Tham Sao Hin Phraya Naak [CR0028]
20.323607,99.864916
Location
1km south of Wat Tham Plah, on the far side of a reservoir, reached from the main road at the check point near kilometre post 878, 13km south of Mae Sai. The cave entrance itself can be reached by the steel causeway across the lake.
Description
The lower entrance is next to the jetty and contains a small shrine of a Buddha on the back of an elephant. A squeeze up through a maze of columns leads to the second level which is connected to a third level by an iron ladder. Both of these levels display such an impressive array of stalactites, stalagmites and columns that some sections of the cave have been completely enclosed by them. From the third level you can exit the cave through a small window and return to the jetty along the edge of the cliff. Alternatively a small hole in the southeast corner of this level (easily located by the blast of air coming from it) leads down a steep muddy slope to a completely dark inner chamber with a large bat colony.
Fauna
Aselliseus stoliczkanus Dobson, 1871 (Chordata, Mammalia, Chiroptera, Hipposideridae) (Yenbutra and Felton 1986)
Documents
Bibliography 10/08/2019- +DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 +SIDISUNTHORN, PINDAR; GARDNER, SIMON; SMART, DEAN (2006) "Caves of Northern Thailand" River Books, Thailand, ISBN 9749863135 +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, HEINZ (1986) "Bat Species and Their Distribution in Thailand According to the Collections in TISTR and SMF" in FELTON, HEINZ (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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | Tham Noi [CR0078] | 8 | 0 |
| 0.4 | Resurgence CR0077 | ||
| 0.5 | Resurgence CR0076 | ||
| 0.5 | Tham Plaew Plong Fah - CR0015 | 54 | 7 |
| 0.6 | Tham Plah - CR0013 | ||
| 0.8 | Tham Ku Kaeo - CR0010 | 530 | 10 |
| 1.3 | Cave CR0011 - CR0011 | ||
| 1.9 | Ban Tham - CR0059 | ||
| 2.1 | Sink CR0103 |