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ThailandDescription and is it worth a visit
Temple of the light and dark cave Tham Tap Tao (Wat Tham Tap Tao: Temple of the Light Cave & Dark Cave) or simply Tap Tao Cave Temple is one of the unusual and amazing temples of Chiang Mai province, definitely worth a visit. It is almost unknown among mass tourists and travelers, is far from Chiang Mai and is rarely visited by foreigners, which only makes it more attractive and mysterious. This is an ancient temple, and there is a version that it was built by order of King Ekatotsarot in the XVI century, when he gathered an army for a military campaign in Burma in 1592, and used the cave as a temporary residence.
The most interesting thing about Tham Tap Tao is the two caves. The light cave is really bright, because light penetrates from the ceiling into it through a large hole that appeared as a result of the collapse of the vault and the leaching of the rock. It is not deep, it contains two large statues of a sitting and reclining Buddha, and many small statues and shrines. The statue of the reclining Buddha appeared at the foundation of the temple, i.e. it is at least 500 years old. It is made in the Atthaya style, and that is why it is believed that the temple was founded in the XVI century.
The other cave is dark, deaf and very deep – more than one and a half kilometers. It also houses statues and shrines, and it is filled with natural cave formations. The near part of the cave is equipped with steps and bridges to overcome difficult areas, there is lighting that monks can turn on for you for donations, and then you can only go with a powerful flashlight. We walked along it 100 meters deep, but, unfortunately, we were not ready to wander in the dark and we did not have good lanterns, so we had to turn around.
🕐 Working hours
In the daytime.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The temple of the light and dark cave Tham Tap Tao is located in the north of the province, 120 kilometers from Chiang Mai on the way to Taton and Fang (Tham Tap Tao on the map). This road leads from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai along the border with Burma, and if you rent a vehicle, then driving along it is an exciting adventure in itself. We did this route with overnight stays in Chiang Tao, Fang, Taton, in one day with a visit to interesting sights along the way it can not be overcome.
You can also theoretically get here by bus from Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao, Taton or Fung. Frequent shuttle buses run between Chiang Mai and Taton during the day, from Chiang Mai they depart from Chang Phuak bus station. You can take this bus and get to the turnoff to the temple on the main road, and from there hitchhike or walk directly to the temple 3 kilometers. If you start from Chinagmai early in the morning at 6 o'clock, you can have time to visit the temple in one day and return, or vice versa, continue on the next bus to Fang or Taton, where you can spend the night and then continue on another bus to Chiang Rai.
Friends, we remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Thailand with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at options with online booking and reviews on these excursion aggregators: