List of caves in Thailand

The Emerald Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, ^{[1] [2]} specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word cave can also refer to much smaller openings such as sea caves, rock shelters, and grottos, though strictly speaking a cave is exogene, meaning it is deeper than its opening is wide, ^[3] and a rock shelter is endogene. ^[4]

List of Caves in Thailand

Name	Location	Notes
Doi Nang Non	Chiang Rai Province	Doi Nang Non is a mountain range in the Thai highlands in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. It is a karstic formation with numerous waterfalls and caves rising at the southern end of the Daen Lao Range. Part of its area is managed as the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park.
Emerald Cave	Kantang District	Emerald Cave is a cave located on the west coast of Koh Muk (also known as Koh Mook) Island, - The paradise island of Koh Muk and emerald cave are part of the Trang Provence, Southern Thailand. The cave has a narrow 20m long tunnel. The cave can be entered either by swimming or by using a kayak. It is best to see the cave at mid tide, because at low tide there will be no water, hence no 'emerald' on the beach inside.
Tham Hua Kalok	Ao Luek District	Tham Hua Kalok is a cave in Ao Luek District near Phang Nga Bay in southern Thailand. The cave contains prehistoric paintings in black and red pigment of humans and strange animals. The cave is in Than Bok Khorani National Park.
Tham Lot cave	Pang Mapha District	Tham Lot cave is a cave system with a length of 1,666 meters near Sop Pong in Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand. The Nam Lang River flows through the cave which is filled with stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is home to large numbers of bats and swifts. In Tham Lot and other caves nearby teakwood coffins have been discovered [5] which are thought to have been carved by the Lawa tribes people thousands of years ago.
Naresuan Cave	Noen Maprang District	Naresuan Cave is a pit cave within the Noen Maprang District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. [6] [7] Inside this cave, there is a descending limestone which looks like the Royal Helmet of King Naresuan, hence the cave's name. Descending and ascending limestone in this cave is very beautiful and strange-looking. The cave is very challenging for adventurers because its entry to the ascending and descending limestone hall is rather difficult.
Spirit Cave	Pang Mapha District	Spirit Cave is an archaeological site in Pang Mapha district, Mae Hong Son Province, northwestern Thailand. It was occupied 12,000 to 7,000 uncalibrated radiocarbon years ago by prehistoric humans of the Hoabinhian culture. The site is situated at an elevation of 650 m (2,130 ft) above sea level on a hillside overlooking a small stream. It was excavated in the mid-1960s by Chester Gorman. The Salween River, one of Southeast Asia's longest rivers, flows less than 50 km (31 mi) to the north. Two other significant nearby sites are the Banyan Valley Cave and the Steep Cliff Cave.
Tham Luang Nang Non	Chiang Rai Province	Tham Luang Nang Non is a karstic cave system in the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, near the village of Pong Pha, in northern Thailand. [8] It lies beneath Doi Nang Non, a mountain range on the border with Myanmar. On 2 July 2018, the cave was brought to international prominence when twelve members of a junior association football team and their assistant coach were found deep inside the cave. They had become trapped due to monsoonal flooding on 23 June. A rescue effort succeeded in bringing them out safely by 10 July. Two Thai rescue divers died as a result of the rescue.
Tham Mae Lana	Pang Mapha District	Tham Mae Lana is a karst cave located in Mae Lana, Pang Mapha District, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. It is abundant in stalactites, and is home to a subterranean stream that is populated by cavefish, including the waterfall climbing cave fish. The cave is difficult to traverse and can only be accessed with the assistance of local guides. [9] [10]
Tham Phra Wang Daeng	Phitsanulok Province	Tham Phra Wang Daeng, also known as the Cave of the Monk is a deep cave located in Thung Salaeng Luang National Park, Amphoe Noen Maprang, Phitsanulok Province, upper central Thailand. It is the longest cave in Thailand, the distance is about 13 kilometers. Buddhist statues and relics, carvings and reliefs, a subterranean river, multiple bat colonies, and a trove of speleothems populate the cave. [11] [12] In 2003, a biological expedition to the cave resulted in the discovery of new fish species, including discoveries in the Balitoridae and Cyprinidae families. [13]

References

1. Whitney, W. D. (1889). "Cave, n.1." def. 1. The Century dictionary: An encyclopedic lexicon of the English language (Vol. 1, p. 871). New York: The Century Co.
2. "Cave" Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009
3. Moratto, Michael J. (2014). California Archaeology. Academic Press. p. 304. ISBN   9781483277356.
4. Lowe, J. John; Walker, Michael J. C. (2014). Reconstructing Quaternary Environments. Routledge. pp. 141–42. ISBN   9781317753711.
5. Wipatayotin, Apinya (11 February 2018). "Finding common ground" (Spectrum). Bangkok Post. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
6. "The Caves of Tak Province". www.thailandcaves.shepton.org.uk. Retrieved 2018-07-05.
7. Polseela, R; Vitta, A; Nateeworanart, S; Apiwathnasorn, C (November 2011). "Distribution of cave-dwelling phlebotomine sand flies and their nocturnal and diurnal activity in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand". The Southeast Asian journal of tropical medicine and public health. 42 (6): 1395–404. PMID   22299408.
8. Ellis, Martin (2018). The Caves of Thailand. 2. Lulu. pp. 151–152. ISBN   978-0-244-33343-0.
9. http://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/Mae-Lana-Cave--463 TourismThailand
10. http://ulrichschuler.net/cavingmaelanacave.html UlrichSchuler
11. http://www.showcaves.com/english/th/showcaves/PhraWangDaeng.html SHOWcaves
12. https://www.thailandcaves.shepton.org.uk/longest-caves TCaves
13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270508267_Three_new_species_of_fishes_from_Tham_Phra_Wang_Daeng_and_Tham_Phra_Sai_Ngam_caves_in_northern_Thailand_Teleostei_Cyprinidae_and_Balitoridae RGate