Phu Pha Phet Cave in Satun Thailand
The name Phu Pha Phet also translated as the Diamond Mountain Caves and is the largest cave in Thailand. It is also the third largest in the world and apparently no information is available in most international travel guide books.
I had the pleasure of exploring these caves with the help of Tourism Authority of Thailand in June 2010 and it was a very interesting experience, considering that only local Thai people were the only ones who visited here.
Phupha Phet Caves are located about 80 kilometers from Hat Yai and is about an hour and a half drive there. On arrival at the caves, you need to pay a 30 Baht entrance if you are going without a guide.
In this case, I would recommend you book one of the tours with a proper English speaking guide as it will make things so much easier for your cave trip here. As we arrived at the large car park outside, there were toilets and stalls selling local Thai snacks, souvenirs and drinks.
Well, the caves have been popular with the locals hence the local taste here and tall rainforest trees obstruct your view to the caves. After walking in about 100 meters, we reach a hut where locals rent out Cave Headlights at 20 Baht each set. You will need one of these for your caving trip here.
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335 steps leading up to the Phu Pha Phet Cave |
From after renting the cave headlights, we start the climb up to the caves. A path through the rainforest with occasional concrete steps along the way provides those visiting an easier passage. Don’t forget to look around when heading up the 335 steps as you may encounter some unique bugs and insects.
There are also a total of 20 cave rooms to visit at the two floors and this alone will easily take you about one to two hours. So take note of the time spent here as you need to make time to explore the entire area.
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Inside the massive cave system |
From here on, it was wooden walkways up and down throughout the caves. At certain sections, you were lead onto the main cave grounds without any walkway therefore you should follow your guide closely.
The cave floors can be slippery so it is best to wear some proper sports shoes with a good grip. You will see extremely huge stalagmites and even the beautiful cave corals and possibly some cave life like spiders, frogs and other cave dwelling creatures. Please do not try to touch them as they can be poisonous.
This was the highlight for most of the local tourist that came here, mainly to take photos of this natural phenomena.
From there we ventured into many other cave rooms where more stories was told by the local guide an then translated to us. Some of them pretty interesting, considering that this place is still relatively new.
This was located in one of the rooms bypassing a small cave pool and located in the dark. There are no lights therefore you should be extra careful here and possibly bring a torch or rent one of those head torches from the cave entrance.
- Walking shoes with good grip is a must
- Water bottle
- Powerful torchlight
- Head Lamps are available for rental
Phu Pha Phet Caves in Satun Thailand Information
- Phu Pha Phet is also known as Diamond Mountain Cave due to the shimmering particles inside the cave
- Largest Cave in Thailand
- 3rd Largest Cave in the World
- 18 acres in total size
- 7 cave floors (only 2 floors for visiting)
- 20 cave rooms to visit on the 2 floors
- Opening times – 8.30 am till 4.30 pm daily
- Entrance Fee – 30 Baht
- Cave Lights Rental – 20 Baht
- Total time at caves – About 2 hours
- Total time including journey – About 3-4 hours
For those who plan to visit the southern part of Thailand, do plan your visit to the Phu Pha Phet Cave in the Satun district. If you love the outdoors and adventure, you will not regret this experience here.
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