Me Cung Cave
As fanciful and appealing as its name implies, Me Cung cave is one of many famous attractions in Halong Bay created by the hands of the Mother Nature.
Me Cung cave with a mystery beauty always leaves tourists curious for more. Unlike the vast majority of other Halong Bay caves, this one doesn’t come with a whimsical myth about its origins. Instead, it is famous for being one of the sites of prehistoric men, who lived here between 7000 and 10000 years ago.
Where is Me Cung cave?
The magical cave is located on Lom Bo island, about 2km south the center of the UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay. It is a regular place for overnight cruises to dock because of the peacefulness of the surrounding area and the potential for swimming in its crystal waters.
Inside Me Cung cave
What to do in Me Cung cave
Climbing 25 meters up on stone steps to the entrance of the cave and entering one person at a time, visitors are invited to explore the complex layout of Me Cung cave (which is why the cave also goes by the English translation of "The Maze cave"). Many arms that branch out from the entrance are dimly lit, but the huge stalactites and stalagmites still cast formidable shadows around you.
Looking from the distance, the cave entrance looks like a house roof carving deep into the slopes of the island. But when walking into the inside, visitors may get the feeling as if they are entering in a great palace of a Persian King.
Light floods in as visitors head towards the exit, which opens up onto a fantastic view of the enclosed lake neighboring Me Cung cave, with its sloped tree-topped rock walls and the silhouettes of Halong Bay’s jagged teeth of islands in the background.
The lake of Me Cung cave
Inside the cave, there is a system of spiral sparkling stones. The cave covers a quite larger area with various levels of height. Sometimes, tourists may feel lost in the heavenly palace, somewhere they have to bend their knees to get through the narrow tunnels.
Getting out of the cave, tourists can now enjoy the fresh air and comfortable atmosphere in a big garden which then takes them to the peak of the mountain to overlook the Me Cung lagoon. This is also a good point to have a panorama view of the area.
The history of Me Cung cave
The rich abundance of octopus, shrimp, algae and coral life in the ever-blue water of the cave is what made human habitation possible between 7000 and 10,000 years ago. The dry and airy conditions of Me Cung cave provided early Stone Age humans with a comfortable dwelling and the "Royal Garden" of trees just outside would have been perfect for necessary materials and consistent food supply.
A fully fossilized animal skeleton was discovered during archaeological research in the cave, and the entrance was deemed to initially be a staggering 1.2 meter-thick layer of fossilized Melania shells.
Exploring Me Cung
Also, visitors will have a chance to further understand the home and earn-living methods of the pre-historic people.
How to visit Me Cung cave
Me Cung cave doesn’t feature on Halong Bay day trips from Hanoi, but some overnight Halong cruises agency like Aphrodite or Aclass may offer excursions to the cave on their Halong Bay 3 day 2 night itinerary and Halong Bay 2 day 1 night itinerary.
Being a cave bringing natural, cultural, and historic values, Me Cung cave will make your trips in Halong Bay more fanciful and memorable. If you want to know further information about Signature Halong cruise, feel free to contact us. Don’t hesitate to like and share the article if it’s useful for you. Thank you.
