Tham Luang, Cave system in Pong Pha, Thailand.
Tham Luang is a cave system in Pong Pha that runs more than 10 kilometers beneath the limestone surface. Inside, you find winding tunnels, deep chambers, and formations hanging from the ceiling and rising from the floor.
French researchers from Association Pyrénéenne de Spéléologie explored the system in the 1980s in the first scientific surveys. In 2018, twelve young people and their coach stayed trapped inside for 18 days, prompting a worldwide rescue effort.
The name refers to a sleeping lady, linking the cave to old stories told in nearby communities about a princess and the pond outside. Local visitors sometimes come here as part of that tradition, connecting the natural site with the legend passed down through generations.
You can usually visit from November through June, as the monsoon season often makes it impassable. The entrance sits near the border with Myanmar, and finding your way inside requires good preparation because of the many branching passages.
During the monsoon, water can pour into the cave at up to 25 cubic meters per minute, turning quiet passages into rushing underground streams. This rapid flooding shows how quickly conditions can shift beneath the surface, even in a place that looks dry.
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