Exploring Tham Lod Cave is a spectacular day trip from Pai, Thailand. In fact, it was my favorite of all the northern Thailand sights I saw – for more than one reason, which is why I believe it deserves its own post.

Already explored Pai and looking for a day trip? Well, Tham Lod Cave (also called Tham Lot Cave sometimes) is a memorable thing to do in northern Thailand. Not only is this ancient cave got a lot of history, but this natural limestone cave is also a unique tour.

Everything is lit up by a lantern, carried by your mandatory guide – trust me, it’s so dark, having someone to light the trail is a great thing.

First up, I’ll talk about how I got to Lod Cave from Pai by rented motorbike.

If you’re looking for a great travel Pai itinerary, click there to find a whole bunch of things to do inside the town itself.

Don’t worry, if you don’t feel comfortable driving yourself to Tham Lod Cave, there are other options I’ll list below. The road is quite steep in sections and there is plenty of winding, blind corners to navigate. But, if you’re comfortable on two wheels, the scenery around Pai and Doi Kiew Lom Lookout (and rest stop) is beautiful.

 

Exploring Tham Lod Cave in Pai Thailand

This Pai day trip takes around one hour, one-way by rented motorbike, according to Google maps from downtown Pai – it took me a little longer than this, as I took my time and made a few random stops along the scenic road. My little 125cc was enough for the hills but took a little longer as I like taking it nice and slow while on two wheels.

Doi Kiew Lom Lookout, with stunning mountainous scenery along the way, the drive alone is worth the trip. There is an unmaintained road leading up to an even higher viewpoint, just across from the rest stop. This is where you’ll find the best parking for the area as well.

Doi Kiew Rest Stop gives splendid views overlooking the small town of Pai, flanked by a sea of never-ending green forest.

Around the village of Ban Nam Rin Village, the mountain path flattens out and becomes much easier to drive. By continuing along the well-maintained road the next village is Nong Pha Chaem. Tham Lod Cave is just a stone’s throw away from here – around 10 minutes drive to the busy car park.

 

Getting to this cave near Pai in northern Thailand

The cave’s entrance kiosk is right out front and un-missable as you are required to hire a “Lantern Tour” guide to enter any of the three caverns of the cave.

After paying at this kiosk, you’ll be paired up with your guide. You’ll have a short walk to the mouth of the cave along a paved walkway. Entrance to Tham Lod Cave just appears around the corner as you’re walking.

 

Tham Lod Cave Entrance Fee

Entrance fee to Tham Lod Cave has changed over time. I was charged 200 Baht ($6.60 USD) to enter cave’s first two chambers – which is totally worth it.

To enter the third cave in Tham Lod, you need to pay a fair bit more, as you’ll need to take a bamboo raft. This bamboo raft in Tham Lod Cave costs 400 Baht ($13.20 USD) return, or 300 Baht ($10 USD) one-way, and then you walk back out.

There is an optional fee of 20 Baht ($0.65 USD) for fish food. Yeah, a little strange until you see the hordes of fish waiting at the cave’s entrance. While I brought this fish food, it didn’t really enhance my experience. You’ll see the codfish grouped at the bottom of the wooden stairs leading into the cave system near Pai.

 

Entering Tham Lod Cave near Pai

As my guide and I (extremely small group) entered the cave, the scene became slightly magical. His lantern was lit by flammable liquid poured into a cylinder and a brisk pumping action. It slowly started to glow, turning into a beacon in the deep, dark halls of nature.

I visited two of the three caves – I didn’t have time for the bamboo boat ride required to visit the third. The boats did look quite cool and unique though, from what the darkness allowed me to see.

My guide, who spoke very little English and even then had such a thick accent, was able to give so much enjoyment from my short time in his company. Most of the sights that he pointed out to me seemed to require some sort of “magic eye” puzzle.

The majority of the attractions in caves one and two were of animals. All of which looked incredibly well sculptured – except they were manufactured completely natural over centuries by a combination of stalactites and stalagmites.

An elephant, crocodile and a snake looked as if they could leap into life form at any second.  They are formed by the slow dripping of calcium from the cave’s ceiling. There was one “animal” that stood out among the rest. My young Thai guide pointed to a slab of solidified calcium and proclaimed “UFO”. Before he could finish that sentence, he giggled. It was pretty clear he had been waiting for that one all tour!

I would highly recommend the Pai day trip to Tham Lod Cave if you’re searching for something to do outside the tiny town. With both the scenery and unique lantern tour and the journey to it cemented itself as one of my favorite trips in Thailand, if not all of South East Asia.

 

Pai Daytrip – Tham Lod Cave Information

• The availability of touring the caves depends on the season. In the wet season, only cave number one is open, while all three are open in the dry season – with the third only accessible by bamboo boat.
• While the price is a little confusing and the sign may be a little outdated, prices and policies change over time – let me know in the comments if I’ve got something wrong!
• As I mentioned before, I drive quite slow. I took a little over one hour to reach Tham Lod Cave, and this didn’t include stopping at Doi Kiew Lom Lookout. While the mountain roads were quite steep and windy, my 125cc motorbike was fine. As always, I rented through a hostel-affiliated company, so if anything were to go wrong, someone would hopefully be in my corner to assist me.
• As the mountains tower around you along the weaving road, the sun sets quickly behind them. The air becomes quite cold suddenly, bringing a warmer layer for afternoon driving isn’t a bad idea!

 

Other ways to visit this unique cave tour

If you don’t feel comfortable renting a bike in Thailand, there are a couple of other ways to visit this ancient cave system.

They are not anywhere near as cheap as renting a motorbike in Thailand, but it’s always good to have another option. The good news, you can book your spot online to make sure you get your tour.

• Take a tour from Mae Hong Son. This small town is around 2hours away from Pai, and around 1hr and 40min away from Tham Lod Cave.
• Take a taxi or mini-van from Pai. You can also take a taxi to Tham Lot Cave. in my opinion, booking this taxi/shuttle is easiest through your hostel. They know who to call and they know how much it should cost. There are some tips on booking things in Pai at the bottom of this post.

 

Pai Daytrip To Tham Lod Cave Map

This is an easy to follow map from Pai to Tham Lod Cave – you’ll pass Doi Kiew Lom Lookout along the way (the image with that giant swing overlooking northern Thailand).

All up, the distance between Tham Lod Cave and Pai is 49km, but due to the winding roads, it takes around 1hr and 15min to drive there. Plus, if you have a similar bike as I did (125cc) the steep hills can add a bit more time to climb.

 

Visiting this northern Thailand cave tips

Driving slowly is the best way to complete the day of riding safely. Especially with blind corners, it can be scary when confronted with a vehicle driving right at you on your lane of the road! Give yourself time to break.

The fish food, in my mind, is a bit of a tourist trap. If you enjoy feeding fish, go for it, there are lots! But it just wasn’t for me and that 20 Baht (even though it was real cheap) could’ve gone to something a little more fitting for me – probably a beer.

The path around the caves is mostly staircases or flat ground with a slight incline. Still, decent walking shoes are needed. It’s can also be quite dark, so watch where you step!

While I was driving back to Pai, I was thoroughly drug searched at a random stop – and it felt fairly suspicious. Be wary of drug laws in Thailand, as I did hear these drug search stops in Pai aren’t uncommon.

 

Short video on exploring the lantern-lit caves of Tham Lod

A short video on exploring the Tham Lod Lantern Tour – what to expect and what to see along the way!

If you enjoyed this video, make sure you subscribe to Horizon Unknown Youtube channel to see plenty more travel related videos!

 

Highlights of Tham Lod Cave – Pai Daytrip

• Tham Lod Cave and its lantern tour are amazing. I enjoyed my short tour.
• Doi Kiew Lom Lookout is stunning! Such a beautiful vista – and it’s right along the way!
• The entire road to Pham Lod Cave is full of beautiful scenery and the road is easy to drive, minus a few steeper sections.

The town of Pai itself is definitely a Thailand must-see for me. With a strong backpacker community, the vibe and atmosphere were super friendly.

 

Booking things in Pai

If you’re looking at booking things in Pai, Thailand, or even most of Asia, I suggest asking your accommodation to help you out. When deciding between a hostel or hotel, I find hostel staff to be incredibly helpful (usually more so than hotel staff). They are often travelers, have traveled the area and know how to get to things and how much it all costs.

If you’re looking for great hostels in Pai, I suggest Common Grounds and SpicyPai, but seeing Pai is a town catering to backpackers, there are plenty of great hostels to browse.

 

Read more on traveling Thailand

• Here are an easy 6 tips for packing for Thailand travel
• Click here for four activities I think should be part of everyone’s Thailand itinerary.
• Check out the Travel Thailand basics.

Have you visited Pai’s Tham Lod Cave? What about some of the other caves in the area? Let me know what you think, along with questions or comments below!

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Thanks for reading!

Happy and safe travels,

Ben – Horizon Unknown