. We arrived at 9:15PM and were the last drop off despite not being the first pickup. All of these things could have been manageable if the communication had been upfront. I would have been fine with a smaller car, a longer drive, a bigger group, and a later return had I known going in. One thing I didn’t notice until after the tour was that when the photos came back, they were almost exclusively of other tourists in our group. My sister and I only appeared in the group shots despite being on the same tour and having tipped both the guide and the boat rowers, which we observed many others in our group did not do. I can’t say with certainty what drove that, but it was a pattern worth noting for others who may be considering this tour. The caves are absolutely worth seeing and David was a bright spot in an otherwise frustrating day. If you book this tour, go in knowing that logistics and communication may not match what you’re told in advance.

Today, we got the visit of Paradise Cave and Phong Nha Cave with tour guide Jessica (Trà). Caves were so magic and nice experience as it is 20 degres inside when outside it is 38 degres. Jessica was full of energy, took time to discuss with all visitors to explain cave s history. The agency was flexible and could arrange to drop me at airport to catch my flight! I strongly recommend this experience Thanks Jessica!

This was the best tour we've ever taken. The guide, Jessica, was very professional, interesting, and humorous. Thanks to her, we got to explore the beautiful caves of Paradise and Fog Nya.

My partner and I both really enjoyed the experience, the pickup and drop off service even staying in Hue was great. Our tour guide Jessica was very experienced and had great energy throughout the tour ensuring it was just a boring experience repeating information. Overall a great experience you’ll be lucky to get Jessica as your guide

Sovaba Travel provide amazing tours. Jessica our tour guide was informative and provided all the information our group required. She was kind and spread her time with all of us. I will highly recommed them to anyone traveling to Vietnam.

Greaatttt experience, jessica was so nice !