Tham Long [Tham Rong] [CM0045]
19.581110,99.055273
Location
Just to the north of Ban Tham Klaeb, take the side road that goes straight on (north) where the main road turns sharp to the right. The cave is signed as Tham Pha Daeng and after a couple of kilometres a gateway leading a 'picnic area' at the base of the cliff. There is a notice board with a description in English of the nature trail toTham Long and Tham Klaeb Yai (Tham Pha Daeng). A newly constructed 2 km long nature trail leads precariously up the steep mountainside to an imposing entrance set high in the cliff face with a marvelous view over the valley. The trail starts with a steep climb up the cliffs above Tham Klaeb Yai, becoming increasingly fainter further uphill. The impressive entrance is set high up a cliff face about 1.5 km to the south-west of the road. Huai Ja Kan sub-station near the turn off from the main road can provide guides if necessary. The entrance is 30 m above base of tower.
Description
This is one of the best examples of a log coffin cave outside of Pang Ma Pha in Mae Hong Song. A newly constructed nature trail leads precariously up the steep mountainside to an imposing entrance set high in the cliff face with a marveloous view over the valley. A ladder made partly of coffin fragments leads up to the cave itself. The spacious entrance chamber is 30 m wide and contains a group of at least a dozen teak coffins, said to have been place in a large central pile by Forestry officials. Wood fragments in further recesses suggest that the coffins would have originally been positioned throughout the cave. Most of the coffin heads are T-shaped and many are still in excellent condition.
Documents
Bibliography 26/06/2019- DUNKLEY, JOHN ROBERT (1995) "The Caves of Thailand" Speleological Research Council, Sydney ISBN 0-9589253-9-9 POPE, GEOFFREY G.; FRAYER, DAVID W.; LIANGCHAREON, MALAI; KULASING, PINIT; NAKABANLANG, SUPAPORN (1980) "Palaeoanthropological Investigations of the Thai-American Expedition in Northern Thailand (1978-1980): An Interim Report" Asian Perspectives Vol. 21 No. 2 pp147-163 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 ZEITOUN, VAL+RY; FORESTIER, HUBERT; NAKBUNLANG, SUPAPORN (2008) "PrÚhistoires au sud du Triangle d'Or" IRD Editions, Paris ISBN 97-2-7099-1642-4 252pp
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7 | Cave PHD7 - CM0036 | 50 | 0 |
| 0.8 | Tham Klaeb Yai [Tham Pha Daeng] [Tham Ngam] [CM0035] | 2190 | 20 |
| 0.9 | Cave PHD8 - CM0037 | 10 | 1 |
| 1.0 | Sinks BSS 2000-10 - CM0134 | ||
| 2.1 | Coffin Cave CM0126 - CM0126 | 55 | 0 |
| 2.5 | Cave BSS 2000-9 - CM0131 | 3 | 0 |
| 2.6 | Tham Ngung Chang - CM0034 | 50 | 0 |
| 2.8 | Tham Klaeb - CM0033 | 176 | 20 |
| 3.9 | Sink BSS 2000-11 - CM0135 |