This post is Part 3 of my Cao Bang adventure series. Read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here! ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ๐๏ธ
Previously, I got into the logistics and our unfortunate adventure with the motorcycle. On the second day, we went to the Ban Gioc Waterfall and a mysterious cave!
Woefully, we were NOT done with trips to the motorcycle repair shop.. ๐โโ๏ธ
Nguom Ngao Cave, the Tiger Lair ๐ฏ
The next morning brought some form of redemption. Our rental shop contacted their easy rider who lives in Khuoi Ky Stone Village and had him repair our bike. Mr. T, bless his heart, inspected the motorcycle and made repairs the best he could.
Us, on the other hand, wanted to head to a nearby cafe to wait while enjoying some coffee. On the way, we encountered a sweet water buffalo! It has super long eyelashes!
Before reaching our destination, Mr. T (not THAT Mr T haha) went to fetch us to hand back the motorcycle. He said that he replenished the coolant and rode the motor for an hour- and the overheat light did not turn on at all. Thankful, we prepared to head to the legendary Nguom Ngao Cave nearby the stone village.
Making a stop for coffee is, of course, essential business. Our first task was to find a cafe nearby the cave. We found one- with great mango smoothie at that! ๐ฅญ
This cave has been recognized as part of Non Nuoc Cao Bang UNESCO Global Geopark since 2018. In the local Tay language, Nguom Ngao means “Tiger Cave” ๐ฏ- though no one agrees exactly on why this is. Some say that the limestone formation was a tiger lair, some is convinced that the underground flowing water sounded like the roaring beast.
Did you know? Nguom Ngao Cave is 400 million years old! ๐ฎ
The ticket office is right by the yellow-and-blue umbrellas, and they only accept cash. There are two types of tickets: standard and guided. The cave is actually 2.1 kilometers long, but the part open to the public is only around 1-kilometer. With the guided tour, you can go beyond the 1-kilometer route!
Ticket Cost:
- Standard ticket costs 45,000 VND / person
- Guided ticket costs 195,000 VND / person
Our cave exploration only took around 40 minutes, and there were hardly anyone there at 10 am on a weekday. The path is well-constructed and quite well-lit (in case you’re afraid of the dark). It even has colored lights for an even more mystical setup. The trek is not-so-steep, but it does have various lengths of stairs. It is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Safety precaution: you should make sure that you’re wearing non-slippery footwear. It gets damp in the cave, and there are water droplets falling from the stalactites. Make sure to watch your step and avoid slips and falls!
There were magnificent stalactite and stalagmite formations in the cave, and they get HUGE! The coral formation, for example, is like 5-people height!
Nguom Ngao Cave can get narrow at times. Its roof gets very low and at one point we needed to squat down to get through. It was worth it through- we couldn’t get enough of the mesmerizing view.
The most famous formation in the Tiger Cave is the upside-down lotus stalactite (below). Legend says that a monk was fruitlessly meditating here for years. Frustrated, he then kicked down his lotus-shaped meditation platform. The impressive lotus-shaped limestone formation is now one of the hot spots for pictures! ๐ชท
Ban Gioc Waterfall: The Jewel of Cao Bang ๐
Next, it was time to head to the highlight of our roadtrip: the Ban Gioc Waterfall or Thรกc Bแบฃn Giแปc!
The waterfall is the 4th largest located on two countries’ border. Ban Gioc waterfall is located in the Vietnam-China border! It is also quite close to Khuoi Ky stone village.
Buying a ticket is easy, but it was actually quite hard to find the entrance.. it was hidden! When we reached the Google Maps point, we only saw a bunch of people trying to make tourists park at their lot (10k VND, btw) and a ton of souvenir shops.
We did find a stall that rents out conical hats, and rented a Vietnamese flag-decorated hat for only 5k VND! Well, we might be ripped off because I am very bad at haggling lol
After parking in one of these lots, we explored into the alley surrounded by shops and finally found a ticket counter.
Ban Gioc Waterfall, straddling the Vietnam-China border, ranks among Southeast Asia’s most spectacular cascades. There are two breathtaking waterfalls in this complex: the main waterfall and subordinate waterfall. The two waterfalls can merge if there are enough rainfall to raise the water rate.
There were many local tourists as well, and they were super friendly! We struck up a conversation with a couple and ended up taking each other’s pictures ๐
The well-maintained site offers multiple viewing platforms, but don’t miss the 50,000 VND boat ride. It brings you close enough to feel the waterfall spray on your face! Watching the Quay Son River plunge over limestone terraces while literally touching the border with China is a wonderful memory.
If you are short on time, I would definitely recommend visiting this wondrous waterfall. Though both attractions showed surprising levels of infrastructure development. Honestly this breaks any negative assumption about tourism in remote Vietnamese provinces.
A Local Lunch ๐
With fingers and toes crossed, we continued our journey to a local lunch joint! We were starving, and this restaurant had plenty of good reviews. Arriving at the place… crickets! Nobody was there!!
After fiddling with the translate app again, I managed to find the owner of the restaurant. The hygiene standard was a bit questionable, but this duck pho was quite delicious! The broth was surprisingly comfortingly good, and the duck was tasty.
The Final Breakdown and Local Kindness ๐ ๏ธ
Murphy’s Law struck again on our return journey. Our planned detour to Phia Thap Incense Village ended abruptly when the motorcycle gave its final death rattle in Truong Khanh. We quickly looked up local repair shops and got our rental provider on the phone to solve the problem. Funnily enough, the repair shop owner bore an uncanny resemblance to action star Donnie Yen!
Our rental company, finally getting the word that the motorcycle is on its last legs, dispatched an easy rider from Khuoi Ky to escort us back to Cao Bang City. Thanh, our companion easy rider, rode his own motorcycle and brought us to interesting places along the way.
Some of the interesting viewpoints he took us to were this knife artisan village and a picturesque viewpoint. In this village, the knife artisan masters have been making knives for generations!
They even offered compensation for our troubles, which we declined- the adventure, breakdowns and all, had become the story.
The Verdict: Should You DIY the Cao Bang Loop?
Let me be crystal clear about who should and shouldn’t attempt this journey:
Skip the DIY Cao Bang Loop if:
- You require high hygiene standards at all times
- You need English-speaking support readily available (in that case, take an easy-rider tour!)
- You hate surprises
Embrace the DIY Cao Bang Loop if:
- Stunning natural beauty outweighs minor inconveniences
- You crave authentic interactions with local communities
- Solitude and freedom trump comfort and predictability
- You understand that misadventures often become the best stories
Practical Tips โจ
- Motorcycle Rental: Thoroughly inspect your bike before leaving. Check coolant levels, brakes, and tire pressure.. don’t assume the rental company has done this.
- Language Barrier: Download Google Translate offline for Vietnamese. Screenshot important phrases about mechanical problems, directions, health conditions, and dietary restrictions.
- Accommodation: Book homestays in advance during Vietnamese holidays. Many family-run establishments (like in the stone village) close during national celebrations.
- Food Safety: Pack probiotics and basic medications. Embrace street food cautiously (ESPECIALLY raw vegs); the reward often outweighs the risk, but be prepared.
- Timing: Avoid the rainy season (June-September) when roads become tricky and treacherous. October through April offers the best weather conditions.
The Unvarnished Beauty of Real Adventure
The Cao Bang Loop isn’t Instagram-perfect travel. It’s raw, occasionally uncomfortable, and perpetually unpredictable. But therein lies its magic. In an increasingly sanitized travel landscape, Cao Bang offers something precious: genuine adventure where outcomes aren’t guaranteed, where locals haven’t been jaded by overtourism, and where natural beauty remains undiminished by development.
My motorcycle may have failed me repeatedly, cockroaches may have shared my breakfast venue, and wasp larvae may have been on the menu, but I’d do it all again. Because somewhere between pushing a broken motorcycle through rice paddies and watching the mist rise over Ban Gioc Waterfall, I found what modern travel often lacks- authentic, unscripted moments that remind us why we started traveling in the first place.
The Cao Bang Loop doesn’t promise perfection. It promises reality- beautiful, challenging, unforgettable reality. And sometimes, that’s exactly what the soul needs.
We went back to Hanoi after our adventure! More posts are coming ๐ฅฐ