Konglor Cave

The spectacular Konglor Cave is actually a portion of the Hin Phou river that has worked its way, over some vast period of geological time, through 7.5km of solid rock. It's a truly awesome experience, from which no one ever walks away disappointed.

Bring a good flashlight with fresh batteries, and prepare to get wet -- especially in dry season, there are frequent portages in the cave where you'll have to walk inside the dark cave while the boatman hauls the boat along. Your feet will definitely get wet, so shoes and socks are a mistake. You can easily lose a flip flop in the rushing water, but if that's all you've got, find some string and tie them to your feet -- seriously -- some of the limestone formations are razor sharp and you don't want to wind up inside the cave barefoot. A good pair of sandals are your best bet.

It takes about an hour to get through the cave. The entrance on the other side lets out 3km from Ban Natan, where homestays are available if you'd like to spend the night. But, typically, after a break on the other side, you get back in the boat and do the return. Locals going back and forth between Ban Natan and Ban Konglor routinely do it the same way. The only other option is a strenuous four-hour hike over the mountain -- if you're fit and ambitious enough for it, you'll have to hire a local guide to show you the way.

Where to stay
To get to the cave from Na Hin, you need to head to one of the villages along the Hin Boun river, which eventually runs 7.5km through the mountain. The first option is to depart from Ban Na Phua, a village 16km south of Na Hin, along the Hin Boun river -- homestays and cave tours are available, though the tour price is higher than it would be further south since you'll be navigating a long stretch of the Hin Boun river to reach the cave. However, in the rainy season, this may be your only option -- that is until the road improvements are finished sometime in the next couple of years.

In dry season, most people head further down the road. Six kilometres before the road ends, the village of Ban Phou Ngeng offers two places to stay and cave tours from there are currently about US$15 per boat.

Alternately you can head to Ban Konglor, six km further down the road where it all but ends, and only a kilometre by water from the mouth of the cave. Homestays are available here for US$5 a night including meals, and usually include a baci ritual to summon the spirits to protect you while visiting the cave. Cave tours are easily arranged at the boat landing for US$10 per boat -- maximum of three passengers per boat.

The cave is actually less than 100km away from Tha Khaek as the crow flies, but reaching it requires a 200km journey around the perimeter of Phou Him Boun NBCA.