(VNF)- A mountain climb race is slated to take place at the UNESCO-recognized Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh next month in conjunction with the local cave festival.

The race, to last from August 5 to 20, will see climbers vying against each other on a 30-metre artificial mountain built outside of Toi Cave, the highest of its kind in Vietnam.

The eco-tourism area of the Chay River and Toi cave in Quang Binh province were put into operation in 2011, with an array of popular tourist activities, including zip-lines and mud baths inside the cave.

The new artificial mountain is expected to add to the site’s touristy appeal.

A mountaineer is seen climbing an aritificial mountain outside of Toi Cave, located in the UNESCO-recognized Phong Nha- Ke Bang National Park in the central province of Quang Binh. Photo: Vietnamplus.

The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is among the 238 key ecological zones in the world.

Covering 85,754 hectares then, the park was recognised for the first time as a UNESCO geological and geomorphological World Natural Heritage Site in 2003.

The park, which boasts the world's largest cave Son Doong, was recently recognized as a world heritage site for the second time by the UNESCO.

The second recognition, which was passed at the 39th meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, is based on the park's stunning biological persity and awe-inspiring landscape, according to the park’s management board.

Now with the second recognition, the park’s area covers a total surface area of 126,236 hectares, or a 46 percent increase in size, and shares a boundary with the Hin Namno Nature Reserve in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos.

The park is home to a large number of caves and underground rivers as well as many endemic species, and boasts a high level of biopersity./.

by VNF