Dak Nong Geopark welcomed me with the most perfect weather: the sky was blue, clouds drifted in the golden sunshine, interspersed with winds that seemed to want to sweep away all... sadness, and at night, the cool air of the great Central Highlands. What made me eager to set foot here was the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster, the longest in Southeast Asia.
In the language of the indigenous Ede people, Chu Bluk means "origin mountain" (Chu means "mountain", Bluk means "origin"). However, the locals still often call it Bat Cave because the environment in the caves here is a shelter for this nocturnal animal.
Geographically, the Chu Bluk fire cave complex is located in Dak Nong Geopark (Buon Choah commune, Krong No district, Dak Nong province). This volcano erupted about 3,700 years ago, the extremely hot lava flow spread across an area about 5 km wide and about 25 km long, creating a complex of more than 100 large and small caves with many different structures and shapes. The most prominent is cave C8 with a cave mouth up to 20 m deep and cave C9, the highest cave in the Chu Bluk volcanic cave complex.
Stage 1: Cave C9 - the highest cave in the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster
After a nap on the bus from Saigon, I arrived at a local’s house in Buon Choah to prepare for the journey to explore the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster. The route I took today promised to be difficult as I had to walk slowly, passing small rocks on the lava field that were not very sturdy. If I walked unsteadily, it was easy to flip my shirt or get cut by the rocks and bleed. Not to mention that there were many sections covered by wild grass, making it impossible to know what was under my feet. Then there were thorny bushes clinging to my clothes, or I had to crawl through bushes, climb in caves… But, for feet that loved to explore, those obstacles were nothing!
Chu Bluk volcano is high enough to be visible from the very beginning of the trail leading to C9 cave. This trail was probably formed when people came here to plant corn fields in preparation for the rainy season, and harvest them in the dry season. Occasionally, you can still see the remaining corn stalks as you follow the guide.
In no time, I was halfway up the Chu Bluk volcano and... standing there gasping for air because the road was quite steep and the weather was sunny. In return, I got to enjoy the strong winds that seemed to blow me away (if I were underweight), and get to see the whole view of the lava field below, so wild.
After enjoying the beauty of this barren land, I picked up my backpack and continued walking. Finally, I reached the entrance of Cave C9.
Turning on the flashlight on my head, wearing gloves to increase my grip, I pushed aside tree branches, crawled through the grass to get a better view of the rocky slope ahead, then slowly walked step by step into cave C9.
The darkness was broken by the flashlight. A cool feeling ran through my body. I shivered when I heard the sound of falling water drops. There were also many bats living in the cave, so when they saw the light and the noise of people, they rushed out and flew everywhere, making me feel like I was in a mysterious place.
Going deeper into the cave, looking up and turning a full 360 degrees, I got a clearer view of the "magnificence" of Cave C9. The cave is tubular, with lava stalactites, lava shelves, and traces showing the lava levels and the direction of lava flow from ancient times. At the end of the cave is a beautiful arched space; below are larger rocks - due to the cave ceiling collapsing, covered with dense vegetation; above are fern bushes hanging down, like a giant, beautiful green curtain.
Stage 2: Cave C8 - one of the longest caves in Southeast Asia
After spending quite a bit of time in Cave C9, I continued to Cave C8, one of the longest caves in Southeast Asia, formed by the upper part of the Chu Bluk volcanic lava flow from the Southeast to the Northwest.
After wearing professional climbing equipment, I was instructed by climbing experts on how to use the equipment to start rappelling from Thach Sanh's mouth down 20 meters, to take my first steps in C8 cave.
Far away, the sunlight was shining in, I followed that light. Suddenly, a beautiful scene appeared before my eyes. Below were moss-covered rocks, on the right was a stone wall with fern bushes hanging down, above was a primeval forest with sunlight shining directly on it, penetrating the treetops to create beautiful, shimmering rays of light. As if wanting to keep me in the cave longer, from somewhere appeared a layer of mist floating in the sunlight, blending with the green of the layers of plants, creating a magnificent scene. I "lost" about 45 minutes, just to admire the magical beauty at the entrance of cave C8.
Leaving C8 cave, I continued walking on the vast lava field around Chu Bluk volcano to reach the pick-up point. When I saw the flat asphalt road in front of me, it was also the time when the journey to explore the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster ended. Perhaps, when saying goodbye to this place, I will remember most the smell of burnt grass, the delicious taste of wild tomatoes, the wind blowing at noon, the beauty of the volcanic caves that Mother Nature has created for this sunny and windy land in the middle of the great Central Highlands.
More information
There are many units organizing tours to explore the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster, personally I chose the tour of TransViet Wanderlust - a reputable travel company with more than ten years of experience in Vietnam. Typically, with the experience of ziplining from the mouth of Thach Sanh cave down 20 meters to reach C8 cave, TransViet Wanderlust invited a national certified mountain climbing coach, prepared safe and professional equipment, to ensure the safety of those participating in this experience. I think the cost of such arrangements is not small and not every travel agency can do it.
Tour cost: 3,990,000/pax, 11 years old and up
Brief itinerary:
Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Dak Nong: exploring the Chu Bluk volcanic cave cluster
Day 2: Dak Nong – Dak Lak – Ho Chi Minh City: explore Dray Nur & Dray Sap waterfall cluster
