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| By Ianpassion |
Situated in the jungle area of Manang district, Satun, South of Thailand, the Diamond Cave called Tam Phu Pha Phet in Thai is waiting for you to be explored.
The said cave is the only preserved diamond cave in Satun, South of Thailand. If I have not mistaken, it is the largest cave in Asia and the third largest cave in the world with a total area of 22,000 square meters.
Phu Pha Phet Cave is around two hours of travel from the main city (Hatyai) and an hour drive from the central town of Satun. There is no direct public transport available to reach this place, so what is more convenient is to take a car or a motorbike.
You will know you are in the right place when you finally arrived on the dead-end of Non-Thong Road, Manang District, where fortified signage is erected right in front of the towering kast mountains and a display of tropical green vegetation.
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| Fortified signage of the Phu Pha Phet Cave |
Because of the clean nature around, you can relax after long hours on the road. What I did on my last visit here, I lifted my eyes on the hills, staring on each edge and how the horizon was formed, and how clouds clothed the mountains.
In a few minutes of walking, heading to the main way going up to the mouth of the cave, you will start trekking under the shade of these tall trees canopying the 350 stairs pathway.
As you continue hiking up, pay attention to various sounds of birds, insects, and crickets. Their noise is like an orchestra of nature.
As you continue hiking up, pay attention to various sounds of birds, insects, and crickets. Their noise is like an orchestra of nature.
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| Pathway going to the mouth of the cave. |
When you finally arrived at the peak, a base where the entrance of the cave is located. Walk few meters away heading to the edge of the cliff and you will have a perfect rain-forest overview. Take some time to sit on the long wooden bench to rest, wipe your sweat, and refresh yourself for the final caving experience.
Normally there is a local guide who can accompany you throughout this caving exploration especially if it is your first time. The guide can lead you to the shrink mouth of the cave where you need to crawl with hands on the ground since the size is just enough for one person kneeling.
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| Shrink mouth of the cave with my friend Ravn |
After passing through this shrink passage, in few minutes you will be inside this very spacious chamber. It feels like you are already on another planet.
On my first visit here, there was just one word I always expressed "Amazing!". Every corner of this cave where I focused my headlamp was always fantastic. The ceiling was really high that was even unreachable by my ordinary flashlight.
Since this cave is famous for its diamonds, so it was my objective to find where were they located. With friends, we walked through this wooden ladder heading down to the bottom. On our first stop was a boulder with a wooden fence. The area was restricted, so from where I stood I focused my headlamp in the middle of it, and there it was, diamonds amazingly glittered as it was hit by my lamp.
As I continued trekking down, I stopped at this area where there was a log ladder ascending to a quarter where there were some rugged-primitive beds. It was a spacious room with cavities of limestone both ceiling and walls. A local friend said that place was used as a resting room by Buddhist monks many years ago for meditation.
I did not notice that it was already one hour past, but there was more to explore. We rested on the place where the ground was plain, which right in front of us was an elevated stage made from a massive limestone boulder. It was then I found through a friend that this place was used as a hideout and a meeting hall of the communists during their guerrilla war in Thailand around 1965-1983.
Not far from this plain ground, there was what the locals called the eternity water drops. It never gets drain even during the very hot season in Thailand. The waters were from a very high ceiling. If I said high, it is really high that you can't see and reach its source by your flashlight. Over time, golden dents were formed from many droplets on the same spot, which was so fascinating to stare at.
Inside was very well ventilated due to an open section in which the fresh wind from outside can go via an open portion above the ceiling. You felt like you are in the air-conditioned cathedral but only surrounded by various types of rocks, boulders, stalagmites, stalactites, and cave corals.
At particular section, we were finally at our last stop. The main attraction in this place was the huge emerald rock glittering with diamonds as it was hit by the natural sun-ray coming from above.
Before heading back, we quickly trekked to a corner, a few meters away from the emerald rock. A few minutes later we were fully covered with 1,000 times darkness inside a chamber called the snake encircling. We did not stay long here, so after exploring this place for a few minutes, then we started heading back.
Someone said it was the last chamber of the cave where there were no walkways anymore. But, from where I was standing I heard the sound of the river rushing beneath the darkest corner of the cave. It was a restricted area.
GPS: 7.1249373,99.9969423
On my first visit here, there was just one word I always expressed "Amazing!". Every corner of this cave where I focused my headlamp was always fantastic. The ceiling was really high that was even unreachable by my ordinary flashlight.
Since this cave is famous for its diamonds, so it was my objective to find where were they located. With friends, we walked through this wooden ladder heading down to the bottom. On our first stop was a boulder with a wooden fence. The area was restricted, so from where I stood I focused my headlamp in the middle of it, and there it was, diamonds amazingly glittered as it was hit by my lamp.
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| Glittering diamonds |
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| Live stalactites |
As I continued trekking down, I stopped at this area where there was a log ladder ascending to a quarter where there were some rugged-primitive beds. It was a spacious room with cavities of limestone both ceiling and walls. A local friend said that place was used as a resting room by Buddhist monks many years ago for meditation.
I did not notice that it was already one hour past, but there was more to explore. We rested on the place where the ground was plain, which right in front of us was an elevated stage made from a massive limestone boulder. It was then I found through a friend that this place was used as a hideout and a meeting hall of the communists during their guerrilla war in Thailand around 1965-1983.
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| A platform stage inside the cave |
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| Standing on this massage rock in the meeting area |
Not far from this plain ground, there was what the locals called the eternity water drops. It never gets drain even during the very hot season in Thailand. The waters were from a very high ceiling. If I said high, it is really high that you can't see and reach its source by your flashlight. Over time, golden dents were formed from many droplets on the same spot, which was so fascinating to stare at.
Inside was very well ventilated due to an open section in which the fresh wind from outside can go via an open portion above the ceiling. You felt like you are in the air-conditioned cathedral but only surrounded by various types of rocks, boulders, stalagmites, stalactites, and cave corals.
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| The bottom of the cave |
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| Behind us is the emerald stone. |
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| Taken 2018 |
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| Nana and Nemi 2018 |
At particular section, we were finally at our last stop. The main attraction in this place was the huge emerald rock glittering with diamonds as it was hit by the natural sun-ray coming from above.
Before heading back, we quickly trekked to a corner, a few meters away from the emerald rock. A few minutes later we were fully covered with 1,000 times darkness inside a chamber called the snake encircling. We did not stay long here, so after exploring this place for a few minutes, then we started heading back.
Someone said it was the last chamber of the cave where there were no walkways anymore. But, from where I was standing I heard the sound of the river rushing beneath the darkest corner of the cave. It was a restricted area.
GPS: 7.1249373,99.9969423
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