Động Ngườm Ngao

Useful Information

Location:	Đàm Thuỷ, Trùng Khánh, Cao Bằng, Vietnam. Gun hamlet, Dam Thuy commune, Trung Khanh district. TL206. From Cao Bằng QL3 34 km, turn left towards Quảng Uyên, ĐT206 43 km, at Đàm Thuỷ turn right 2 km to the end of the road. (22.8456660, 106.7056951)
Open:	All year daily 7:30-17. [2024]
Fee:
Classification:	Karst Cave
Light:	Incandescent Coloured Light
Dimension:	L=2,144 m.
Guided tours:	L=900 m, D=1 h.
Photography:
Accessibility:
Bibliography:
Address:	Động Ngườm Ngao, Tel: +84-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1921	cave discovered by a French explorer.
1995	survey by the British Cave Research Association (BCRA).
1996	opened as a show cave.
1998	declared a nature site of national significance.

Description

Động Ngườm Ngao (Ngườm Ngao Cave, Tiger Cave) is a rather huge cave with three entrances called Nguom Ngao, Nguom Lom and Ban Thuon. The main entrance, Nguom Ngao, is reached from the end of the road by walking up a long staircase to the foot of the limestone cliff. Nguom Lom is hidden under the rock at the foot of the mountain. Ban Thuon is located behind the mountain, near the village Thuon of the Tay people. The cave was open as a semi-wild cave for years, but finally it was developed as a show cave with stone trails and modern electric light. The development is of very high quality, they even avoided the coloured light trap, and the trails were made using natural limestone blocks, which is not optimal but much better than concrete. In the local Tay language, "Nguom Ngao" means Tiger Cave, the area is inhabited by an ethnic minority named Tay. It seems the cave was actually known for a long time by the locals but never entered. In 1921, it was entered and explored for the first time.

According to local lore, the cave was the natural habitat of many tigers. They often entered the surrounding residential areas to catch the pets of the locals. They set traps and caught them all.
Another legend says it was named after the roaring sounds which come from the springs flowing in the cave, whgich resembles the roar of an angry tiger.

We have seen a lot of weird stuff about this cave, but the weirdest is the way its name is misused. Many pages use Động Ngườm Ngao Cave which is quite weird. Ngườm Ngao translates Tiger Cave, Động translates Cave, Động Ngườm Ngao Cave thus translates Cave Tiger Cave Cave. The term trilingual tautology comes to mind. It seems there are a few superfluous "caves" in this name...

Another strange thing is an opening to the surface, its orientation is so, that only on 22-APR at 14:00 every year the sun's rays actually enter the cave. They form three beams of light in the cave for a few minutes.