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Tham Chiang Dao ถ้ ำเชียงดาว
47Q 0492800 2144300 Alt.: 455 m
Length: 5,170 m VR: 70 m COT CM 1
Tham Chiang Dao has to be the best known cave in northern Thailand. It is mentioned in all the guidebooks and marked on most maps. From Chiang Mai city take the H107 north for about 60 km to the small town of Chiang Dao. At the northern end of the town the road to Tham Chiang Dao is on the left and is quite obscure despite the road signs. Doi Chiang Dao (also known as Doi Ang Salung) is the impressive limestone mountain in front of you and the road leads you to the large wat at the entrance to the cave. Many of the guidebooks quote a length of between 10 and 14 km, but the French survey carried out in 1983 and 1985 showed that the cave is about half this length.
There is a charge of 10 baht per person towards the cost of the electric lighting and this allows you to explore those areas of the cave that are lit. Just inside the entrance there is a large statue of the Buddha and here guides are waiting to escort you round the parts of the cave that are not electrically lit. They charge 100 baht per group and use only a single parafin lamp so you may wish to bring your own light. This extra guided tour is recommended and you get to see a lot of the cave. You start by ascending into Tham Mah (Horse Cave) which is a dry upper series with some large chambers and speleothems. There are also a couple of small sections to duck through to make it a bit more interesting. According to Cummings (2002) Tham Mah is 7,365 m, but on Deharveng's survey, calling it Reseau Superior, it is only about 700 m long. This wouldn't be the only time that Lonely Planet have been out by an order of magnitude with a cave dimension (see the description above for Tham Luang Sakern in Nan province). Clark (2004) gives a more realistic length of 736 m for Tham Mah.
In Tham Mah you only explore the western branch and then retrace your steps and drop down into the start of Tham Kaew (Reseau Guano to the French). Tham Kaew is not explored, but the French survey shows it extending for around 600 m to the west before reaching a sump. It is also linked to the overlying western branch of Tham Mah by a couple of 14 m pitches. In Tham Kaew you soon reach the metal walk way through Tham Seua Dao (Reseau Touristes) which is electrically lit. This can be followed past a couple of religious images to a very old Buddha at the end of the tourist section. Beyond here is the Tham Nam (Water Cave: Reseau Actif) which is a separate streamway to that seen in Tham Kaew and can be followed for about 600 m to an upstream sump.
The cave has been known for hundreds of years and is a very holy site with some ancient Buddha statues and chedis. It also has many legends associated with it including one that the Lord Buddha himself visited the cave. Perhaps the legend most relevant to cavers is that you must not remove anything from the cave or you will be lost in the caverns for ever.
Chiang Dao National Park
It is slightly confusing that this national park does not cover the town of Chiang Dao, Doi Chiang Dao or Tham Chiang Dao. The national park was established in November 2000 and covers and area of 1,123 km2. Most of amphoe Chiang Dao north of the H1322 and the triangle between the H1178, the H107 and the boundary with amphoe Fang is within the park apart from the cultivated river valleys. To the north the park joins the Mae Fang National Park in amphoe Fang.
There are extensive areas of karst in the national park. Expeditions by the French in 1983 and 1985 and by the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society in 2000 and 2003 have explored two long caves, Tham Kleab Yai and Tham Tab Tao within the Chiang Dao National Park.
There are still large parts of the park that haven't been explored by cavers and there are reports of several caves that have not been investigated. One example is a news story in the Bangkok Post of the 20th October 2003 which reported that a 200-strong force of Thai soldiers and border patrol police had clashed with 50 United Wa State Army soldiers on the 15th October. The soldiers were attempting to close a smuggling route over the mountains near Arunothai and it is reported that "The Thai force found a cave big enough for 100 people”. Arunothai is an interesting town only a couple of kilometres from Myanmar. The residents of Arunothai are ex-military personnel from the former Kuomintang Party from mainland China. They served in the 3rd Army Region’s 93rd Division led by General Lee Wern Phan and first arrived in Thailand in 1961. At that time, Ban Arunothai was known as Ban Nong Ook. Today there are 1,137 households in the village which has a population of 12,207. The town still has strong links with Taiwan and mainland China. The townsfolk have long derived a healthy income from smuggling and this part of Thailand has only come under the control of the Thai government in the past 10 years. The inhabitants could best be described as 'tolerating' the strong army presence in their town. A hotel has just opened in Arunothai and we were the first guests to stay, obtaining a discount because of the ongoing building work.
Tham Muang Na Nuea ถ้ ำเมีองนะเหนีอ
47Q 0489700 2183960 Alt.: 750 m (car park)
Length: ~20 m
The village of Muang Na Nuea is about 3 km from the Myanmar border to the north of Chiang Dao. In Christian Gooden’s very informative book, Three Pagodas, a cave is marked near the village on one of the maps and it is also marked on the Royal Forestry Department website map. Like Arunothai this village is in an area which has only recently been opened up to tourists.
From Chiang Mai take the H107 north. A few kilometres beyond Chiang Dao there is a major road junction with the H1178 on the left. Take the H1178 and keep following it north. Eventually you reach an army checkpoint. Having negotiated your way through the checkpoint there immediately is a junction. Right leads to Arunothai and eventually to Doi Ang Khang. Keep following the road to the left and you reach the village of Ban Muang Na. Whilst driving through the village the cave was sign posted to the north. Following this road, taking the left hand fork, the road degenerated into a dirt track. We were very wary about driving too far north and finding ourselves in Myanmar. We decided to turn into a large monastery compound and discovered that this was were the cave was.
Unfortunately the main cave was short, with a large Buddha and several shrines. It was also busy with worshippers which made it difficult to investigate properly, but the cave did not appear to extend behind the Buddha. A steep flight of steps led up the hill. Contouring round to the right and ascending some short wooden ladders led to a small cave. After a couple of metres this opened into a collapsed cavern in the top of the hill. This was being used as a retreat by monks and a couple of short passages led off from the open area. From here a Myanmar army observation post could be seen about 2 km to the north.
The unpublished guidebook to the caves of Northern Thailand (Smart, et. al.) mentions several caves near Muang Na Nuea, including a stream cave that was heading towards the Myanmar border. A sketch map on the Royal Forest Department website shows a Tham Chueng-Pha Hok ถ้ ำแจ้ง-ป่าหก between the road and Tham Muang Na Nua. A brief visit to the village was made in March 2005 with Dean Smart who speaks Thai, but the one person we asked (in a noodle shop and who didn't speak very good Thai) knew nothing about caves in the area. There is no accommodation available in this village though the noodle lady was willing to rent us a spare room.
Ban Tham Ngop and Ban Sinchai
From Arunothai the road winds up into the mountains and passes several large depressions. This area has several Kuomingtang Chinese villages. The first village reached is Ban Sinchai (47Q 0504260 2180650), where a couple of deep, conical dolines were seen beside the road. At the T junction in Ban Sinchai one road continues in the mountains to Ban Tham Ngop while the other road drops down to the plain. This down hill road goes past Wat Tham Pha Phueng, through the Kuomingtang Chinese town of Mai Bong Nua to join the H107 to the south of Fang (see below for a description of Tham Pha Phueng.
Staying on the road in hills you reach the village of Ban Tham Ngop (47Q 0502650 2183550), which used to be home to a famous Kuomingtang general. Having driven through the village several times no caves were seen, but we didn't ask for directions and there is limestone. The next village to the north of Ban Tham Ngop is Ban Pha Daeng, but this is in the Mae Fang National Park and is described below.
Tham Tab Tao ถ้ ำตับเตา
47Q 0512700 2173650 Alt.: 620 m
Length: 1,685 m VR: 65m COT CM 28
Tham Tab Tao is at the foot of a limestone mountain on the north-eastern edge of the Chiang Dao National Park. From Chiang Dao take the H107 northwards. 40 km beyond the junction with the H1178 there is a police checkpoint with a turning on the left. There is a small sign with the cave's name. Follow this road for about 5 km. If you miss this turn the cave can also be reached via a couple of other small roads which head west from the main road. Tham Tab Tao is open as a show cave and is located within a large monastery complex. Although it is marked on some tourist maps be warned that in the Lonely Planet atlas and on the Rough Guide map the cave is marked 20 km from where it really is. It is correctly positioned on the Berndtson & Berndtson map.
Inside the monastery grounds there is a large fish pond fed by a resurgence. Two flights of steps, complete with nagas, lead up to the two entrances. The left hand entrance has a very large Buddha, a reclining Buddha and is a major shrine. The small right hand entrance leads through the smaller passages of the electrically lit show cave, known as the Light Cave, to meet the larger passage that extends to the Buddha entrance.
From the junction the path goes round to the right and up a series of steps to a small opening. A ladder leads up through this squeeze to open out in the Dark Cave. To the right a loose scree slope ascends steeply and is choked at the top. To the left a couple of short ladders allows you to follow the large passage where some stalagmites have been turned into shrines. Pressing a coin into the soft calcite of the stalagmites is meant to bring good luck.
The Dark Cave ends at a large stall choke. This can be climbed to reach a pitch down the rift at the end. This was first explored in December 2003 and the 5 m pitch is quickly followed by a 14 m pitch. This lands in a chamber with another pitch in the floor. The floor, covered in very slippery mud and moonmilk, funnels down this pitch which was estimated to be about 10 m deep.
Back in the Light Cave, below the squeeze up into the Dark Cave, a 1 m high passage leads to a boulder choke. Following the obvious route through the choke, which descends a couple of drops (a handline is useful on one of these) and then up a climb, brings you to the large passage of the Lower Cave. After a couple of hundred metres you reach a very large chamber, up to 45 m high and 60 m wide. This chamber has large slopes of very corroded boulders. The rock is very loose, friable and crumbly so care is needed. By descending at the other side of the chamber the passage continues for another 100 m before dropping down to a flat mud floor. A small passage between calcite walls opens out after a few metres. However, the air here is very bad with over 5% carbon dioxide.
Our visits to this cave were to help two cavers from the University of Bristol Spelaeological Society use oxygen rebreathers to explore the open way on beyond this small passage. After several trips the equipment had been carried to the end of the cave. They passed beyond the small passage to find a large passage that ascended steeply, but the boulder floor was covered in knee-deep guano. The air was still unbreathable at the point where they turned back. Only about 100 m of passage was explored, but the end of the cave is still wide open.
As with Tham Chiang Dao this cave has been known for a very long time. Tham Tab Tao was already a sacred cave when visited in 1876 by Hallett. Hallett describes a trip into the cave and mentions the large reclining Buddha so this statue must be over 130 years old. There are several legends associated with the cave including one in which the Lord Buddha is said to have rested in the cave after eating "a surfeit of pork which caused his death".
Survey of Tham Tab Tao
Tham Ngam
47Q 0511150 2172900 Alt.: 660 m
Length: 110 m VR: 50 m COT CM 29
This cave is a couple of kilometres to the west of Tham Tab Tao. A road that takes you through a couple of villages to the south of Tham Tab Tao becomes a dirt track and ends at a car park. From the car park you have to take a path up the hill to a religous building at the entrance to the cave. This large building was been extended during our visit and payment for visiting the cave was to carry a bucket of sand up to the cave.
The wide entrance opens onto a steeply descending chamber. There is a wooden platform with a shrine built out over the boulder slope and a concrete path leads to this platform. The chamber slopes at 45° and extends down for 60 m to end in a boulder choke. By contouring to the left it is possible to follow the bedding plane for a few more metres to eventually end at another choke.
Tham Ngam is an impressively large chamber. Just before the track reaches the car park there is a large resurgence which is used as a water supply.
Survey of Tham Ngam
Other Caves In Chiang Dao National Park
Of the other caves recorded from the national park Tham Kleab Yai (COT CM 35) is the best known. It was explored by the French and is 2.2 km long. National park literature also mentions a Tham Pha Chan ถ้ ำผาชัารู which is shown to be just to the east of the H1178 and a Tham Rom.
Amphoe Fang
Mae Fang National Park
The Mae Fang National Park covers a mountainous area along the border with Myanmar. The second highest mountain in Thailand, the 2,285 m high Doi Pha Hom Pok, is within its boundaries. The park was designated in September 2000 and covers an area of 524 km2. Access to the mountainous areas near Doi Ang Khang and to the Tham Huai Bon area are free of charge. However, we were charged the full 200 baht foreigner entry fee to the geysers and park headquarters.
Doi Ang Khang Area
This high mountain is on the border with Myanmar to the west of Fang. Until a few years ago this was a very wild part of Thailand. The Myanmar side of the border was held by Shan separatists whilst the security on the Thai side was provided by the remnants of the Kuomintang. In recent years the Myanmar junta has regained control of their territory by using the Wa in the battles with the Shan. The Thai army and border patrol force have taken over from the Kuomingtang mercenaries and poppy growing is a lot less common, on the Thai side at least.
In 1984 a team of American cavers visited the Doi Ang Khang massif. This must have been an interesting trip. They were based in Ban Kum and explored several caves nearby including Big House Cave (190 m deep and 585 m long), Dead Robber Waterfall Cave (167 m deep and 570m long) and Cricket Cave (105 m deep and 347 m long). As the potholes near Ban Kum were not developing into going caves they walked south for a day about 500 m from and parallel to the international border. This hike was through an area "not populated with normal families", passed burnt out heroin factories and they encountered "some very unsavoury men". They stayed for a couple of days at a lone farmhouse on a ridge above a doline. For their own safety the farmer locked them in the house every night. Below the house was a cave called Ma Phong Sui Tung (Horse House Water Cave) by the farmer. This cave was of great interest as it seemed to be gathering water from multiple inputs and getting larger when the team ran out of rope at a depth of 134 m.
Our first visit to this area was in December 2003 as Dean Smart had asked us to have a look at Doi Ang Khang to assess the ease of access and the security situation. We found that Ban Kum is now a large hill resort with a market selling hilltribe produce, a few guesthouses and an expensive hotel. It is a popular destination for hiking and several walking trails are marked. On the drive up from Fang we only had to go through one army checkpoint at the junction with the road leading to Ban Pha Daeng and there was one other army camp, with an occasional checkpoint, along the road to Ban Pha Daeng. A third, small, army camp and checkpoint is in Ban Pha Daeng at the junction with the track down into the doline with Tham Pha Daeng.
We returned in March 2005, this time with Dean who speaks Thai so we could explain what we were up to at the army checkpoints. An army patrol and a local farmer guided us to a choked stream sink and the blocked entrance to Ma Phong Sui Thong in one doline. In the doline to the south near Ban Pha Daeng we were shown the large entrance of Tham Pha Daeng.
Most of the area around Ban Kum and for a few kilometres to the north appears to be excluded from the national park. However, those caves visited by us are inside the park boundaries.
Ban Luang Sink
47Q 0504850 2197300 Alt.: approx. 1400 m
From the main resort of Ban Kum there are two roads south towards Ban Pha Daeng, The upper road has a junction with a road leading very steeply down to Fang while the lower road goes through the village of Ban Luang. In Ban Luang several dolines were seen at this choked stream sink was at the bottom of one of them. There is also a small guesthouse in the doline.
Ma Phong Sui Thong
47Q 0504312 2191089 Alt.: 1130 m
Length: ~450 m VR: -166 m
Other names: Horse House Water Cave
From the army camp and checkpoint on the road between Ban Luang and Ban Pha Daeng go northwards (towards Ban Luang) for about 100 m and take the track on the left. This is a 4WD track and in places it is steep, rough and narrow (it is too narrow for the army's Humvee patrol vehicles). The track can be followed for about 1 km, past the choked stream sink, to a farm. The track continues for another 200 m beyond the farm, passing Ma Phong Sui Thong, before it becomes a footpath.
As already mentioned this cave had been explored to -166 m by the American team in 1984. On our trip in March 2005 we were guided to the entrance by a farmer who remembered the previous visit by the Americans. The entrance was a seasonal stream sink at the base of a cliff. However, in the 21 years since the Americans had explored the cave there must have been a rock fall from the cliff as no way in could be found between the boulders.
Steam Sink
47Q 0504150 2190450 Alt.: 1060 m
Length: ~5 m VR: ~2 m
An army patrol from the camp on the road above the Ma Phong Sui Thong doline guided us to this large stream sink which is at the southern end of the doline. It is to the east of the track and the stream flows along an overgrown channel through the fields. Unfortunately it was choked with mud after 5 m.
After the disappointment of this choked sink we had a look at the limestone cliffs to the south-west, on the western side of the doline. No caves were found here.
Tham Pha Daeng ถ้ ำผาแดง
47Q 0502000 2187335 Alt.: 1000 m
Length: 250 m + VR: 84 m surveyed plus 21 m undescended pitch
This was the most promising cave we found in the Mae Fang National Park during our trip in in March 2005. At the northern end of Ban Pha Daeng there is an army checkpoint (usually with traffic cones in the road). Beside the checkpoint a track descends down into the large dry valley below the limestone cliff to the north-west of the road. This valley follows a south-west to north-east trending fault and has several stream sinks in it. It is on the same trend as the large doline containing Ma Phong Sui Thong. Following the fairly good dirt track leads to a farm. We spoke to the farm manager who mentioned three caves: one that was small and not very pretty located on the hill above the road, a second cave down the valley to the south-west and a third cave, Tham Pha Daeng, to the north-east of the farm which was a stream sink.
From the farm you can drive along the track for a couple of hundred metres to a reservoir. You have to walk from here following a good path down into a doline and then follow the stream bed to the main sink. On our visit the stream was completely dry. There is a dry entrance a few metres up to the left of the stream sink. This descends steeply (follow the left hand wall) and reaches a 3 m drop which we rigged with a ladder on the right hand side. The large passage continues with a couple of routes round and over the boulders. Care is required as they are slippery with guano. After about 50 m you reach the junction where the remains (ash and tin cans) of an old heroin factory are seen.
Continuing straight ahead over boulders goes for 50 m until it chokes. There are various holes down through the boulders in the floor and this area has not been completely explored. Back at the 'factory junction' a passage descends to the left and soon reaches two pitches. We descended the 5 m pitch on the right which allowed us to cover a short length of passage to a 20 m pitch. As this pitch is broken by a large ledge 10 m down we ran out of time to rig it safely and descend. The large passage can be seen to continue westwards towards Myanmar. Above the 20 m pitch there is a narrow rift on the left that was descended for about 20 m, but was very tight and not fully explored.
This cave has great potential. The resurgence is not known, but must be at least 4 km away as there are no contours on the map within 4 km of the entrance equal to the depth of the cave. The cave felt like it was part of a large system and had a good draught despite the large passages.
Tham Haeng
Main Entrance: 47Q 0519642 2209501 Alt.: 700 m
Upper Entrance: 47Q 519430 2209657 Alt.: 732 m
Length: 535 m VR: 48 m
Other names: Tham Raud Tira ถ้ ำรอดติร
Tham Haeng is located in the Mae Fang National Park to the north west of Fang town. We were looking for Tham Huai Bon which is shown on maps in the park headquarters and we reached the cave by driving through Ban Huai Bon. An unpublished guide to caves in Northern Thailand names the cave Tham Haeng, but the name painted in the entrance to the cave which we found can be transliterated as Tham Raud Tira.
From Fang head south on the H107 and then take the bypass and follow the road to the north west. Go past the turning to the national park headquarters and turn left at a crossroads. There is a sharp bend to the right in the first village where a track continues straight on and is sign posted to Ban Huai Bon hill-tribe village. Take this track through the forest and the village until you reach a barrier across the track. About 5 m before the barrier there is a turning to the left which leads across the dry stream bed and into a monastery complex. At the back of the monastery a path leads up the hill towards a col. Just before the col a path branches off to the right and leads to the cave entrance.
Tham Haeng is a pleasant little cave that descends gently to a large, level passage with formations. It then ascends steeply to a second entrance. Across the top of the steep slope from the second entrance a short bit of passage leads to the base of a 5 m pitch. Daylight can be seen at the end of the passage at the top of the pitch.
Survey of Tham Haeng
Tham Nam
The unpublished guidebook to the caves of Northern Thailand (Smart, et. al.) mentions a Tham Nam near Tham Haeng. The description says "close to the left exit of Tham Haeng" which would be the upper entrance on the survey of Tham Haeng. The cave descends to a stream which is said to continue for a considerable distance.
Tham Huai Bon ถ้ ำห้วยบอน
47Q 0519600 2209500 Alt.: 620 m
Length: 25 m VR: 4 m COT CM 34
Deharveng describes Tham Huai Bon as being a 20 m by 20 m shelter with rock paintings and a Buddha. This shelter was possibly behind the monastery buildings. The co-ordinates given by Deharveng are the same as our co-ordinates for where we parked the car in the monastery. However, the Royal Forest Department website description for Tham Huai Bon is "a big cave, 20-30 metres wide, which consists of many wonderful stalagmites and stalactites. There are two entrances 150 metres apart from each other, no dangerous areas for the traveller and also many small caves, about 10." It is possible that Deharveng also missed the true Tham Huai Bon. This area near the monastery needs to be looked at properly.
Tham Pha Phueng ถ้ ำผาผึ้ง
47Q 0509519 2182233
L: c. 20m COT CM 27 / 40
The cave is found in the Wat Tham Pha Phueng monastery near the village of Ban Mai Bong Nua. From Ban Mai Bong Nua head north towards Doi Ang Khang, passing the thermal springs. It is only a very short cave that has been developed into a shrine complete with concrete floors.
Chiang Mai References
Benedict, B. (n.d. [1985?]) [Ma Phong Sui Thong]; Clark, S. (2004) [Tham Chiang Dao]; Deharveng, L. & Gouze, A. (1983) [Tham Chiang Dao & Tham Tab Tao]; Deharveng, L., et. al. (1986) [Tham Chiang Dao & Tham Klaeb Yai]; Deharveng, L., et. al. (1988) [Tham Huai Bon]; Goodden, C. (2002) [Tham Muang Na Nua]; Farrant, A., Flower, S. & Lee, S. (2001) [Tham Tab Tao, Tham Ngam, Tham Pha Phueng]; Hallett, H.S. (1890) [Tham Chiang Dao & Tham Tab Tao]; Khuenkaew, S. (2003) [Cave near Arunothai]; Munier, C. (1998) [Tham Pha Phueng & Tham Tab Tao]; Nicholl, C. (1988) [Ban Tham Ngop & Ban Sinchai]; Smith, S. & Telling, J. (2004) [Tham Tab Tao]; Swearer, D. et. al. (2004) [Tham Chiang Dao]; Thikakhayano, M.S. (n.d.) [Tham Chiang Dao]; White, A. (1988) [Tham Tab Tao]