Heading to Phong Nha later this week and was looking at tours by Oxalis, Phong Nha Farmstay, and Phong Nha-Ke Bang Tourism (am I missing any other reputable companies/guides?) and they are all pretty expensive. Wondering which caves necessitate using a tour and which we can go on our own and just pay an admission. The reason we would take a tour/guide is mainly not to get lost and help us to navigate them.. and also if fun elements might be involved that we might not otherwise have access to on our own. Neither of us are big geologist types so learning about stalactites and stalagmites in detail or have someone point out formations, etc. isn't that much of interest, but just want to check out the caves. :)
Also, which caves might we steer clear of if one of us has arthritic knees and ankles and cannot crawl or do too heavy physical scrambling or walking at a quick pace, and the other is a non-swimmer and does not like the idea of having to swim through any water deeper than 4 feet, even with a life jacket.
Thanks!
