Photos: Lyle Such
Camera: Canon 5d Mkiv, DJI Mavic Pro
Day 1
I proposed to my girlfriend in 2013 at the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro. With 19,341 feet of inactive volcano beneath our feet and very little oxygen to breathe, she said yes. A few years passed and we figured it was time to get married. We listened to many suggestions from friends on how to "top" the Kili experience. We wanted our wedding to mean something deeply personal to us, as well as being an amazing location and adventure. At the time we began our initial planning, we learned that Son Doong Cave in Vietnam had opened up to expeditions, and that seemed like the perfect fit for what we wanted out of our wedding.
After two years of trying, we finally booked an expedition of 10 for our wedding party. This is the story of what it's like to have a wedding in one of the least seen/most amazing locations on the planet.
My camera/wedding gear for the expedition.
After a short stay in Phong Nha, we set out in our small bus towards the trailhead for Son Doong Cave. We stopped on a bridge for a quick group photo, and I shot this view of Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park. The anticipation was building as we got near the trailhead. This really would be the adventure of a lifetime!
The hike began with a muddy descent into the river valley. There was no easing into this hike. The moment we stepped off the road at the trailhead, we were surrounded by the dense, humid Vietnamese jungle.
We began the day with gaitors to keep out the mud and the leeches. We encountered a few members of another expedition leaving the jungle. They were miserable and said they encountered rain throughout their entire trek. We were lucky and avoided direct rainfall, but the ground was muddy from the last few days of rain.
The jungle was a little overwhelming because it was so dense and packed with plant life. We were careful to stop every once in a while and take notice of the details.
Our first small river crossing. There would be many many more to come! A lot of discussion was had concerning footwear. It was important to bring shoes that offer traction in wet conditions, and we found that any attempt at keeping our feet dry was pointless, so water proof shoes had no use on this expedition. Our best advise for anyone hiking Son Doong is to bring two (or even three) pairs of shoes, so you have options and a change for the dry sections.
We crossed this river around 30 times on our way to Hang En. Thu was counting, but I forget the official number.
Our first break came at a small village located within the national park. We had a short lunch break where we tended to a couple of small injuries which had occurred on the muddy slopes. Thu's brother Phong had a slightly sprained ankle and Thu had some thorns stuck in her hand.
Even the tall trees couldn't escape the growth of the jungle.
Jeff was the other photographer on the trip.
The path was easy to follow, and on this first section there wasn't much elevation gain.
After a couple hours hiking along the river, we finally found the mouth of Hang En Cave. Just inside would be the site of our first camp. I decided to fly the drone to check out the surroundings. The higher it got, the more we realized how deep into the jungle we were.
The entrance to the lower right is where we would go in, the entrance in the upper left is the skylight that we would sleep underneath at our camp.
We were so excited to be entering the cave, but also had to keep reminding ourselves that this was only the first cave, and only a stop on our way to Son Doong.
At this point we had to bring out our helmets.
Even though Hang En is a massive cave, there are a few tight spots, but luckily for me never got claustrophobic.
Our porters had already reached camp and set up the tents. This was our first look down at the campsite and its amazing location on the edge of a small lake.
This might have been our first picture together on our expedition.
We had to cross a small bridge before entering camp.
We went to sleep with a view of the starry sky.
We had some time to practice our light painting techniques which would come in handy later in Son Doong. That's Anh Vu posing for me.
Day 2
Day 2 began with some yoga and breakfast. It was hard to believe we were waking up to a view like this. Everyone was excited, today would be the day we enter Son Doong. First, however, we would have to hike through Hang En Cave.
The women of our expedition...Thu, Nini, Alexis, Anetta our guide, and Deb our expedition leader.
The first climb of the day began right out of camp. To get through Hang En Cave we had one major climb up, a slightly hilly section, then a descent that would bring us to the mouth on the other end.
Once we reached the summit of the climb, the view back towards camp was mind-blowing. As with everything in the cave, once you're able to step back and get some perspective, you realize how enormous everything really is.
Deep within Hang En Cave, we tested our lighting equipment. With the walls lit up, we could see the intricate detail of the rock formations and get a good sense of scale.
We rounded a bend and caught our first glimpse of the other end of Hang En Cave. This was the same river that we crossed all throughout day one, and it continued getting in our way.
We had to stop for a photo. The mouth on this end of Hang En Cave was even more spectacular than the other side. The pictures don't show it, but the size of this opening was truly one of the most impressive feats of nature we encountered in our expedition.
When you're surrounded by nature on such a grand scale, you have to keep remembering to stop and look at the detail. In this case, as we exited the enormous mouth of Hang En Cave, we looked down to discover these tiny columns topped with rocks which are created by dripping water eroding the surface around the rocks.
Exiting Hang En Cave.
After leaving Hang En, we trekked through the jungle and once again found ourselves crossing the river several times. So far, we hadn't encountered any leeches, but it was constantly something that was on everyone's mind.
Thu was happy with her gaitors.
And finally, we started to find the leeches. It seems like all of our knowledge of leeches comes from watching Stand By Me, so everyone thought they would be lurking in the water. These leeches were different. They were on the trails, often just crawling around in the middle of the path waiting for you to walk past. They would attach themselves and burrow through almost anything to reach your skin.
Grant had the honor of the first leech to attach. Anetta bravely came to his rescue and removed it for him.
After some hiking through the jungle, and descending a few steep spots, we finally reached what we had been anticipating that whole morning...the entrance to Son Doong Cave.
No wonder it took until 2009 to discover Son Doong. After seeing the majestic openings to Hang En, this cave was barely visible from the outside. This tiny hidden opening hides within one of the most amazing treasures on this planet.
The descent into Son Doong.
It was slow going, and safety was a huge concern among our guides.
Once again the detail within the cave was fascinating. Centuries of trickling water and subtle weather effects create amazingly intricate works of art. Our guides were very careful that we remain on a particular path so we wouldn't disturb the fragile formations.
We just couldn't escape this river. Now we had to cross on a narrow bridge aided by ropes which helped us keep balance. The noise was almost deafening, and the river flowed with such ferocity that if you lost your balance and fell in, there would be no retrieving the unlucky person. Needless to say were were harnessed in and very very cautious.
What looked like an exit looming on the horizon wasn't an exit, but a doline. A doline is a spot within a cave where the ceiling has collapsed, allowing light to enter. What's really special about these dolines is that they allow jungle to grow within the cave.
A perfect photo opportunity at doline 1. If you look closely, the rock formation looks like Gepetto from Pinocchio working at his desk.
Camp 2 is positioned just before doline 1. We arrived to the welcome smell of dinner being prepared.
Up until night two, we hadn't talked about our upcoming wedding very much during the expedition. We were so captivated by the caves that we didn't discuss the details of how our ceremony was going to go. That night, we started the preparations. Alexis and Thu had been collecting small vines which they weaved into our wedding rings. Yes, wedding rings made of vines, they turned out perfect. Later that night, Thu, her daughter Nini and I sat down and planned the ceremony. This included writing our vows, which turned out to be a haiku in which we took turns choosing words. We went to sleep knowing day 3 would be a big day. Not only would it be our wedding, but also the most anticipated spot in Son Doong.
Day 3
We woke up on day three to a quick but brisk swim in a narrow channel filled with icy cold water. It turned into a sort of "bridal shower" for Thu, literally. It felt so nice to be clean and ready for the big day (although in a cave, any sense of clean goes away very very quickly).
After breakfast we had another quick yoga session, which was really just posing in front of doline 1. I didn't pose, I just stood there.
The direct path up into doline 1 was unstable, so we hiked down and around, which offered us this amazing spot to take some quick pre-wedding photos. We used the lights to illuminate the rocks surrounding the hole. If not for those lights, this spot would be in complete darkness and it would be easy to just walk right past this crazy hole in the wall. Thankfully our guides know the cave and the best spots to stop and look around.
This is the climb up into doline 1.
We started to see how lush and green the openings beneath the dolines were. It's strange to see plantlife like this growing in a cave.
This amazing location, called "Watch Out For Dinosaurs" was the location I was hoping to have our wedding. Deb and John (our expedition leaders) really thought they had a better spot, so we listened to them and hoped they were right. As it turns out, there was a steady pouring of rain onto this platform, so luckily we weren't attached and determined to hold the wedding here. It made for some fun pictures, but we moved on so we could have more time at the actual wedding location.
The descent out of doline 1 back into the darkness of Son Doong.
The green covering was slowly receding back into the rocky surfaces of the cave interior.
Our first glimpse at where our wedding would take place. My mind was beginning to race, trying to plan our strategy for photographing the location, how to put on my tux, and most importantly, how we were going to manage everyone and get this wedding to happen in a very short amount of time.
This is one of the only clean shots of the most amazing spot in Son Doong that I got, the thing we all came to see. It didn't disappoint anyone, and was a truly amazing work of natural art. It also helped that the ground was covered in absolutely still water, so the reflections were perfect.
Alexis brought her hair-styling skills and put them to good use. If you can make someone look beautiful after 3 days in a cave, you're definitely great at what you do!
Walking up the "aisle"
We found the perfect spot, a large slick rock framed by doline 2. Rain was dripping from the ceiling overhead, and it kept falling on different parts of the rock, adding a waterfall effect to the ceremony.
Nini performed the ceremony for us...she wasn't really prepared but did a great job anyway.
Our wedding party, minus Jeff who was taking the pictures. (Check out Jeffreidphotography.com)
Son Doong Cave Wedding
Son Doong Cave Wedding
Our cave ring and bouquet. Rings made of jungle vines, and the bouquet made from cave ferns and the linings of our porters cigarette wrappers. Very creative!
Of course, we had to have the traditional bouquet toss. Anetta was the reluctantly lucky one.
Our guides somehow managed to bring in a wedding cake...along with a festive spread for our "reception." It was so perfect and fitting for our expedition, except almost lighting myself on fire with one of their monster torches that they created out of about 20 candles tied together.
After we wrapped up our ceremony, we had to change back into our caving clothes and continue on our journey. We still had a long way to go, and later that day we would be getting to the end of Son Doong Cave. We faced another long and sweaty climb up to what they call The Garden of Edam, another doline with a dense jungle.
So many good spots for heroic silhouetted poses.
Jeff...probably thinking about how small the cave makes him feel.
Descending back into the darkness again. I think part of what makes this cave expedition so special is that the terrain and environment change so much. You go from dark to light, steep to flat, inside and outside, crossing rivers, rocks, and everything in between. It never gets boring or repetitive.
Not a bad view from campsite 3. Watching the mist flow in and through the doline was quite a sight!
After a short break at camp 3, we headed out for our final destination...the end of Son Doong Cave. This is an optional part of the expedition since it's a round trip hike from camp 3. I don't think anyone even considered not doing it.
Grant as a model while we played around with lighting. It was amazing how different the cave could look depending on light position. I have to give a lot of credit to everyone on our expedition. They were extremely patient, as they were asked to pose and stand still for long periods of time while we set up each picture, all the while being bombarded with bugs and bats chasing the bugs.
Some of the formations deep in the cave looked like they were taken straight off of an Alien movie set.
Even the bugs down there were unique. Is this some sort of light deprived rolly-polly?
...and this thing. I would have hated to wake up with this crawling around in my sleeping bag!
In a very fragile area of the cave we found what they call "cave pearls." This landscape looked almost fake and man-made, nicely organized so each batch of pearls had it's own little compartment.
Normally, the hike to The Great Wall of Vietnam (the end of Son Doong) is a muddy, difficult task. We were extremely lucky that because the rainy season wasn't long past, the final bit of cave was still a lake. We hopped on board some tippy old canoes and paddled our way into the darkness. It probably took about 15 minutes for us to reach the wall.
Once again, everything we thought we would see paled in comparison to the real thing. We were in an enormous cavern, and the wall rose up and out of view into the blackness above us. The wall itself was a beautiful glossy brown and yellow mix, and looked nothing like anything I'd seen before. It was such a unique experience visiting this place in a boat.
After our boat trip we jumped out and had a quick swim/shower in the freezing water. At one point we shut down all of our lights so we could observe the cave in its natural state. It was eerie, hearing the subtle sounds of the wind and water, and not being able to see anything.
Days 4 and 5
The following day we reached the final climb out of Son Doong Cave. We still had a long hike ahead of us, but at this point we really felt like we had accomplished something special.
We had to stop and take a shot of our whole group, including the leaders, guides, and safety technicians.
Always make time for a little rock skipping.
Nini, along with everyone else, was happy to be nearing the end of the final day of hiking. We were all looking forward to a hot shower and comfortable hotel rooms.
I tried to capture the landscape that surrounded us. The jungle just covers over everything, and the mountains continue as far as the eye can see.
Our final toast...we ended the day with a quick stop at the Chaylap Farmstay. It's a beautiful resort just a short distance from Phong Nha, and we wish we had stayed a couple extra days just to enjoy this amazing location. If anyone is planning on exploring Son Doong, I highly recommend adding a couple of days to see more of this quickly developing area before it becomes too developed.
