Tham Khao Maikaeow Cave

Stop press - we've received poor feedback about this attraction in recent years and can no longer reccommend it. The wooden walkways are in such a poor state that you could easily fall and break a leg.

This cave system lies almost exactly in the middle of Koh Lanta and is a good place to visit for those who fancy a break from beach-combing. It contains a pool where visitors can bathe in the rainy season, but not in the dry, high season (from December to April).

Over millions of years rainwater has formed holes, tunnels and caves in the limestone. It’s a bit of an adventure to climb down into the entry tunnels and then emerge into the caverns within. Some parts of the caverns are as high as a church’s nave, whilst others are so low that you need to duck your head and shuffle along hunched over, in order to avoid banging your head.

A guide is worth paying for, as the prospect of getting lost inside this cave system will otherwise, for most people, spoil the experience. The guides know how to avoid the snakes that live down here and will, besides, go first. You’ll end up covered in mud from tip to toe, so take a change of clothing along.

Andaman Sky, Co., Ltd, 23/8 Moo 2, Ao Nang, Thailand.