Tham Sua Noi - KR0016

(TH)
8.409198,98.681252
Length 250m Depth 5m
Grottocenter / carte

Location

At the crossroads in the old town of Ao Luek take the road that heads north towards Ban Khao Lom. About 4 km there is a road on the left which goes towards Tham Lot Tai and Tham Phi Hua To. There is soon a road on the right which goes past Tham Thep Nimit and leads to Ban Tham Sua. Take a turning on the right in the village through the gate to the wat and into the extensive wat grounds. The road leads to a limestone tower and ends at the entrance to the cave. Martin Ellis - 14/10/2019

Description

Martin Ellis - 14/10/2019

The main entrance is 25m wide and 8m high and is decorated with a large Buddha statue. At the back of this entrance chamber straight on leads to a seasonal streamway 5m wide and 3m high. The downstream part, heading left, was not explored downstream, but a lot of bats could be heard in that direction. Upstream, right, goes past a bat colony to a sink entrance. This part of the cave was infested with fleas in July 2007. Back at the large Buddha a passage leads right. By heading up and to the right you reach a small meditation area and a small passage that opens up overlooking a larger passage. To reach this larger passage there is a smaller hole on the left which soon opens into the larger passage. This larger passage goes past a brick built and tiled room. This contained a hospital bed so the room may have been used as a sanatorium. The passage is daylight from a large entrance. Another entrance is reached by a short boulder floored passage on the left.

Fauna

Martin Ellis - 14/10/2019

Python reticulatus (Schneider, 1801) (Chordata, Reptilia, Squamata, Pythonidae) (unpublished record) Sundamys muelleri (Jentink, 1879) (Chordata: Mammalia: Rodentia: Muridae) (Latinne et al. 2013)

Documents

Bibliography 14/10/2019

History

2007-06-22 (M. Ellis, I. Hollis) The first recorded visit by cavers was by the SMCC. 2007-12-12 (M. Ellis, Y. Sopha, K. Morton, E. Morton, P. Butler, M. Butler) This cave, with Tham Khao Kwei, was adopted as a meditation cave by a monk from Wat Tham Sua (KR0034) near Krabi town. Henley reports that there is a collection of human bones and skulls, many of which were brought here from nearby caves, but no sign of this was seen in 2007. Martin Ellis - 14/10/2019

Caves nearby

Distance (km)NameLength (m)Depth (m)
0.1Tham Thip Pridaram - KR0240
0.4Cave KR0174 - KR01742600
0.9Tham Phra - KR0181
2.0Cave KR0302300
2.4Tham Orahan - KR01151000
2.4Tham Sua Nok - KR0180300
2.5Tham Thep Nimit - KR017922515
3.1Tham Phi Hua To - KR00191050
3.2Tham Hua Kalok Nua [KR0097]2000