Tien Son peak, the Bat Cave and Suoi Tranh

Tien Son is the middle of our range. It asks for real climbing - about five kilometres uphill on forest trail, a scramble over boulders and a dark cave - but it is shorter than Trek & Heal and the hard part is over by lunch. The afternoon is easy: a sit-down meal at the foot of the mountain, then a swim in the pools of Suoi Tranh, a stream with a small waterfall.

It suits fit families with children of twelve and over, couples who hike at home but are on holiday, and anyone who would like one summit and one swim on the same day. Nobody needs climbing experience. You do need legs that are comfortable going up for a couple of hours and coming down again on rock, and you need to be happy using your hands now and then.

The day is private: your group, your guide, your pace. If two of you want to linger on the summit and nobody else is waiting, you linger.

These are approximate distances for the climb. The descent follows the guide's choice of trail on the day, and the full route for your date is described in your quote. Count on roughly five kilometres uphill plus the way down, with a good part of it on rock rather than soil.

A height of 280 m does not sound like much, but Phu Quoc's forest starts close to sea level, so you climb most of that height on foot, in tropical heat. Start early, drink often and the climb is steady rather than punishing.

Hang Doi means Bat Cave. The passage is dark, so everyone wears a headlamp, and the floor is boulders rather than a path: you climb up, step down and occasionally squeeze through. The guide goes first and shows each move. It is a short, physical section, and for many people the most memorable part of the morning. Whether any bats are about on your day is up to the bats; we do not promise them.

Please do not touch the cave walls more than you need to for balance, keep voices low and point your lamp at the floor rather than the ceiling.

Lunch is around midday at a local family restaurant at the foot of the mountain - a sit-down meal at a table, which after the climb is welcome. Tell us about allergies or a vegetarian diet when you book.

In the afternoon the car takes you to Suoi Tranh, a stream with a small waterfall and pools. The entrance ticket is included. You can swim in the pools, sit under the fall or simply put your feet in, and there is no fixed programme beyond that. It is a ticketed site, so you may share the pools with other visitors. In the driest months the waterfall can be thin; in heavy rain nobody goes in the water. You are back at your hotel in the middle to late afternoon, at about 16:00.

All three are forest days with a guide of your own. They differ in how much walking they ask for and what fills the rest of the day.

If Tien Son sounds too much, Healing Forest is the gentle option. If it sounds too little, Trek & Heal is longer and harder, at about 7-10 km. The choose a trek page adds the stream day and the night walk to the comparison.

November to April is the season for this trek. The trail is firm, the boulders are dry. May can still be good; the rains usually set in from about June.

From about June to October the rocks become very slippery, and the guide decides on the day how far the group goes. The cave may be skipped if it is flooded, and Suoi Tranh is closed to swimming in heavy rain, because streams rise fast. If the day is unsafe we cancel and you get a full refund or another date. The when to go page shows which tours suit which months.

The pricing page explains how a quote for a private group is put together, and how to book takes you from request to confirmation.

• Closed shoes with a grippy sole - trainers with good tread are fine in the dry season
• Clothes you can scramble in; the cave and the boulders are dusty or muddy
• Swimwear and a small towel for Suoi Tranh
• Sunscreen, a hat and insect repellent
• A small daypack that leaves both hands free in the cave

The headlamp is ours. A full kit list is on the packing page.

• Anyone under 12.
• People with knee problems. The descent over rock is where knees complain.
• Anyone who would rather not climb at all - try the Suoi May stream day for a swim without the mountain.
• People afraid of the dark or of confined spaces who also want the full route. The group can skip the cave, but then it skips the cave.
• Anyone set on the full route between June and October. The guide decides on the day, and wet rock can shorten the climb.