Ma Ngaem Cave
Ma Ngaem Cave is 57km south of Chumphon town. Travel down Highway 41 from Chumphon town for 55km til you reach a large hill with a temple on the side to your right. This is 5km past the Khao Pip Intersection and you will see a number of golden Buddha statues.
Take the next U turn and head north about 500m taking the first road to the left. This road will take you round to the steps up to the cave, about 1km. You should not miss it as the local University has put up a large white name sign in Thai.
To the left of the steps is a parking and shaded seating area.
There is also an information board.
It is not all steps up to the cave and where it gets steep handrails have been installed to assist. Care should be taken as it is well overgrown in places and a lots of leaves on the ground making it slippery.
Two thirds of the way up there is a small Buddha shrine under an awning.
This is a nice place to rest and take in the view as you are now above the treeline.
At 87m from the start of your climb you will come to this landing area.
At this place you are at an opening in the roof of the cave and its about a 15 drop to the floor. Well constructed concrete steps have been built here to aid your decent.
This first part of the cave is a large cavern with three larger holes in its roof.
There allows plenty of light into the cave whereby vegetation has established.
On the northern side of this entrance cavern is a large opening which leads to two other caverns.
Take care it is a steep slope to these caverns. Tires have been placed in the soft soil to aid decent.
This lower chamber does not have many formations indicating it has been a dry cave for a long time.
To the left of this chamber is another chamber of similar size which is home for hundreds of bats.
The 'Caves & Caving in Thailand' website has referenced this as Cave No. CP0081.
These two lower chambers were hot and humid. Lot of photos ended up blurred due to condensation forming on the camera lens. Put this down to the bat poo composting and generating heat in the process. Just at the start of the cavern it was at least an inch thick so no idea what is was at the center. It felt cool returning to the top chamber.
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