Nam Talu Cave (Tham Nam Thalu)
A ~500-700 m limestone cave with an underground river you wade and swim through, one of Khao Sok's most memorable adventure caves.
- Category
- Caves
- Entrance fee
- Covered by the Cheow Lan Lake park fee (~300 THB foreigner); mandatory licensed guide via a lake tour package.
- Hours
- Daytime, guided only; closed in the wet season (roughly June 1-Dec 14).
- Best time
- Dry season Dec-May only; never enter if rain is forecast.
- Time needed
- Full-day trip including boat, hike and cave (~1.5-2 hrs inside)
About Nam Talu Cave (Tham Nam Thalu)
This is a genuinely thrilling adventure cave, a long limestone passage with an underground river you wade and swim through, and it's one of the most memorable things you can do in Khao Sok. It's also the one place here where I'll be blunt with you about the danger.
This cave has killed people. A 2007 flash flood killed eight tourists inside, and a guide drowned in another flood in 2024. That's not scare-mongering, it's exactly why the cave closes through the rainy season. Water can rise fast in a confined passage with nowhere to go.
So the rules are simple and not negotiable: dry season only, always with a licensed guide, and never if rain is forecast. If the water starts rising while you're inside, turn back. Treated with respect it's unforgettable. Treated casually it's lethal.
Highlights
- Long limestone cave with an underground river
- Wading and swimming through the passage
- Reached by longtail boat and a jungle hike
- One of Khao Sok's most memorable adventure caves
- Licensed guide mandatory
Tips
- Dry season only, and never enter if rain is forecast.
- Only go with a licensed guide via a lake tour package.
- Take the flood risk seriously, deaths occurred here in 2007 and 2024.
- If the water starts rising while inside, turn back immediately.
How to get there
Longtail boat from Ratchaprapha Pier across Cheow Lan Lake (~30-40 min), then a ~1.5 km jungle hike to the entrance; only with a guide.