Cave Lodge

08/11/2024

This is a preview of the soon to be released BBC Asia series. The film crew stayed at Cave Lodge for 27 days, filming these dramatic scenes at the cave exit chamber every morning and evening. We had been planning this shoot with the BBC for well over a year. It is a world-class spectacle, free to watch every day of the year at sunrise and sunset, just 20 minutes walk from Cave Lodge. We also run kayaking trips from the Lodge that pass through the enormous tunnel of Tham Lod, visit the upper caverns, see the birds returning at dusk and then continue to the pick up point at a dam. Call 053617203 for more info.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mEW-cKmXm0

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07/11/2024

Caving yesterday with Martin and Bobbie Foakes on a trip from Cave Lodge. Now that the wet season is over, it is a great time to get underground while the formations are still wet and active. Cave Lodge is now running full day adventure caving trips, as well as kayaking through Tham Lod and trekking tours. Don't miss out this dry season on a chance to see Thailand's best underground wonders. Call the Lodge between 8am and 8pm on 053617203 for more information.

11/09/2024

Check out this mesmerizing Slo-Mo clip from Tham Lod yesterday, at 6.30pm, after sunset, when the cave's resident 350,000 swifts return to nest underground for the night.

This impressive, world-class spectacle is a 20 minute walk from Cave Lodge (cavelodge.com), where there are maps and more info. The BBC Natural History unit filmed the incredible cave-adapted bird colony earlier this year for the upcoming Asia Mountains series.

In the early morning, the birds leave for the day to feed, another equally spectacular show in the mist. BBC thinks it is the world's largest permanent colony of birds, and the swifts share the cave with a large colony of bats, which leave after the birds return. The birds never land except to cling to the cave ceiling. If they fall in the river, huge fish gobble them instantly.

Stay at Cave Lodge (dorm beds and bungalows) to experience this amazing sight, which is free for all who make the short walk to the cave exit chamber (not the inflow entrance). It is wet season at the moment and the local guides for Tham Lod take visitors only to the cave entrance chamber and first cavern. The best and only way to see all of this enormous cave is on a kayaking trip from Cave Lodge. The kayaks pass through Tham Lot, visit side caverns, explore another undeveloped cave and run 7-12 kms of fun whitewater on the scenic Lang River. Trips through the cave take around 2.5 hours. A highly experienced river/caving guide sits in the back of every kayak for a safe and exciting experience. Call 053617203 for more info and booking trips. We are in Tham Lot village, Pang Mapha, a bit over an hour's drive from Pai.

06/04/2024

A few more pics from our village's Poy Sang Long Festival that ended a couple of days ago when the boys removed their princely clothes to don the robes of novice monks. It was a 4 day/4 night party for the Shan. Some of you may have been caving with Ong. His son, Satang, was one of the 'Louk Geow,' initiates.

03/04/2024

Some special visitors at Cave Lodge yesterday. Our village, Ban Tham Lod, is holding a Poy Sang Long festival, to celebrate young boys becoming novice monks in the village temple. As part of the celebration, the boys, dressed like princes, are paraded around the village to each house, their feet never touching the ground.

16/11/2023

A kayaking/caving trip through Tham Lod yesterday. The bamboo rafts are not running through the cave yet so kayaking from Cave Lodge is the only way to see all of the enormous river tunnel. At the moment, the locals take the tourist only to the first cavern, so when you kayak, you have the whole cave to yourself, which is great for taking photos. The guides have lights. They also visit Hair Cave, another beautiful cave and kayak down the Lang River, with stunning limestone landscapes, forests and fun rapids. Expert guides, safe fun. Takes around 2.5 hours, includes pick up 7kms downstream. One guide for each person, 1000 baht/person.

16/11/2023

A kayaking/photo trip through Tham Lot yesterday. The bamboo rafts are not running through the cave yet, so kayaking from Cave Lodge is the only way to see all of this amazing cave. All of the tourists are visiting only the first cavern, so you have the main tunnel to yourself. It is one of the world's most photogenic caves. After Tham Lot, the kayaks run six kms of river with lots of rapids and stunning limestone scenery. Awesome guides, safe fun. Lots of people agree it the best thing to do in the North at the moment.

27/10/2023

The river is at the best level for Kayaking. Just an hour from Pai.

Black & White water kayaking through the most spectacular Lod Cave. Visit a few caves along the way.

Booking is essential.

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The mountain rivers of Northwest Thailand are perfect for whitewater kayaking. We use top quality inflatable 1-2 person kayaks, and international standard sa...

28/04/2023

Wet stream caving from Cave Lodge in the hot, dry season. There is no better place to spend a full day than underground in a cool, spectacular cave. Now is the best time for caving in Pang Mapha.

18/04/2023

A cool day caving yesterday, taking a few pics with Nang and Toon. Underground is the best place to be during the hot, smokey season. Cave Lodge runs full-day trips to this stunning, pristine stream cave, pushing in over 3km.

10/04/2023

Caving yesterday with Ice and Oh near Cave Lodge. It's the hot dry season, and when it is nearly 40 degrees Celsius outside, and about 22 underground, there is no better place than a stream cave.

27/03/2023

The best place to be in Northern Thailand during the hot dry season is Cave Lodge. The mornings are still cool as are the waterfalls and caves. A few pics from yesterday, camping at Susa Falls in the Wildlife Sanctuary. The forest at this time of the year is perfumed with the magnificent floral scent of the flowers from Mai Bao, a common deciduous tree, orchids and Dok Sair, an edible flower.

21/03/2023

The Poy Sang Long celebration today in Ban Mae Lana (near Cave Lodge) for the young Tai (Shan) boys who will be initiated as novice monks. This colourful Shan tradition is held yearly in different villages. This year, 37 boys, dressed as princes, are carried everywhere so their feet don't touch the ground. The celebration involved people from Black and Red Lahu villages, Pa-O, Karen and Shan from nearby villages and the Shan State in Myanmar, which is very close by. Tomorrow, the boys will change into robes and spend some time in the temple.

10/03/2023

09/03/2023

Kayaking today on the Nam Khong, heading for the Pai River and Mae Hong Son, 40 kilometres downstream.
The rivers pass through the superb Nam Pai Wildlife Sanctuary, primary forests and no clearing or villages.
At this time of the year, we can run this full-day trip with groups of five or more. There are plenty of fun rapids and you can paddle your own kayak or sit with a guide.
No experience is needed, learn as you go.

06/03/2023

A couple of shots from yesterday on an adventure caving trip from Cave Lodge with iconic cave photographer Martyn Farr and his partner, the fantastic model Rachel Smith. Now, the dry season, is the best time to join one of the Lodge's full-day caving trips to Thailand's biggest and best caves. We can run trips any day, but all must be arranged the day before departure.

21/01/2023

The lovely Pueng, manager of Cave Lodge.

21/01/2023

Cool mornings and perfect days at Cave Lodge with the change in season and the deciduous trees changing colour. It is the best time to be out walking and exploring the amazing karst landscapes of Pang Mapha....only an hour from Pai...