The Son Doong Cave, located in Quang Binh province, Vietnam, is now classified as the world’s largest cave according to the British Cave Research Association. The cave was originally found in 1991, by local, Ho Khanh. However it was not officially “discovered” until 2009, when a group of British cave explorers took on the massive feat.
The cave is 9 km in height, 200 m in width, and 150 m in height. To paint a better picture, it is large enough to house a forty-story skyscraper amidst its walls. Complete with a jungle, known as the Garden of Edam, an entire river, and a lake, the cave is considered a natural wonder.
Explorers have observed a great deal of unique wildlife within the cave. Monkeys and flying foxes were found in the Garden of Edam, as well as an unusual plant species that has never been seen before. The Son Doong Cave is also home to a rare collection of cave pearls that have formed over many centuries.
The Vietnamese government has opened Son Doong for its first public tours, which will consist of a six-day trek into the cave. Prior to journeying into the cave, interested explorers must go on a day and half excursion through the jungle before dropping 260 ft. into the entrance.
Tours of the cave do not come cheap at $3,000 per person. The tour company, Oxalis, is now accepting bookings for 2014, in which only 220 tourists will be allowed to go.