Tham Thenk Hen
20.469223,102.529300
Location
Tham Thenk Hen can be reached on foot from the village of Thenkhen near the Nam Ou. From the village one follows the path between the school house and the Buddhist temple until a small stream is reached, which needs to be crossed. From the other side of the brook a path continues to the left, crosses a teak tree plantation and must be followed uphill for about 15 minutes. From here, a small trail branches off to the left which passes the cave. The entrance can be located by means of a GPS. The cave is also well known to the villagers [5158] Map sheet: F48-122 Methode: GPS
Description
DREYBRODT JOERG informations
History:The cave has been visited by locals, probably to hunt bats and to collect crystals [5158], [5128] Explo history: 24 & 31.10.2000 fully explored and surveyed to 213m by AMIS Laos Expedition 2000 (NL) [5128] Cave description: Citation: Analysis: [5158]: The entrance to Tham Thenk Hen is a 1.5 m high and 0.5 m wide crack in a boulder pile through which one has to climb down for about 2 meters. The cave then opens to the left into a small chamber (3 m by 4 m). A few meters before one reaches this chamber a big root is passed above which a small hole gives access to another roomy chamber. In the floor of the chamber a small hole leads down to a corkscrew squeeze that soon reaches a lower level with two short parallel passages which results in a round-trip. From the chamber one also can pass a large flowstone hump on the left side to reach a sporting climb that is negotiable without tackle. At the end of the climb a spacious chamber is reached. To the right one can follow the decorated wall to continue in a 7.5 m high and 9 m long passage with a small hole at the end. This hole leads to a lower level with a few small rooms. Another entrance to the cave is situated in this area. Tham Thenk Hen is a fossil cave with beautiful decorations [6415]: only shown in map [5128]: >> survey >> shown in map Equipment: Remarks: References: [5128]: Damen, F., Eskes, D., Burgers, J., Meijer, P. & Damen, F. sr. 2003: Amis Laos Caving Expedition 2000. Expedition Report of the first Dutch caving Expedition in Lao P.D.R. 104 pp, 4 maps. [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. [6415]: Dreybrodt, J. & Laumanns, M. (eds.) 2008: The Unknown North of Laos. Part 2 - 2006-2008: Karst and Caves of the Provinces Luang Phrabang, Luang Nam Tha, Xieng Khouang, Houaphan and Vientiane. - Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte 32. 143 pp.
Cavités proche
| Distance (km) | Nom | Longueur (m) | Profondeur (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.7 | Resurgence 2 | 0 | |
| 2.7 | Resurgence 1 | 0 | |
| 2.9 | Tham Tha Noi | 0 | |
| 3.0 | Tham Pha Leusi | 0 | |
| 3.0 | Pathèm (Tham) | 3 | |
| 6.8 | Houay Ngom (Tham) | 0 | |
| 7.5 | Opening left side Nam Ou | 0 | |
| 14.2 | Tham Pha Kouang | -60 | |
| 14.6 | Tham Pathok | 0 |