A lost world... found! Spectacular images reveal breathtaking beauty and enormous size of a newly discovered cave in Vietnam
We've all dreamt of finding lost worlds but this photographer actually found one - and took incredible pictures to prove it.
The jaw-dropping images were taken by adventure photographer Ryan Deboodt, 32, on August 31, after the cave was discovered for the first time by locals just one month ago.
The cave is located near Vietnam's Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park and is believed to be an extension of a previously discovered cave called Hang Tien.
The cave was discovered for the first time by locals just one month ago in Vietnam
The cave is an extension of the Hang Tien structure in Vietnam's Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
During the formation of the cave, the walls became scalloped due to water running through creating beautiful waves of white and black.
The cave was discovered for the first time by locals just one month ago in Vietnam
The cave is an extension of the Hang Tien structure in Vietnam's Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park
During the formation of the cave, the walls became scalloped due to water running through creating beautiful waves of white and black.
Ryan said: 'We had to trek through lots of inter-connecting caves to reach this hidden one - traversing through dense jungle and over razor sharp limestone rocks.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park shares a boundary with the Hin Namno Nature Reserve in the Peoples Democratic Republic of Laos
Photographer Ryan Deboodt said: 'It was a really amazing feeling to find a completely new cave'
During the formation of the cave, the walls became scalloped due to water running through creating beautiful waves of white and black
'It started with a long car ride followed by a two hour trek through pouring rain before we finally had to pass through the Hang Tien to reach our final, hidden, destination.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park shares a boundary with the Hin Namno Nature Reserve in the Peoples Democratic Republic of Laos
The floor inside the cave is spectacular, showcasing a range of plateaus as well as unique rock formations
Photographer Ryan Deboodt said: 'It was a really amazing feeling to find a completely new cave'
During the formation of the cave, the walls became scalloped due to water running through creating beautiful waves of white and black
'It started with a long car ride followed by a two hour trek through pouring rain before we finally had to pass through the Hang Tien to reach our final, hidden, destination.
'The walls and ceiling of the cave were nearly perfectly horizontal with stripes of black and white limestone.
'The floors of this cave are also very interesting as the main passage is covered in small gours that go on for hundreds of meters.'
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003, now covers around 126,236 hectares
The floors of this cave are also very interesting as the main passage is covered in small gours that go on for hundreds of metres
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2003, now covers around 126,236 hectares
The floors of this cave are also very interesting as the main passage is covered in small gours that go on for hundreds of metres
The National Park features great geological diversity and offers spectacular phenomena, including a large number of caves and underground rivers.