Tham Heup Cave – Backstory

Tham Heup cave is a slightly unknown cave along the Thakhek loop that is often overlooked by people as it is located along the road south back to Thakhek, which is ridden on the final day of the Thakhek Loop.

Because of this, most people are tired, or rushing to get back to Thakhek to catch a bus up to Vientiane, or south to Pakse (for the Pakse loop) or further to the 4000 islands area Si Phan Don. Those who aren’t in a rush will usually check out The Rock Viewpoint for some zip lining before heading to Thakhek.

However, Tham Heup was one of the best caves along the whole of the Thakhek Loop and in this post I want to detail what doing the Tham Heup Cave tour involves and how it plays out.

Information online is scarce and a bit contradictory about this cave, with a rumoured “ancient temple” in the forest on the other side. In this post I will clear up the confusion about Tham Heup cave and this “ancient temple” in the forest.

Tham Heup Cave was one of those places I added to the Thakhek Loop partly because it looked interesting, and partly because the internet had done such a bad job explaining it that I wanted to see what was actually there.

Because I’d spent a full extra day on the Thakhek loop, I had time on the final morning, where most people would go to the Rock Viewpoint, to head off to Ban Nahkok and see if I could find a guide to do the Tham Heup cave tour.

It turned out to be one of the more interesting stops on the loop, not because it was the biggest or most dramatic cave, but because it felt like I was genuinely figuring it out as I went. No crowds, no clear instructions, no English-speaking guide.

This Tham Heup cave post will briefly cover the cave’s history, but mostly I just wanted to give a proper account of Tham Heup cave, the tour, to clear up the confusion about the ancient city ruins and to add the experience of someone who has actually done it to the noise on the internet.

Use the table of contents to skip to the relevant sections.

Tham Heup Cave Video

A lot of people would prefer to watch what is talked about here unfold and to get a better understanding of the environment and the tour itself. Luckily I have this video which will do just that. See Tham Heup Cave in all its glory.

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Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

What Is Tham Heup Cave?

Tham Heup Cave is a walk-through limestone cave in Khammouane Province. The cave is roughly 1.1–1.2 km long, with a large entrance, underground water, sandy or pebbly sections, and an unlit passage that cuts through the mountain rather than simply ending in a chamber.

Geologically, it is part of the limestone karst landscape that makes this region of Laos so cave-heavy. In simple terms, water has carved a route through the limestone over time, leaving a natural passage that can be crossed on foot in the dry season, although you should expect some wading.

Some sources describe it as a river passage, with water-filled sections and sandbag paths used to make the route easier to follow.

On the other side of Tham Heup Cave, the trail continues through the forest to a large Golden Buddha statue and small holy site in a hidden polje — a flat-bottomed limestone valley enclosed by karst cliffs.

I could not find a reliable date for when the current Buddha statue was built, but the area itself is linked to the ancient ruined city or temple site of Aran/Alan, which some sources describe as lying in the secluded valley reached through the cave.

I’ll come back to that later, because online information about these ruins gets a bit messy.

Where Is Tham Heup Cave?

Tham Heup Cave is usually visited from the Na Hin / The Rock Viewpoint area on the final stretch of the Thakhek Loop. As you can see in the zoomed out maps image below with its relative position to Thakhek and Na Hin.

I stopped in at The Rock for breakfast. From there head west to the main highway, I headed south on Route 13 until the town of Sambon, then turned east (left as you’re heading south) towards the river.

The town you are looking for is called Ban Nakhok, it is located on the Nam Hinboun river.

Don’t Fully Trust Google Maps

Google Maps will send you to the wrong place.

Google Maps is fine for getting you into the general area. After that, switch to Maps.me, pay attention to village signs as well. Although in this case the signs will point you to Ban Kateup rather than the other names seen on maps.

The road out towards the river was in better condition than I expected. It was all bitumen until close to the river, where it turned to gravel, but even this was smooth gravel, not pot-holed.

Google sent me to Ban Thonglom, 2 kilometres off course from Ban Nakhok. Maps.me is better for remote locations.

How Much Does Tham Heup Cave Cost?

I initially paid 35,000 ₭ 

However, by the end, after tips for the guides, the total cost came to 235,000 ₭ .

That was more because I only had 100,000 ₭ notes in my wallet. Not because that’s the value I placed on the guides.

To be clear, 230,000 kip is still not a terrible price for the experience as a whole (it’s about $15 AUD). I would have paid that if it had been the upfront price.

I did get annoyed at the pushiness of the lady running the place as I originally wanted to have the two guides split the 100,000 ₭ note between them. The guides offered nothing, all I needed was the boat ride across the river. Then they tried to ask for more money!

I got on the bike and rode away at this point, they were taking the piss if they thought they were getting more than the already generous amount I’d given.

My advice: agree on the full price before you start.

If possible, ask for one guide rather than two. Pay upfront, or at least make the expected final cost very clear before you leave the village.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

Tham Heup Cave – The Tour

With the general backstory and location of Tham Heup cave out of the way let’s discuss the tour itself.

Finding A Guide

Once I reached the village, it felt like I’d landed in a completely different world. There was no English spoken, and the whole process was basically a mixture of pointing and hoping we were leaving soon.

Eventually, someone gave me a ticket, so I assumed things were happening. That was about as much confirmation as I was going to get.

This is not like Kong Lor, where the system is obvious and well set up for tourists. Tham Heup is much rougher around the edges. That is part of what makes it interesting, but it also means you will not get much explanation, guidance, or context.

You are basically paying someone to get you across the river and walk with/next to you.

What Is Included In The Tour?

The basic Tham Heup Cave visit includes:

• A very short boat crossing.
• A walk through the forest to the cave entrance (about 1.3 kms)
• Walking through Tham Heup Cave (about 1.2 kms)
• Walking to the Golden Buddha statue / ancient site (about another 1 km).
• Returning the same way.

That’s essentially it for the Tham Heup Cave tour.

How Long Does It Take?

Here are my times from the turn-off route 13 in Sambon until ending the tour.

09:04 – I turn off the road to head east.
09:38 – Arrive in the village (although with Google Maps misdirecting me this could be done sooner wiithout the mistake).
09:56 – Getting in the boat to cross the river.
10:20 – Arrive to the entry of Tham Heup cave.
10:27 – After some photos I enter the cave.
10:50 – Arrive at the exit to Tham Heup cave.
11:05 – Start the walk to Golden Buddha statue.
11:20 – Arrive at site with Golden Buddha.
11:45 – Depart from Golden Buddha site.
11:54 – Tham Heup Cave mouth on return trip.
12:37 – Arrive at river for boat to come get us.

All of the above is taken from the timestamps on the camera footage, I did not film what time I got back across the river or returned to the main road but you can assume about 30 minutes ride + 10 minutes wait – making the entire trip detour 4 hours and 10 minutes.

If you were just doing this to have a look and didn’t stop for photos and to take videos like I do, you could do the whole thing in 3 hours 30 from leaving the main road, assuming no unforeseen delays.

If you are doing this on the final day of the Thakhek Loop, make sure you leave enough time to ride back to Thakhek afterwards, especially if you have a bus booked that night or a scooter to return that day.

What Is Tham Heup Cave Like?

Tham Heup Cave is not lit, which immediately makes it more interesting than the more developed tourist caves.

You walk through with a head torch, following the cave passage through water, rocks, and dark chambers until you eventually come out through another entrance on the far side.

Tham Heup has water pools and a proper through-cave feeling. You are not just walking into darkness and turning around. You are actually crossing through the mountain.

There is some wading involved. For me, the water was mostly around knee deep, but if you are shorter it could be closer to thigh deep. It’s all dependant on the season of course, I did it in early February.

The guides had placed sand bags along parts of the floor to make it sturdier and keep you slightly higher out of the water.

The Golden Buddha Statue

After exiting the far side of Tham Heup Cave, the trail continues through the forest to a small village / holy site with a Golden Buddha statue.

This walk took roughly 15 minutes and I estimate that it is about 1 kilometre from the mouth of the cave. You can spend as long as you want here, there are some magical lagoons along the river and a few different shrines around the place.

Once you are ready, you just go back the way you came. Easy, tour done.

Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).

My Thoughts & Tips

If you have any questions about the cave – feel free to comment. Although commenting on the Youtube video will get a quicker response as I don’t check the website comments regularly.

Clearing Up The Ancient Ruins Confusion

Before having visited Tham Heup, I had tried to research it and had consistently seen a mention of ruins located 3-4km away from the cave. After having visited, editing the video and looking further into it I believe this is inaccurate.

This claim is repeated on a number of websites that at the time of writing, appear on the front page of Google’s search results. Example 1. Example 2. Example 3.

After digging deeper I found posts from Hobo Maps with only a mention of a 30 min walk to get to the ruins and this post here discussing the ruins, with photos and captions of the exact Golden Buddha site we were at in the forest.

The more specific cave/karst sources do not frame the ancient city as a separate tourist stop several kilometres away. They say Tham Heup gives access to the secluded valley/polje that contains the ruins, and Explo-Laos describes the ruins as being in that polje rather than as a separate faraway destination beyond it.

So my current understanding is this:

The Golden Buddha statue appears to mark the ancient temple / ruined city site itself.

I do not think there is a separate ancient ruin another 3–4 km away. My best guess is that one website got the distance wrong, then other websites copied it, and that incorrect information ended up ranking higher than the more useful sources.

Hopefully this post can clear that up.

So if you walk through Tham Heup Cave, continue through the forest, and reach the Golden Buddha statue, you have most likely reached the ancient site people are referring to. However without having walked an extra 2-3kms beyond this distance I can’t categorically deny that there aren’t more ruins further away.

I just think it’s quite unlikely given that there are documented ruins at the Golden Buddha, that there would be more elsewhere that are undocumented.

Should You Visit Tham Heup Cave?

Yes, I would recommend Tham Heup Cave, especially if you like the less polished parts of the Thakhek Loop.

The cave tour lacks detail, with no English speaking guides to answer any questions, but this has its own beauty in just walking through the forest, through a cave, appreciating what you’re seeing rather than listening to guides.

That is a pretty good morning, really.

If you are doing the “normal” Thakhek loop with just the 3 nights, it would be a long day if you were also going to do The Rock Viewpoint. You would have to do the introductory 2 hour course and not any of the longer courses.

You would also need to ensure you had a late scooter return and a late departing overnight bus or an extra night in Thakhek at the end to fit it all in.

Tips For Visiting Tham Heup Cave

Start early if you are visiting on the final day of the Thakhek Loop.

Water shoes were useful in the cave, but annoying once sand and small rocks got inside them. I think having a small towel to clean your feet and being able to change into walking shoes once outside the cave would be a good idea. Especially if you want to explore further to other caves in the area (see Maps.me for more detail on that).

Agree on the price before starting. Communication is near impossible but try your best.

Do not expect English-speaking guides. If you want more explanation about the cave, village, or history, you may be better off arranging a tour through a company like Green Discovery/The Rock Viewpoint area, but expect to pay more.

Just enjoy it for what it is. Hopefully it never gets lit up and over-developed.

Final Thoughts

I loved the Tham Heup cave tour as it felt so much more stripped back.

There was no other tourists in sight, I didn’t see anyone come or go during my time there.

It would have been nice to know that we were at the ruins when we were at the Golden Buddha site, I’d have paid more attention to the finer details had I known. But at least now you know.