The Son Doong Cave in Vietnam is the biggest cave in the world
It's over 5.5 miles long, has a jungle and river, and could fit a 40-story skyscraper within its walls
Its mammoth chambers extend so far that explorers have called Son Doong an "infinite cave"
But nobody knew any of that until about six years ago
The recently discovered cave has been touted as the largest in the world, although other caves vie for the title of longest (Mammoth Cave in Brownsville, Kentucky nabs that title with about 400 miles of passageways) and deepest (Krubera Cave in the nation of Georgia)
A local man discovered the cave entrance in 1991, but British cavers were the first to explore it in 2009
A local man discovered the cave entrance in 1991, but British cavers were the first to explore it in 2009
The lucky people who have entered Son Doong so far, like photographer John Spies, have emerged with some amazing photos
But the attention of curious sightseers is a double-edged sword; planned construction projects to make the cave more accessible to tourists could harm the formation's unique environment
The man who discovered Son Doong didn't go in because the entrance he found had too steep a drop. On tours, visitors rappel 250 feet to enter Son Doong
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