
Adventurers have gone deep underground to discover previously unexplored caves in these incredible pictures.

The awe-inspiring snaps show the cavers dwarfed by the huge series natural rock chambers in the Leye-Fengshan Geopark, southern China.

Belgian photographer Francois-Xavier De Ruydts, 33, captured the team of explorers as they trekked through the gargantuan grotto in January this year.

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Undiscovered beauty: The extraordinary caves at the Leye-Fengshan Geopark in southern China were previously hidden

Tristan Godet climbs up a rope after discovering a new cave passage, and right, relaxing on a boat has never felt so peaceful

Going deeper underground: A 10km network of caves were discovered by the explorers in just 10 days

It is hoped the site can be preserved and turn into a popular tourist attraction that can re-invigorate nearby communities

The seven climbers were invited by the park to investigate some of the harder to reach pits and passages.

In ten days of exploration they managed to discover and map 10km of cave networks and rappel into 35 new pits.

The park is facing a battle against cave pillagers who cut off stalactites, stalagmites, cave pearls to sell at local markets for decoration.

Now officials are hoping that the new information and incredible pictures will help turn the caves into tourist attractions to provide nearby residents with an alternative revenue from the caves and stop the vandalism.

The landscape within the cave network is simply breathtaking, and photographer Francois-Xavier De Ruydts captured it beautifully

Majestic: The caves dwarf all who traverse them, with the shards of light showing off their beauty

Belgian photographer Francois-Xavier De Ruydts, 33, captured the team of explorers as they trekked through the caves in January

Francois-Xavier said: 'I love exploring and caving is all about exploration so when I was given the opportunity to join this trip I jumped at it.

'It's one of the last places on earth where you can still set foot where no human has ever been. It's an amazing feeling and the caves are just beautiful and intriguing.

'I have been taking cave photos since I started my career four years ago. I was looking for a niche, something that other photographers don't do.

'I thought caving was ideal because it is a photographer's worst nightmare: it is pitch black, muddy, wet, dirty, it takes you hours or sometimes days to get to where you want to shoot!'

The sheer size of the underground structure is demonstrated effectively, when compared to the size of one of the explorers

Leap of faith: This explorer bounds between the rocks over the rugged terrain of the Chinese caves

The lush greenery collides beautifully with the rawness and rough edges of the rocks in the Leye-Fengshan Geopark, China