We humans have been occupying planet Earth for thousands of years, yet we continue finding new spots that just blow you away. Hang Son Doong is the largest cave in the world, yet it was only discovered some 20 years ago. If the world’s largest cave was only discovered 20 years ago, imagine how much there still is to be discovered. And that’s after thousands of years of being on this planet (more than 6 Billion of us).

When translated from Vietnamese, Hang Son Doong roughly means Mountain River Cave. Hang Son Doong is so large, you could build a full sized skyscraper inside. The cave even has its own jungle, enclosed within cave’s caverns.

The credit for the discovery of Hang Son Doong goes to a Vietnamese man by the name of Ho-Khanh. After he shared what he found with local villagers back in 1991, the people went to check the cave out, but were too afraid of frightening noises made by the underground river so no proper mapping of the caverns was done. Fast forward to 2009 and you have a team of pros from the British Cave Research Association who were prepared for the unexpected and stepped inside in full gear.

Howard Limbert, who’s a lead researcher said that Hang Son Doong is about five times larger than Phong Nha, a cave that previously held the title for the largest cave in Vietnam. According to Howard Limbert and his team, the largest chamber of Hang Son Doong is 5 kilometers long and 200 meters tall. How’s that for a huge space.

The roof over one of the caverns collapsed, the researchers found, allowing enough light in, which resulted in vegetation growth, hence the discovery of the jungle within the cave.

Hang Son Doong is located near the border of Vietnam with Laos. We have yet to learn more about this prime in the world of caves on Earth. BTW, the end of the cave has not been reached yet. There is no knowing as of yet just how far Hang Son Doong goes.

All photos of Hang Son Doong Cave and adjacent caverns in Vietnam by Carsten Peter, via National Geographics

Most People Reading This Article Found It Searching For:

• Hang Son Doong
• Hang Son Doong Cave
• son doong cave
• hang son doong images
• hang son doong cave pictures
• Hang Son Doong Cavern
• HangSonDoong Cavern
• hang son doong pictures
• biggest cave in the world
• new cave discovery vietnam

Further Reading:

• Naica Crystal Cave in Mexico
• Jellyfish Facts
• Squirrel Vacation Picture – Wild Animal Steals a Romantic Shot in the Canadian Rockies
• Gumbrechts Green Pit Viper Discovered in Mekong Delta (pics)
• Rick Rescorla – An Actual 9/11 Hero

I occasionally find out about new wonders of the world that no-one knows about, yet they are absolutely astounding. Naica Crystal Cave in Mexico is definitely one of them. Discovered only recently, Naica Crystal Cave contains world’s largest natural crystals (translucent beams of gypsum) some of which are as long as 11 meters. It’s very hot inside Naica Crystal Cave – temperature reaches 50 Degrees Celsius and humidity is almost always near 100% making for challenging visits. Sharp edged crystals along with unbearable environment resulted in Mexican Naica Crystal Cave labelled as one of the most dangerous places in the world.

Cueva de los Cristales (Cave of the Crystals) – as Naica is known among native Mexicans will be featured on “How Earth Made Us” program broadcast by British BBC and on The Deadliest Places on Earth feature by National Geographics in early 2010. You can seen the video with first footage ever recorded in Naica Crystal Cave in Mexico below. Filmed by Italian cave explorers, the video offers great perception on how hot and humid it is inside the cave.

I am not sure whether Naca Crystal Cave is open for tourists, but given that a human can only survive for some 10 minutes in such harsh environment without specialty protective clothing, I somehow doubt that. I’d be interested to hear from anyone who visited the area to find out what really is going on. Naica Crystal Cave is located near Delicias in Chihuahua state of Mexico. It was discovered in 2000 when Mexican miners were pumping mineral rich water from a well covering the cave. Neico is a range of mines in the Chihuahu state where mining has been done for year. A visit to this world marvel must be interesting. Too bad Mexico is so dangerous nowadays. Check out the mindboggling video below:

Most People Reading This Article Found It Searching For:

• crystal cave mexico
• crystal caves mexico
• naica crystal cave
• Crystal Cave in Mexico
• mexican crystal cave
• naica crystal caves in mexico
• largest cave in mexico
• Delicias crystal cave
• crystal caves in Mexico
• naica crystal cave 2010

Further Reading:

• Hang Son Doong in Vietnam – Photos of The Largest Cave in the World
• Is Seeing Believing – Full 2010 Documentary by BBC Horizon
• What is Reality – 2011 Film by BBC Horizon
• Brazil 2014 FIFA World Cup Logo Looks Like Facepalm
• The Most Expensive Bottle of Alcohol in the World – The Diamond Sterling