Climbing down into Thailand’s Tham Khao Luang – the Mountain Cave of Kings – to find the golden temple and arrayed buddhas hiding within feels like something out of an Indiana Jones adventure.
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Roughly an hour north of Hua Hin and a couple of hours south of Bangkok, near the historic town of Phetchaburi, Tham Khao Luang is an easy detour from the highway between the capital and the coast.
With a history going back 700 years to the Ayutthaya period, this temple and cave system has been a place of worship and Buddhist sanctuary to many kings and their families throughout the centuries.
Exploring The Temple Cave Of Kings
We’re excited to see this cave that delves deep into the belly of a low mountain on the forested outskirts of Phetchaburi town, and to explore the wealth of Buddhist monuments that make Wat Tham Khao Luang so revered.
As it turns out, the temple elements of this place are only a part of its awe-inspiring whole.
From the nondescript car park, the path leads to a stone gateway covered in greenery. This is more like it. If holes in the wall were to shoot poison darts at us or if loose pavers collapsed into a chasm at this point, we wouldn’t be surprised.
Through the gateway, we come to a broad stone staircase of some 140 steps that winds down into the vast open maw of the cave as it burrows into the mountain.
As we climb down, we see the craggy opening up close. stalactites drip their stony tendrils into the darkness below and bony tree roots cling to fissures like skeletal hands.
Down, down we go.
The staircase ends at a landing decorated with a row of golden buddhas sitting cross-legged in a row. An ancient mai chi – a Buddhist nun – bent double by age and hard work, sweeps the stone floor with an old hand broom, and the cave opens out to the main atrium.
Check Out Our Video
We’re here exploring this incredible cave as we drive south down to the coast of Hua Hin from Bangkok. It’s just one of a few stops we make on our way, which you can find out more about here.
We’ve also made a video, which you can see here:
The Main Cave of Tham Khao Luang
As we make our way further into the great cave, we spot little temples and statues hidden in deep nooks and crannies. A stone monkey guards the base of the stairs, and more stalactites and stalagmites grow from the high ceiling and up from the floor.
This place is so full of mystery and wonder. We’re completely enchanted.
And then we come to the main chamber.
It’s an enormous space filled with little statues, plinths and a big reclining Buddha that lies by one wall. There’s even a stall where you can buy lucky charms and amulets.
But all of this is nothing compared to the natural phenomenon that the cave is sporting.
From a huge hole in the roof of the cave, a beam of sunshine streams down onto the floor making everything nearby glow with a preternatural light. We take in the view, astounded.
Glimmering in the dark, the gold form of an enormous Buddha, sat high on a platform, shines from the back of the cave catching the rays of sunlight. It’s not until we approach it that we realise how big it is.
Beyond The Main Cave
We explore further, discovering a doorway that takes us through to another, smaller cave. There are no giant Buddha statues here – though there are still plenty of smaller ones. Instead, two great white stupas stand to one side, adding to the sense of grandeur.
This cave also has an opening in its roof, where light filters through the trees and rocks to us below.
Further on again, we find a low door – an opening in the rock – where more Buddha images stand among some beautiful stalactites, stalagmites and columns of leeched limestone. Here, no light comes in from the sky. Instead yellow lamps illuminate the rocks and relics with an eerie golden glow.
All we’re waiting for is to be chased from the cave by a giant rolling boulder and our Indiana Jones moment will be complete.
Quick Facts on Tham Khao Luang
– Tham Khao Luang translates to the Royal Mountain Cave and has links to Thai royalty dating back to the Ayutthaya Period that began in 1351.
– There are over 150 Buddha images set amongst the rocks and fissures of Tham Khao Luang, set here throughout the ages from numerous dynasties of Thai royalty.
– The best time to see the light beam in the great cave is mid-morning between about 9am-11am.
– The only access to and from the cave is down the 140+ steps of the open staircase and there are lots of uneven surfaces that do not make this an accessible-friendly destination.
– Admission into Tham Khao Luang is free.
– This is part of our road trip itinerary from Bangkok to Hua Hin, which you can see here. We’ve also created a video guiding you through the trip.
We travelled to Tham Khoa Luang as media guests of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, but our experiences and opinions remain our own.
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