Loum (Tham)
19.722584,102.072140
Location
Access requires an exhaustive three hour walk with packs and involves several steep ascents and descents on a small footpath. The footpath begins at Ban Long Lao which can be reached by car from Luang Phrabang. Guides and porters can be hired in Ban Long Lao. If one starts early in the morning it is possible to visit the cave and to return to Ban Long Lao in a single day. A thorough investigation of the cave requires an overnight stay in Ban Longkhoay. From the latter village it takes another thirty minutes to reach Tham Loum which is located in a limestone ridge to the southwest of the village. The entrance and the whole extension of the cave is well known to the locals [5158] Map sheet: E48-001 Methode: GPS
Description
DREYBRODT JOERG informations
History:-- The entrance and the whole extension of the cave is well known to the locals [5158] Explo history: -- 28.12.2003 & 02.-03.01.2004 explored & surveyed to 1.598 m by German Lao Speleological Project 2003/2004 [5158] Cave description: Citation: Analysis: [5158]: Tham Loum is one of the longest caves surveyed to date in the Luang Phrabang province. Tham Loum follows the axis of the limestone ridge from NE to SW. The cave consists of a single rift-controlled meandering gallery with no significant branches. Except for a small entrance with a strong air current and few other crawls, the entire passage is of walking size. A few minor climbs intersect the gallery which was formed under phreatic conditions. In a later phase the passage has served as an underground drainage. The southern half of the cave passage still carries a small streamlet during the wet season. The water disappears in sinkholes in the middle section of Tham Loum. The former underground river has accumulated large gravel banks in parts of the southern half of the cave. In some places evidence of different levels can be seen. However, the lower level is soon filled with sediment and is of no significant extension. Calcite formations are abundant and very pretty in some places. Rimstone pools, stalactites, stalagmites, columns, draperies and helictites were noted. About 1.6 km from the entrance the gallery gradually decreases in size and ends in a squeeze without any notable air current. During our exploration there was no CO2 observed as was the case in most of the other caves in the region >> survey >> shown on map Equipment: Remarks:During our visit in 2003/04 the villagers of Ban Longkhoay informed us of an even larger cave that requires a few more hours of walking – a good reason to return on another occasion with full camping gear! [5158] References: [4846]: Dreybrodt, J. & Laumanns, M. 2003: Der unbekannte Norden von Laos - Ergebnisse eines Erkundungsprojekts. Mitt. Verb. Dt. Höhlen- und Karstforsch. 49 (2): 38-41. [4847]: Dreybrodt, J. & Laumanns, M. 2003: Northern Laos Christmas 2002. Expedition to Muang Ngoy & Luang Prabang, Lao PDR. Unpublished Report, 20pp. [5158]: Dreybrodt, J. & Laumanns, M. (eds.) 2005: The unknown North of Laos (Karst and Caves of the Provinces Luang Phrabang and Luang Nam Tha). Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte 16. 105 pp & Annex. [5254]: Krause, M. & Laumanns, M. 2004: Forschung aktuell: Laos: Louang Prabang (Laos). Mitteilungen des Verbandes deutscher Höhlen- und Karstforscher 50 (3): 101. [5493]: Zillig, W. 2005: Laos 2003-04. URL: www.student.kuleuven.ac.be/~s0167070/expeditions/l… [5495]: Dreybrodt, J. & Laumanns, M. 2004: Laos. Gli ultimi cinque anni di esplorazioni europee nel generoso mondo ipogeo laotioano. Speleologia 25 (51): 76.
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 | Duk (Tham) | 0 | |
| 6.3 | Pha (Tham) | 0 | |
| 6.3 | Bomisue (Tham) | 0 | |
| 7.1 | Nam Xi (Spring of) | 0 | |
| 7.1 | Tham Rusi | 0 | |
| 8.6 | Ban Tat (Collapse of) | 14 | |
| 9.0 | Khouang Xi (Waterfalls) | 0 | |
| 10.1 | Luang (Tham) | 0 | |
| 10.4 | Kok Mu (Tham) | 29 |