Lod Cave

In order to explore Tham Lod Cave, you first have to hire a guide. They’ll carry a lantern that will serve as your only source of light, which is a gimmick that I absolutely loved. There are three caverns inside the cave and you to take a little bamboo raft to get to them all. The quiet of the cave is only disturbed by the soft splashes of the guide pushing the raft with bamboo poles and the occasional flurry of activity of fish at the water’s surface as they swarm the food you toss to them. As you get closer to the other end of the cave, you’ll hear a new sound: hundreds of bats hanging from the ceiling as they squeak and call to each other. If you come for sunset, you can see thousands of swifts flying in as the bats fly out in an unrivaled sight that’s one for the bucket list. I’ve never learned less about a cave from a cave tour than I did on this one. The tour consisted almost entirely of the guide pointing to rock formations and telling me what they looked like. “An elephant! A crocodile!” Or, very enthusiastically, “Look! Boobie!” It was both hilarious and good fun. Plus, there were signs outside with info for my historical and geological needs. Pro tip: Before you enter the caves, you’ll see a few women selling fish food. Buy it. Splurge and get a big bag. Trust me. I also recommend that you bring your own flashlight if you want to linger on some of the awesome cave formations or read the scattered informational signs without your guide — and light — wandering away.