Thailand Guide
Southern Thailand: the Andaman coast
Tham Mai Kaew caves
Price: B200 for a two-hour tour
Address: 3km from the Khlong Nin junction
The myriad chambers at Tham Mai Kaew caves, some of which you can only just crawl into, are Ko Lanta's biggest inland attraction. The are filled with stalactites and interesting rock formations, and there's a creepy cave pool too, as well as the inevitable bats. Access to the cave is regulated by the local family who first properly explored the cave system in the 1980s: they now act as caretakers and guides, in conjunction with the national park authorities, and lead two-hour tours (elephant rides, longer cave tours, and overnight jungle treks are also available).
Most of Thailand's countless caves are underwhelming and certainly not worth B200, but this is one of the better ones. Among its star features are crystallized waterfalls, fossils and ammonites embedded in the cave walls and overhangs, stalagmites and stalactites young and old and a tangible sense of there being endless passageways to explore. In the rainy season it's a more slippery, challenging experience, with some wading likely and the option of a dip in the wet-season-only lagoon. Even in the dry season it's moderately arduous and best done in sensible shoes and clothes you're happy to get grubby in.