Tham Khao Pip - CP0066
10.145632,99.104385
Location
Take Highway 41 from Chumphon town for 49km til you reach the PTT LPG Station (this is 1Km before the Khao Pip Intersection). Just before the station take the road to the left for 1km which will take you round to the steps up to the cave. Note: Access from Road No. 4096 is no longer possible due to the train track. This cave is easy access with about 36 steps up to the entrance.
Description
The main cavern at the entrance has be made into a place of worship. I felt the natural beauty of the cave was lost due to over construction. However if you venture down the steps and take the passage to the right it takes you to the untouched part of the cave. This leads to another opening in the opposite side of the hill. In this part we found hundreds of bats which were making quite a sound as they flew around the rafters of the cave. Therefore a lot of guano is on the floor and as I found out on myself when I left the cave. Whilst lighting has been installed in the cave there was none in this part so it was difficult to get a good shot of the bats. A bat collection site.
Fauna
Hipposideros armiger (Hodgson, 1835) (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) (Yenbutra and Felton 1986)
Documents
Bibliography 25/07/2019- LATINNE, ALICE; WAENGSOTHORN, SURACHIT; ROJANADILOK, PRATEEP; EIAMAMPAI, KRAIRAT; SRIBUAROD, KRIANGSAK; MICHAUX, JOHAN R. (2013) "Diversity and endemism of Murinae rodents in Thai limestone karsts" Systematics and Biodiversity Vol. 11 online 22pp VOGT, NILS B. (2013) "Temple Caves & Grottoes in Thailand: A Picture-Guide Book" Booksmango, Bangkok ISBN 978-616-222-160-6 214pp YENBUTRA, SONGSAKDI; FELTON, H. (1986) "Bat Species and Their Distribution in Thailand According to the Collections in TISTR and SMF" in FELTON, H. (ED.) "Contributions to the Knowledge of the Bats of Thailand" Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Frankfurt Vol. 87 pp9-45
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.9 | Tham Huai Luk - CP0083 | ||
| 0.9 | Tham Khao Noi - CP0084 | ||
| 4.2 | Tham Pramong [CP0142] | ||
| 5.2 | Tham Kraduan - CP0032 | ||
| 6.5 | Tham Pla 1 [CP0136] | ||
| 6.5 | Tham Pla 2 [CP0140] | ||
| 7.0 | Tham Ma Ngaen - CP0081 | ||
| 7.9 | Khao Tham - CP0030 | ||
| 7.9 | Tham Tuay 1 [CP0137] |