Hua Ma Cave — Attraction in Bắc Kạn Province

Hua Ma Cave is a scenic spot in the Ba Be National Park. The cave is located on the Leng River and belongs to Pac Ngoi village, Quang Khe commune, Ba Be district, Bac Kan province. Hua Ma Cave is located on the waist of Co Don mountain, in the middle of Leo Pen (Ghost Forest) with green trees and fountains. Hua Ma Cave is deep in the mountain in the Southeast direction all year round and is called Leo Pen Cave by the locals. According to the legend of the local people, the Ghost Forest was once a place where ghosts resided. Later, a general of the royal court went on a tour and heard the howling of the souls of the soldiers who had fought with the royal court but could not be released. The army approached the camp right on the edge of the Leng River and the Horse Army, and won the horse's head to hold a festival for heaven and earth. After the ceremony, the howling sounds disappeared and over the years, very special and majestic stalactites grew. From then on, people called the cave "Lèn Pèn" as Hua Ma cave or locally called Dau Ngua cave. The foot of Co Don mountain is located at an altitude of 350 m above sea level. The road from the foot of the mountain to the cave entrance has been built into steps, visitors have to climb 300 meters to reach Hua Ma cave, the cave entrance is 3 meters wide, 5 meters high. Hua Ma cave please hang very wide about 1ha, length up to more than 700m, the cave ceiling is 40 - 50m wide and high, containing many barriers, majestic stalactites. Depending on the imagination of each person, the stone flowers can have some forms such as pen tower, lotus flower or the scene of Tang monk and his disciples. There is an opinion that Hua Ma cave is really the first wonder cave in Vietnam. [2] Hua Ma cave was only surveyed for tourism in 2003-2004 and is still not much developed in terms of tourism services as well as the number of visitors. INTERNATIONAL TOUR GUIDE LE ANH...

I didn’t expect this to be so great. We’d been to Phong Nha and seen Paradise Cave and it’s hard to top that, but this is a very different experience. I can’t say that everyone will have the same experience but I had the entire cave, which is massive and takes about 30 minutes to walk to the far end and back, to myself.

At first I thought I’d be exploring using my phone light as it was totally in darkness, but I guess there must be motion sensors or something because a flash of blue and red announced the cave lights turning on.

The lights are a bit odd, maybe natural colours would have been nicer but it was still quite cool. The rock formations are very impressive .

Cost was 40,000 VND and it’s maybe a ten minute hike up some stairs to the entrance, with some nice views...

HUA MA CAVE is only 10 km from Linh’s Homestay and is well worth the effort to visit. The cave entrance is on the side of a forested hill, and 250 steps from the parking area. Like many of the cave sites I’ve been to in Vietnam, this one is well developed for a safe and enjoyable sightseeing experience. There’s a solid cement pathway through the accessible (700 meters) length of the cave, and internal coloured lighting to highlight the many beautiful formations (stalactites & stalagmites) within. An additional unusual touch is the recorded bird chirping throughout the cave. This cave is the highlight attraction of the area.

Safe...