For over 25 years we have been exploring  limestone Karst areas in Thailand and have investigated and discovered HUNDREDS OF CAVES.  The longest and most spectacular cave systems are close to the Lodge, in Pang Mapha District of Mae Hong Son Province. We know where they are- we found them, and in many cases, named them. Some caves are extraordinarily massive, with incredible formations. See our caving photos to get an idea of what types of caves tunnel under our area, and the quality of the stunning formations they contain.

Stroll to the nearby THAM LOD cave with its awesome caverns, prehistoric 1,700-year-old coffins and bamboo rafting. Experience the amazing  BIRD SHOW  when 300,000 swifts return to nest in the cave each evening. Or join in a full day guided adventure to one  or several of the incredible caves in our wilderness area.  Our expert guides can take you through world class passages. 

We select only robust active caves for our adventure tours and avoid sensitive areas with particularly fragile formations or endangered cave life.  All visitors to caves are  encouraged to abide by ethical caving guidelines which are displayed at Cave Lodge.

For those whom CAVING is a passion, we can guide you through kilometres of spectacular stream caves, or, use our maps and find your own!  How about unexplored vertical caves?  Want to drop into the Spirit Well, a 100m deep collapsed cave with an untouched, primeval forest at the base?  The area has lots of potential for undiscovered systems. Read our brief background info below for a better idea of the possibilities.

One day tours start from 450 Baht per person including caving equipment, guide and lunch. CLICK HERE for small or private group prices.

Multi day and specialist trips can be organised and group tours catered for.  We have special  rates for school groups and programs that can include caving, abseiling, kayaking and hilltribe trekking.

CAVING TOURS

USE OUR DETAILED MAP (See John's Map) AND VISIT THE LOCAL CAVES ON YOUR OWN, OR JOIN ONE OF OUR REGULAR TREKS.

ONE DAY TREK AND CAVE:  

Full day walk from the Lodge through spectacular karst scenery, visiting three caves - 

Fossil Cave- a long dry cave with excellent slabs of 280 million year old fossilised shells; Spirit Cave containing mysterious 1700 year old teakwood coffins and Waterfall Cave with beautiful formations and an awesome 30 metre waterfall deep inside the stream tunnel. This is our most popular day trip due to the variety of caves and the fantastic scenery along the walk. You enter deep into the karst mountains, and experience some excellent caves. Suitable for any reasonably fit person who likes adventure.   

COST: 450 Baht  includes expert guide, caving light,  helmet and lunch.

ONE DAY ADVENTURE CAVING:

There are over 200 caves in the local area, 5 of which are more than 4 kilometres long with world class pristine formations.  Let our expert guides lead you through the best of these amazing caves with minimal impact and maximum adventure. This trip takes you at least 3 kilometres into a pristine and stunningly decorated stream cave.  

COST: 650 Baht  includes transport, expert guide, caving light, helmet and lunch.

 All trips depart regularly, depending on weather conditions and numbers. To book either phone or email us or just turn up and we will  get you onto the next trip.

Tham Nam Lod (Lod Cave):

Guides (with lanterns) for Tham Lod  are only 100 Baht per group, and the bamboo rafts inside the cave are 100 to 400 Baht for 3 people (depending on starting and ending points/one way or return trip through the cave).  It takes about 2 hours to see all three higher level caverns, and the main river tunnel.  You can watch 300,000  birds fly into the cave every evening after sunset, in the twilight,  for free. Tham Lod is an enormous river tunnel with 3 higher dry caverns. The cave walls are covered with massive formations and columns over 20 metres high tower over visitors. The third cavern shelters the remains of prehistoric teak coffins. Near the visitor centre is a recently excavated archaeological site- a rock shelter where a 20,000 year old human skeleton was found- the oldest in Nth Thailand. Info on the site is in Thai and English. Sometimes wild gibbons inhabit the forest near the cave entrance- follow the whoops to see them.

A note on ecotourism: there are a few places in Thailand where "ecotourism" is a working reality. Tham Lod is one of these places. The local ethnic Shan community provides all of the guides and bamboo raft service for the cave, and receive all of the money. Tourism has helped reduce their reliance on slash & burn rice farming. The locals respect the cave, its ecosystem ( the birds, bats, fish, and cave adapted  snakes (harmless) are strictly protected.) When you visit Tham Lod, your money directly helps the local community.  

For group, club and specialist  rates for other caving adventures, contact us for full details.

BACKGROUND (UNDERGROUND) INFO:   

There are more than 200 known caves in our district with active systems up to 12 kms long, amongst the longest in Thailand.  The deepest vertical cave is also found near the Lodge.  Some caves are huge river tunnels with passages typically 20-50 metres high and wide.  There are more than 10 caves longer than one kilometre.  One collapsed cave, the Spirit Well (check out the Nat. Geo. ultimate destination, Sept. 2001, I think) is 100m deep and 100m across, with sheer cliffs and an untouched forest at the base.  We took the first expedition to this amazing place in 1985 but unfortunately the first person to descend was struck by a weird tragedy- later that night he woke up, paralysed in half of his body.  A few of us have been down since and spent the night.  The incident was a definite one-off.

  Formations in some caves are truly spectacular with massive crystal flowstones 50 metres long and 20 metres high, spectacular columns 30 metres high and delicate crystals of calcite and aragonite.  Seven caves that we have discovered are home to 2 different species of blind cave fish including one cave where the 2 types share the same stream.  One new genera, 'Cryptotora' is finger length, eyeless, colourless, without scales and uses 4 large fins to 'walk' up waterfalls.   The caves and karst in Pang Mapa District are worthy of recognition as a world heritage sites. For many cavers, a big plus in our area is the accessibility, variety, the comfortable conditions, the awesome size and the outstanding beauty of the caves.   

Cavers have discovered and explored many of the systems only during the past 18 years.  We have been intimately involved, and have introduced many international and Thai speleological research teams to the wonders of our area.  Australian cavers, led by John Dunkley (who has been at the forefront of the efforts to record the areas assets), conducted much of the original underground surveys.  Management and conservation issues increasingly concern us at Cave Lodge, not just individual caves but the entire watershed areas.  There are many threats to the integrity of the underground resources in the area, from cave visitors to the activities of the people living in the catchments of stream caves.  The unique underground resources of the area - such as the cave fish and other sensitive troglobites, the delicate and rare formations and the archaeological remains - remain particularly vulnerable to disturbance and irreversible damage.  

We hope that all visitors to our area will treat these irreplaceable treasures with utmost care, avoid visiting particularly sensitive areas in caves and abide by the 'soft' caving guidelines promoted by international organizations such as the American National Speleological Society www.caves.org and the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) www.iucn.org. We encourage people interested in caving as a sport to think carefully about the potential impact their activities may have on the caves they visit.  At Cave Lodge we can offer expert advice on caves suitable for adventure caving- usually big, active stream passages that flood every year.  Wherever you have caved before, we are sure the beauty and accessibility of the spectacular caves near Cave Lodge will impress you.  If you have the time bring your gear, a few caving friends and spend a couple of weeks exploring the best caves in Thailand.  We can get you to them and point to areas that are virtually unexplored.  Hope to see you soon.....