Tham Lot
Encyclopedia
Tham Lot is a tambon, village and a cave system near Soppong
, Pang Mapha district
, Mae Hong Son Province
, northern Thailand
. The Nam Lang River flows through the cave which is filled with stalactite
s and stalagmite
s. The cave is also home to large numbers of bats and swifts. In Tham Lot and other caves nearby teakwood coffin
s have been discovered which are thought to have been carved by the Lawa
tribespeople thousands of years ago.
Another cave in the area, the second longest known cave in Thailand, is Tham Mae Lana, which is 12 kilometres long. This was explored by Australian expeditions between 1984 and 1986. Other caves in the area which are over 1 km long include Tham Nam Lang (8,550m), Tham Bung Hu (4,442m), Tham Pha Mon (4,050m), Tham Seua/Tham Lom (3,100m), Tham Susa (2,617m), Tham Huai Kun (1,747m), Tham Pang Kham (1,370m) and Tham Plah (1,365m). Spirit Well (Nam Bua Phi), a spectacular large collapse doline and one of the largest known natural holes in Thailand, is south of the H1095 road. It is more than 200m across and 90 to 130m deep. It was first descended, by the Australians, in 1985.
Soppong
Soppong is a village and tambon of Pang Mapha District, in Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand. In 2005 it had a total population of 7398 people. The tambon contains 8 villages....
, Pang Mapha district
Amphoe Pang Mapha
Pang Mapha is the northernmost district of Mae Hong Son Province, northern Thailand.-Etymology:In the Shan language, Mapha or Makpha means lime and Pang means hill, so a translation into English might be Lime Hill....
, Mae Hong Son Province
Mae Hong Son Province
Most of the areas of Mae Hong Son Province are complex mountain ranges and likely still pristine virgin forest. Of the approximately 6,976,650 rai of national forest reserves, 88.02% is thought to be pristine virgin forest...
, northern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The Nam Lang River flows through the cave which is filled with stalactite
Stalactite
A stalactite , "to drip", and meaning "that which drips") is a type of speleothem that hangs from the ceiling of limestone caves. It is a type of dripstone...
s and stalagmite
Stalagmite
A stalagmite is a type of speleothem that rises from the floor of a limestone cave due to the dripping of mineralized solutions and the deposition of calcium carbonate. This stalagmite formation occurs only under certain pH conditions within the underground cavern. The corresponding formation on...
s. The cave is also home to large numbers of bats and swifts. In Tham Lot and other caves nearby teakwood coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
s have been discovered which are thought to have been carved by the Lawa
Lawa people
Lawa are an ethnic group in Laos and northern Thailand. They lived there before Thai people arrived. Today they live often in their traditional way of life, often professing animism. As the other mountain ethnic groups of Thailand, they are known for extraordinary craft skills...
tribespeople thousands of years ago.
Another cave in the area, the second longest known cave in Thailand, is Tham Mae Lana, which is 12 kilometres long. This was explored by Australian expeditions between 1984 and 1986. Other caves in the area which are over 1 km long include Tham Nam Lang (8,550m), Tham Bung Hu (4,442m), Tham Pha Mon (4,050m), Tham Seua/Tham Lom (3,100m), Tham Susa (2,617m), Tham Huai Kun (1,747m), Tham Pang Kham (1,370m) and Tham Plah (1,365m). Spirit Well (Nam Bua Phi), a spectacular large collapse doline and one of the largest known natural holes in Thailand, is south of the H1095 road. It is more than 200m across and 90 to 130m deep. It was first descended, by the Australians, in 1985.