Thailand Travel Pages - Khao Kop Cave, Trang Province

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Khao Kop Cave:

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One really great way to spend a day out in Trang Province is to take a trip through the amazing ‘lunar landscape’ of Khao Kop Cave. Accessible all year long, Khao Kop’s tunnels and caves have been carved by a river which over millennia has forced its way through and around the limestone mountain range. The only way to see the 4 kilometer cave system is to take a guided tour. The tours are all via small row boats, but it is possible to get out in some areas to explore small caverns and take photos.

The cave system is full of huge, sharp looking stalactites that hang down like rock icicles from the cave roof and large, imposing stalagmites that are slowly growing up from the cave floor. The stalagmites and stalactites give the whole place a strange ‘other-world’ quality resembling a lunar landscape. Some sections of the cave are lit by colored lights, which add to the fantasy feel, but it can be difficult to take good quality photos in these areas.

In some parts of the cave the ceiling is so low that everyone is forced to lie flat in the boat in order to pass underneath. Your guide will move the boat by pushing on the ceiling. Even when you are lying flat, the tunnel roof will pass just inches above your nose.

One great feature is that at one point the ceiling at the centre of the cave resembles the backbone of a giant dragon. Thai mythology venerates the dragon and so it is considered good luck to effectively pass under the belly of the mythical beast.

Getting there

Take the Petkasem Road (Highway 4 from Trang to Krabi), pass through the town of Huai Yot and turn left at the 7km marker on to the concrete road of The Office of Accelerated Rural Development, travel for 700 meters and the Tourist Center of Tham Le Khao Kop is located at the end.