Top 10 Caves in Thailand
Thailand's cave landscape is shaped by the geology of the Shan-Thai plate — extensive limestone karst throughout the north and peninsular regions — and by the monsoon climate that creates dramatic seasonal flooding cycles. Thai caves range from coastal sea caves accessible by kayak to enormous mountain cave systems requiring specialist exploration. The 2018 rescue at Tham Luang brought international attention to Thai caves for the first time; the caves of the Pang Mapha region in Mae Hong Son Province represent some of the most archaeologically significant cave complexes in Southeast Asia.
All caves are on the cave map.
1. Tham Luang Nang Non, Chiang Rai
Karst cave. Tham Luang — Great Cave — became the most watched cave rescue site in history when twelve members of the Wild Boars youth football team and their coach Ekapon Chanthawong sheltered in the cave in June 2018 after monsoon flooding cut off their exit. After nine days missing, they were found by British cave divers John Volanthen and Rick Stanton. All thirteen were extracted over three days (8-10 July) by an international dive team led by Richard Harris and Craig Challen, using sedation for the flooded sections. The cave is approximately 10 kilometres long. It reopened as a heritage site in 2019; a museum at the entrance documents the rescue. Seasonal flooding closes the cave June to November. Tour grade A to B.
2. Phraya Nakhon Cave, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Karst cave. Phraya Nakhon near Hua Hin is one of Thailand's most iconic cave images: a collapsed doline (sinkhole ceiling) admits a shaft of sunlight into a large cave chamber where the Khua Karuhas Royal Pavilion stands on a raised platform. The pavilion was built in 1890 for a royal visit and has been maintained since. The cave is reached by a 430-metre hike or by boat from Hat Sam Phraya beach below the hill. At certain times of day the sunlight beam illuminates the pavilion's gilded roof. Tour grade B (hike required).
3. Tham Lod Cave, Pang Mapha
Karst cave. Tham Lod (Lod Cave) in the Pang Mapha district of Mae Hong Son Province is a through-cave — a cave that can be entered at one end and exited at the other — traversed by the Tham Lod stream navigated in bamboo rafts with bamboo torches. The cave contains coffin cave burials on high ledges above the stream: teak log coffins from approximately 2,000 years ago, placed by an unknown culture whose identity is still debated by archaeologists. The cave also contains a large cave swiftlet colony. Tour grade A to B (raft required).
4. Tham Phra Nang, Krabi
Sea cave. The Princess Cave (Tham Phra Nang) at Railay Beach in Krabi is a coastal cave at the base of limestone cliffs, dedicated as a shrine to a mythical sea princess. Wooden phallus votive offerings fill the cave; it is an active religious site as well as a tourist attraction. The cave is accessible at low tide by walking along the beach below the cliffs. The surrounding Railay peninsula is accessible only by boat and is ringed by additional sea caves and lagoons. Tour grade A.
5. Phu Pha Phet Cave, Sakon Nakhon
Karst cave. Phu Pha Phet (or Tham Pha Phet) in Sakon Nakhon Province in northeast Thailand is considered the longest natural cave in Thailand, with mapped passage extending several kilometres. The cave contains large chambers and active underground streams. It is not heavily developed for tourism but receives visitors through the local temple administrative system; the cave entrance is adjacent to a Buddhist temple, a common arrangement for significant caves in rural Thailand. Tour grade A to B.
6. Tham Khao Bin, Ratchaburi
Karst cave. Near Ratchaburi southwest of Bangkok, Tham Khao Bin is a cave system developed as a Buddhist temple complex with multiple halls of religious imagery set among natural stalagmites and stalactites. The route through the cave passes Buddhist statues, gilded figures, and altars in chambers linked by lit pathways. Large cave swiftlet colonies roost in the upper sections; edible birds' nest harvesting is a significant activity. Tour grade A.
7. Khao Sok Lake Caves, Surat Thani
Karst cave. The limestone karst ridges surrounding Cheow Lan Lake (Ratchaprapha Reservoir) in Khao Sok National Park contain several cave systems accessible by kayak from the floating huts on the lake. The most visited — Tham Nam Thalu — requires a guided boat entry. The surrounding karst towers rising from the lake create one of Thailand's most dramatic landscapes; caves in this context are part of a broader kayaking and overnight lake itinerary. Tour grade A to B.
8. Tham Lung Pa Khouay, Nakhon Ratchasima
Karst cave. A large cave system in the Khao Yai region of Nakhon Ratchasima, notable for its wrinkle-lipped bat colony — one of the largest in Thailand, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. The bat emergence at dusk is one of Thailand's most dramatic wildlife spectacles. The cave is within a forest park and is managed by the Royal Forestry Department; visitor access to the cave interior is limited but the bat emergence is publicly viewable. Tour grade A.
9. Wat Tham Pha Plong, Chiang Dao
Karst cave temple. The cave temple at Chiang Dao, northwest of Chiang Mai, is built into the base of the massive limestone massif of Doi Luang Chiang Dao. The outer lit section of the cave contains a series of Buddhist statues; a deeper, unlit section — requiring a lantern borrowed from monks — extends considerably further into the mountain. The experience of negotiating the unlit inner cave with a traditional lantern is distinctive. The temple is an active monastery. Tour grade A to B.
10. Tham Pla (Fish Cave), Mae Hong Son
Karst cave. Tham Pla — Cave of Fish — near the border with Myanmar is a short cave through which a stream flows, populated by large Tor putitora mahseer (a protected freshwater fish species) that are regarded as sacred and fed by visitors. The fish are remarkably unafraid of humans due to generations of protection under temple management. The cave mouth is framed by a bridge and statue of a hermit sage above the stream, and the surrounding forest trail leads to additional smaller caves and a waterfall within the national park boundary. Tham Pla is a standard half-day excursion from Mae Hong Son town. Tour grade A.
Planning a Thailand cave trip
Northern Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province is the most cave-rich region for non-beach visitors: Tham Lod, Tham Luang, Tham Pla, and Chiang Dao cave temple are all accessible from Mae Hong Son or Chiang Mai, ideally over two or three days. Southern Thailand's cave resources are coastal and peninsular: Phraya Nakhon fits a Hua Hin itinerary; Tham Phra Nang is integral to a Railay Beach visit; Khao Sok lake caves are accessed from Surat Thani or Khao Lak.
Tham Luang near Mae Sai in Chiang Rai Province is accessible as a day trip from Chiang Rai; the visitor centre and rescue museum opened in 2019 are worth allocating two hours. The cave itself is open in the dry season (November to May); the flooding that trapped the Wild Boars occurs reliably during the June to October monsoon and parts of the cave system remain closed to prevent access during periods of risk.