Tham Tan Lot Yai — ถ้ำธารลอดใหญ่
August 19th is the middle of the rainy season of Thailand. The temperature usually peaks at around 95°F, and the weather is a mix of clouds and sun, with periodic outbursts of rain that come as suddenly as they leave. The air is thick with moisture, the trees are breathing green, and the forest sings with bird calls, chirps, croaks. In the midst of all this, the forest streams and brooks tumble down the mountain sides with renewed vigor, and become highways for all manner of insects and avians.
Looking for a place to hike in Kanchanaburi, I was drawn to Tham Than Lot Yai both for it’s amazing rock formations and the waterfalls that could be found along the route. Little did I know there would be a grueling half-mile of steep stairs built into the mountainside whose splintered steps offered little confidence, a mysterious alter under the wide open mouth of a mountain, or a peaceful temple at the very end.
The hike begins in Chaloem Rattanakosin Park in northern Kanchanaburi province. From the namesake city that is the site of the Bridge over the River Kwai, it is a little over an hour’s drive. The parking area is connected to a campground, which is a good option for a night’s stay to those who are inclined. While not the easiest place to find, the roads leading to it were in good order and the signage was reliable. Follow the camp signs to a Ranger station, where you’re required to sign in, then past a building bedecked with flower garlands just at the cave entrance, and from there you begin the hike proper.
Before you get to Tham Than Lot Yai, (whose name could loosely translate to Large Cave under which a Stream Flows), you have to pass Tham Than Lot Noi, the Small Cave. This is a true cave, meaning totally dark inside (notwithstanding electric lamps), with stalactites, stalagmites, and other classic rock formations one would expect. There is also a man-made walkway throughout, and of course the brook running through. At the entry, the ceiling diminishes to about three feet in height, forcing one to creep through hunched over or even on all fours. Once through this initial obstacle, however, it enters a series of more spacious rooms and tunnels.
Left to Right: Small Building by Entrance, Looking Out from the Entry, Cave Interior, Bats
As I made my way through the cave, I heard the swoops and wing beats of bats. I didn’t tarry long, walking through while taking a handful of pictures. The lighting was dim, the atmosphere was chilled, and the odor a little pungent. The burbling of water offered some comfort, though. From end to end, the small cave takes about ten minutes to traverse. Once outside the cave, I entered a pure jungle atmosphere.
Of course, it was August. The atmosphere in Thailand sticks to the body like a vaporized soup. Every cloud seems to wear a thick gray belly that threatens rain. It would seem like a risky time of year to go hiking, and indeed I would encounter few people that day. However, it is also a time of life in Thailand. The tree canopy is opaque, the foliage so thick you could try to swim in it, and the forest is literally buzzing with insects, reptiles, and colorful birds.
This quavering, vibrant atmosphere is what I walked into. The graded stone path of the cave gives way to a well kept dirt trail, and you follow alongside the river at a gradual incline. This is a great opportunity for spotting wildlife, investigating different plants, and contemplating the Dracontomelon trees whose roots form buttresses up the side of the tree to anchor it to the ground.
As I walked upstream, the brown skinks were numerous, fleeing as I stomped by; butterflies flitted up and down the river; and the tail feathers of birds would tease me as they swooped across from covert to covert. I stopped by a small cascade for some photos, crossed the river on a man-made bridge, and finally, after stopping to take the portrait of a fantastic butterfly that combined the colors of a zebra and a tiger, I made it to the start of the stairs.
Left to Right: Dracantomelon Trees, a Common Posy , Damselfly (Euphaea ochracea), Spotted Forest Skink, Small Cascade
It turns out, Tham Than Lot Yai is towards the top of the mountain, and there are numerous long stairwells, mostly constructed with lumber, but sometimes with metal. They are steep, and the steps are not always in good repair. Some were missing, others were half-broken, and others at uneven angles. Traversing these, I came to the first of three Tri Treung Waterfalls.
This one was a split waterfall, a sliding cascade over angled rocks on one side, and showering falls around a deep cut in the rocks on the other. There’s a small brown pool at the base with soft sand which can be safely waded. It is a very pleasant place to stop along the walk, but I wouldn’t take advantage of it until on the way back.
Left to Right: A Stairwell, Erianthus Grasshopper, Tri Treung No. 1, Tiny Caterpillar, Two Striped Jumping Spider
Sound on!
I continued up the stairs, dodging beneath low hanging plants, and avoiding grasshoppers or caterpillars crawling on the hand-railing. The greenery encroaches on this precipitous climb, and often brings Thailand’s curious creatures quite close to the eye. It was also around this point when I began to hear the call of the cicadas.
The sound is a buzzing that’s more than a little metallic–indeed I thought I was hearing the work of a distant lumber mill–and more than a little loud. As I hiked further along, these calls would echo in the forests around me, sometimes distant, and sometimes so close I could only wonder if there wasn’t a cicada on my shoulder.
Further up the river valley, I saw the top of what I imagine is Tri Treung Waterfall two, though I never did fish out if there was a walking path to it’s base. After that is the third large waterfall, a tall, vigorous pouring of water that falls onto broken boulders. Here, there didn’t appear to be any swimming or wading opportunities, and the jagged edges of the rocks made crawling under the waterfall a bit risky. Above these falls, the stairs continued their climb, and it’s here that you come to the most beautiful view of the valley that you’ve been trekking through, and the countryside beyond.
Up to this point, I was about two hours into the hike. The view, the waterfalls, the different critters moving to and fro, all served to make the hike totally worth it, and if I had felt tired and decided to throw in the towel, I would not have been disappointed with the trip. However, there was still the Large Cave to explore, and everything only strengthened my resolve to see it. I continued on. After another twenty to thirty minutes of climbing, I reached a plateau in the mountains, and just ahead there was a sheer rock wall, hundreds of feet tall, it seemed. The cave had to be underneath.
No picture could do this place justice, it’s just too big for a single image to capture successfully. Contrary to my expectations, Tham Than Lot Yai is more of a massive natural arch, with trees growing beneath it and on top of it, and the river placidly tumbling through it, making pools and cascades as it went.
I followed into the cave proper, beneath the natural arch, and looked through a giant gap, open like a window to the sky, edged with trees. Beneath was a gravelly bottom which I read later had been an archaeological site, and there was also an altar with incense available for those who want to make an offering. I spent a fair bit of time here exploring and resting before continuing down the trail.
Beyond the cave, the trail continues through some pleasant forest, as at the start of the hike, and ends at a quiet monastery. At the time I was there, the monastery was almost empty, and so quiet that I felt a bit like I was intruding, so I kept my photography to a minimum here. After a short prayer and rest, it was time to turn around and begin the climb back down the mountain.
From the beginning to the monastery, I had trekked about three hours. The return descent would take only one and a half. Of course, I spent a lot less time taking photos, instead, focussing on the fauna of the forest more, trying to spot some birds, especially. I was fortunate to see a wild Hornbill and a Dragontail butterfly, as well as a forest owl that flew away before I had a chance to take grab my camera.
Left to Right: Altar inside Tham Tan Lot Yai, Gap in the Roof of the Cave, Monastery Alter, Oriental Pied Hornbill, Green Dragontail Butterfly
One curious change from morning to afternoon was the appearance of numerous forest lizards. In the morning I hadn’t seen any of these spiky critters, only the brown skinks, but on the way back, they were there basking in the sun at the edge of the river or running down the path ahead of me. They didn’t seem too afraid of my camera, so I shot a few portraits.
Along the descent, I stopped to dip into the first waterfall, and felt it was the most refreshing thing I ever experienced. I’m sure my body had been running hot beforehand, and after I had a spring in my step like I was ready to turn around and go back up again. I finished with the stairs, and continued down the dirt trail into the cave.
Left to Right: Emma Gray’s Forest Lizard, Vines, Crêpe Ginger Inflorescence, Cruiser Butterfly
On emerging into the park, I signed myself out at the Ranger station. I believe I was the last one in the cave that day, for right after I signed, the ranger on duty wrapped up her books, hopped on a motorcycle and left, and I was almost totally alone in the park, listening to the cicadas before sitting in my car and driving back to my distant hotel.