Thailand / Blog
ThailandPublished 4 March 2026 · 6 minute read · Mae Hong Son Province
Everyone who comes through Mae Hong Son province stops in Pai. Almost nobody keeps driving the extra forty minutes to Sappong, which is exactly why we kept going back — low expectations, zero crowds, and a cave system that doesn't need a gift shop to be impressive.
Tham Lod is the cave most people have heard of, if they've heard of any of them — a river runs straight through it, and you drift through on a bamboo raft while a guide holds up a pressure lamp like it's 1952. But it's the smaller, unmarked systems further up the valley that stuck with us: no ticket booth, no lighting, just a guide from the village and a headlamp that may or may not have fresh batteries.
"We'd lived an hour from here for three years before someone finally mentioned the second cave. Great system, Thailand."
If you're coming from Chiang Mai, pair this with the ride up through Pai rather than treating it as a day trip — the road alone is worth the detour, and Sappong makes a far quieter base than Pai if you'd like one night without live acoustic guitar.
Bring a dry bag, wear shoes you don't mind getting wet, and hire a guide through your guesthouse rather than showing up and hoping — the smaller caves aren't signposted, on purpose.
Filming and writing Wanderlust Lama since 2017 — still chasing the places every itinerary app insists are "not recommended."
