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Tham Luang

The 18th deepest cave in the world

The 18th longest cave in the world

85m · Depth
10.3km · Length

Tham Luang Nang Non (lit. 'Great Cave of the Sleeping Lady', RTGS: Tham Luang Nang Non, pronounced [tʰâm lǔaŋ nāːŋ nɔ̄ːn]), also known as Tham Luang or Tham Yai, is a karstic cave system in the Tham Luang–Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park, near the village of Ban Chong in Pong Pha subdistrict, in northern Thailand. It lies beneath Doi Nang Non, a mountain range on the border with Myanmar. Previously known only to locals, Tham Luang Cave came to global attention when twelve members of a junior association football team and their assistant coach were found alive deep inside the cave on 2 July 2018 after they were trapped by monsoonal flooding on 23 June. A rescue mission brought everyone out safely by 10 July. Two Thai rescue divers died during the mission. Tham Luang is the fourth largest cave in Thailand, stretching through a series of winding halls, low ceilings, rock collapses, and deep recesses with stalactites, stalagmites, and reflective stone surfaces. It is open to guided tours from November to April, though many parts remain inaccessible.

Cave data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

More caves in Thailand

  1. Tham Phra Wang Daeng13.8 km
  2. Tham Mae Lana12.7 km
  3. Banyan Valley Cave
  4. Emerald Cave
  5. Naresuan Cave

Other notable caves worldwide

  1. Mammoth Cave · Australia686 km
  2. Sistema Sac Actun · Mexico119.2 m
  3. Lechuguilla Cave · United States489 m
  4. Optymistychna Cave · Ukraine20 m
  5. Veryovkina Cave · Georgia2,212 m
  6. Krubera Cave · Georgia2,199 m
  7. Sarma cave · Georgia1,830 m
  8. Clearwater Cave · Malaysia109 km