laos is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful scenery and ornate temples , however not many people venture below the surface and discover that what is underground is perhaps even more spectacular . the wondrous tham khoun ex caves are so exquisite they do n't look real at first , which is perhaps why locals believe that spirits inhabit the underground wonderland . cave photographer , john spies , 59 , captured the sheer magnificence of the vast , yet intricate , underground wonderland . enormous banks of terraced flowstone decorate the walls of the cave in many places . this slowly growing mound of white and orange calcite is one of the larger deposits along the river passage . rippling reflections : a blue-tinted glow from outside illuminates the entrance chamber of the cave . not your usual day out ! floating on clear deep water and reflections near the cave entrance , visitors can either bring their own kayaks or rent boats from the local community to paddle deep inside the cave and marvel at its wonders . tham khoun ex caves , commonly known as xe bang fai river caves , feature imposing stalagmitemade of mineral deposits . with over 15km -lrb- nine miles -rrb- of awe-inspiring passages and wide expanses of water , it really is one of laos ' hidden treasures . there is even a vibrant forest thriving at the upstream entrance to the caves , the lush green colour contrasting with the enormous white and orange banks of terraces flowstone that decorates the walls . visitors are able to kayak through the waters , or explore adjacent chambers on foot . the cave is only able to be safely accessed during the dry season from november to april and during this time the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . for some of the grander shots , a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies helped to light-paint this enormous cavern for this long exposure shot . in 2008 , an expedition , co-led by veteran caver john pollack lead to the mysterious caves being mapped and photographed for the first time . what the explorers discovered about the little-known cavern was a vast river cave , which means a cavern with an active water source flowing through it . ` everything about the cave is big-from its towering entrances to its phobia-inducing spiders , which can be 10inches across , ' pollack told national geographic . nature at its best ! the upstream inflow entrance of tham khoun xe has a verdant forest inside a huge collapsed doline . it is possible to kayak from the resurgence to here and back in one full day . hidden secrets ! massive formations abound in a newly discovered fossil section of the cave , 50 metres above the river level . this section , encrusted with delicate formations and not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances on . gigantic ! the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 60 metres long and is probably one of the worldís largest rimstone basins . american cave explorer dave pierce marvels at giant cave pearls which grow like pearls in an oyster with concentric layers of calcite slowly building up year after year . lit up ! the subterranean passage of the river is spectacularly decorated with calcified formations . heading into darkness , a visitor paddles a small canoe near the downstream entrance . in the dry season from november to april , the only part of the year safe to visit the cave , the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . this gigantic section , is also not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances . the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 196 feet long and is probably one of the world 's largest rimstone basins . the pool is filled with water during the wet season . the rims of basins like this grow taller each year as calcite precipitates from cave water as it flows faster over protrusions . the immense proportions of tham khuon xe , one of the worldís greatest river caves , are difficult to photograph . a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies managed to light-paint this enormous section for this long exposure shot . suphaporn singnakphum stands amongst lush low-light plants in an underground garden in a huge fossil passage that adjoins the inflow entrance of tham khuon xe . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . visitors to tham khuon xe can rent canoes or kayaks and paddle upstream to view the stunning calcifications on the cave walls . sunlight streams into the mist-filled fossil passage near the sink of the xe bang fai river . this section supports a verdant garden of ferns and other low light plants . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . a cave explorer amongst giant stalagmites in the stairway to heaven area of the cave . the cave is formed by the xe bang fai river , a major tributary of the mekong .
the tham khoun ex cave has 15km of spectacular caves waiting to be explore by kayak . explorers can witness the incredible caverns , lake and even the vibrant forest at the entrance . cave photographer john spies captured the labyrinthine chambers to unfold the mystery .
laos is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful scenery and ornate temples , however not many people venture below the surface and discover that what is underground is perhaps even more spectacular . the wondrous tham khoun ex caves are so exquisite they do n't look real at first , which is perhaps why locals believe that spirits inhabit the underground wonderland . cave photographer , john spies , 59 , captured the sheer magnificence of the vast , yet intricate , underground wonderland . enormous banks of terraced flowstone decorate the walls of the cave in many places . this slowly growing mound of white and orange calcite is one of the larger deposits along the river passage . rippling reflections : a blue-tinted glow from outside illuminates the entrance chamber of the cave . not your usual day out ! floating on clear deep water and reflections near the cave entrance , visitors can either bring their own kayaks or rent boats from the local community to paddle deep inside the cave and marvel at its wonders . tham khoun ex caves , commonly known as xe bang fai river caves , feature imposing stalagmitemade of mineral deposits . with over 15km -lrb- nine miles -rrb- of awe-inspiring passages and wide expanses of water , it really is one of laos ' hidden treasures . there is even a vibrant forest thriving at the upstream entrance to the caves , the lush green colour contrasting with the enormous white and orange banks of terraces flowstone that decorates the walls . visitors are able to kayak through the waters , or explore adjacent chambers on foot . the cave is only able to be safely accessed during the dry season from november to april and during this time the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . for some of the grander shots , a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies helped to light-paint this enormous cavern for this long exposure shot . in 2008 , an expedition , co-led by veteran caver john pollack lead to the mysterious caves being mapped and photographed for the first time . what the explorers discovered about the little-known cavern was a vast river cave , which means a cavern with an active water source flowing through it . ` everything about the cave is big-from its towering entrances to its phobia-inducing spiders , which can be 10inches across , ' pollack told national geographic . nature at its best ! the upstream inflow entrance of tham khoun xe has a verdant forest inside a huge collapsed doline . it is possible to kayak from the resurgence to here and back in one full day . hidden secrets ! massive formations abound in a newly discovered fossil section of the cave , 50 metres above the river level . this section , encrusted with delicate formations and not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances on . gigantic ! the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 60 metres long and is probably one of the worldís largest rimstone basins . american cave explorer dave pierce marvels at giant cave pearls which grow like pearls in an oyster with concentric layers of calcite slowly building up year after year . lit up ! the subterranean passage of the river is spectacularly decorated with calcified formations . heading into darkness , a visitor paddles a small canoe near the downstream entrance . in the dry season from november to april , the only part of the year safe to visit the cave , the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . this gigantic section , is also not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances . the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 196 feet long and is probably one of the world 's largest rimstone basins . the pool is filled with water during the wet season . the rims of basins like this grow taller each year as calcite precipitates from cave water as it flows faster over protrusions . the immense proportions of tham khuon xe , one of the worldís greatest river caves , are difficult to photograph . a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies managed to light-paint this enormous section for this long exposure shot . suphaporn singnakphum stands amongst lush low-light plants in an underground garden in a huge fossil passage that adjoins the inflow entrance of tham khuon xe . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . visitors to tham khuon xe can rent canoes or kayaks and paddle upstream to view the stunning calcifications on the cave walls . sunlight streams into the mist-filled fossil passage near the sink of the xe bang fai river . this section supports a verdant garden of ferns and other low light plants . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . a cave explorer amongst giant stalagmites in the stairway to heaven area of the cave . the cave is formed by the xe bang fai river , a major tributary of the mekong .
laos is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful scenery and ornate temples , however not many people venture below the surface and discover that what is underground is perhaps even more spectacular . the wondrous tham khoun ex caves are so exquisite they do n't look real at first , which is perhaps why locals believe that spirits inhabit the underground wonderland . cave photographer , john spies , 59 , captured the sheer magnificence of the vast , yet intricate , underground wonderland . enormous banks of terraced flowstone decorate the walls of the cave in many places . this slowly growing mound of white and orange calcite is one of the larger deposits along the river passage . rippling reflections : a blue-tinted glow from outside illuminates the entrance chamber of the cave . not your usual day out ! floating on clear deep water and reflections near the cave entrance , visitors can either bring their own kayaks or rent boats from the local community to paddle deep inside the cave and marvel at its wonders . tham khoun ex caves , commonly known as xe bang fai river caves , feature imposing stalagmitemade of mineral deposits . with over 15km -lrb- nine miles -rrb- of awe-inspiring passages and wide expanses of water , it really is one of laos ' hidden treasures . there is even a vibrant forest thriving at the upstream entrance to the caves , the lush green colour contrasting with the enormous white and orange banks of terraces flowstone that decorates the walls . visitors are able to kayak through the waters , or explore adjacent chambers on foot . the cave is only able to be safely accessed during the dry season from november to april and during this time the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . for some of the grander shots , a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies helped to light-paint this enormous cavern for this long exposure shot . in 2008 , an expedition , co-led by veteran caver john pollack lead to the mysterious caves being mapped and photographed for the first time . what the explorers discovered about the little-known cavern was a vast river cave , which means a cavern with an active water source flowing through it . ` everything about the cave is big-from its towering entrances to its phobia-inducing spiders , which can be 10inches across , ' pollack told national geographic . nature at its best ! the upstream inflow entrance of tham khoun xe has a verdant forest inside a huge collapsed doline . it is possible to kayak from the resurgence to here and back in one full day . hidden secrets ! massive formations abound in a newly discovered fossil section of the cave , 50 metres above the river level . this section , encrusted with delicate formations and not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances on . gigantic ! the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 60 metres long and is probably one of the worldís largest rimstone basins . american cave explorer dave pierce marvels at giant cave pearls which grow like pearls in an oyster with concentric layers of calcite slowly building up year after year . lit up ! the subterranean passage of the river is spectacularly decorated with calcified formations . heading into darkness , a visitor paddles a small canoe near the downstream entrance . in the dry season from november to april , the only part of the year safe to visit the cave , the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . this gigantic section , is also not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances . the giant gour in the oxbow area of the cave is 196 feet long and is probably one of the world 's largest rimstone basins . the pool is filled with water during the wet season . the rims of basins like this grow taller each year as calcite precipitates from cave water as it flows faster over protrusions . the immense proportions of tham khuon xe , one of the worldís greatest river caves , are difficult to photograph . a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies managed to light-paint this enormous section for this long exposure shot . suphaporn singnakphum stands amongst lush low-light plants in an underground garden in a huge fossil passage that adjoins the inflow entrance of tham khuon xe . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . visitors to tham khuon xe can rent canoes or kayaks and paddle upstream to view the stunning calcifications on the cave walls . sunlight streams into the mist-filled fossil passage near the sink of the xe bang fai river . this section supports a verdant garden of ferns and other low light plants . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . a cave explorer amongst giant stalagmites in the stairway to heaven area of the cave . the cave is formed by the xe bang fai river , a major tributary of the mekong .
laos is known ornate temples, however venture below discover that what underground perhaps the wondrous tham khoun ex caves are so exquisite do n't look real, which perhaps locals believe spirits inhabit the underground wonderland cave photographer, john spies 59, captured vast, yet intricate, underground wonderland enormous banks terraced flowstone decorate in many places. this slowly growing mound white and orange calcite one the larger deposits along the river passage. rippling reflections : a blue-tinted glow outside the entrance chamber. not your usual day out! floating clear deep water reflections near the cave entrance, visitors either bring rent boats deep inside marvel tham khoun ex caves, commonly xe bang fai river caves feature imposing stalagmitemade of mineral deposits. with over 15km -lrb- nine miles -rrb- of awe-inspiring passages water, it really laos ' hidden treasures there even a vibrant forest thriving at the upstream entrance the caves, the lush green colour contrasting the enormous white and orange banks terraces flowstone that. visitors able kayak, or explore adjacent chambers on the cave only able safely during from november during clear deep with a rich green hue. for some the grander shots, a team four equipped powerful led lights helped light-paint this enormous cavern for this long exposure shot in 2008, an expedition, coled veteran caver john pollack lead the mysterious caves being mapped photographed for what the explorers discovered the little-known cavern was a vast river cave, means a cavern flowing ` everything about the cave big-from its towering entrances its phobia-inducing spiders, which 10inches across ' pollack told national geographic. nature at! the upstream inflow entrance of tham khoun xe has inside a huge collapsed doline. it possible kayak the resurgence to here one full day. hidden secrets! massive formations abound a newly discovered fossil section the cave, 50 this section, encrusted delicate formations not yet open tourists several higher passages lead jungle shrouded entrances on. gigantic! the giant gour in the oxbow area 60 metres probably one the worldís largest rimstone basins. american cave explorer dave pierce marvels at giant cave pearls which grow like with concentric layers slowly building year. lit up! the subterranean passage is spectacularly decorated calcified formations. heading darkness, a visitor paddles near the downstream entrance. in the dry season from november, the only part safe visit the cave, clear deep with this gigantic section, is also not yet open tourists, is one several higher passages lead jungle shrouded entrances the giant gour in the oxbow area is 196 probably one the world 's largest rimstone basins. the pool filled during. the rims basins like grow taller each calcite precipitates cave water as flows faster over protrusions. the immense proportions tham khuon xe, one the worldís greatest river caves are difficult photograph a team four equipped powerful led lights managed light-paint this enormous section for this long exposure shot. suphaporn singnakphum stands amongst lush low-light plants a huge fossil passage that the inflow entrance tham khuon xe. water painting with kayaks submerged led lights near the downstream entrance. visitors tham khuon xe can rent canoes paddle upstream view the stunning calcifications the cave walls. sunlight streams the mist-filled fossil passage near the sink of the xe bang fai river. this section supports a verdant garden of other low light plants. water painting with kayaks submerged led lights near the downstream entrance. a cave explorer amongst the stairway heaven area. the cave formed the xe bang fai river, the mekong.
laos is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful scenery and ornate temples , however not many people venture below the surface and discover that what is underground is perhaps even more spectacular . the wondrous tham khoun ex caves are so exquisite they do n't look real at first , which is perhaps why locals believe that spirits inhabit the underground wonderland . cave photographer , john spies , 59 , captured the sheer magnificence of the vast , yet intricate , underground wonderland . enormous banks of terraced flowstone decorate the walls of the cave in many places . this slowly growing mound of white and orange calcite is one of the larger deposits along the river passage . rippling reflections : a blue-tinted glow from outside illuminates the entrance chamber of the cave . not your usual day out ! floating on clear deep water and reflections near the cave entrance , visitors can either bring their own kayaks or rent boats from the local community to paddle deep inside the cave and marvel at its wonders . tham khoun ex caves , commonly known as xe bang fai river caves , feature imposing stalagmitemade of mineral deposits . with over 15km -lrb- nine miles -rrb- of awe-inspiring passages and wide expanses of water , it really is one of laos ' hidden treasures . there is even a vibrant forest thriving at the upstream entrance to the caves , the lush green colour contrasting with the enormous white and orange banks of terraces flowstone that decorates the walls . visitors are able to kayak through the waters , or explore adjacent chambers on foot . the cave is only able to be safely accessed during the dry season from november to april and during this time the water is clear and deep with a rich green hue . for some of the grander shots , a team of four equipped with powerful led lights and walkie-talkies helped to light-paint this enormous cavern for this long exposure shot . in 2008 , an expedition , co-led by veteran caver john pollack lead to the mysterious caves being mapped and photographed for the first time . what the explorers discovered about the little-known cavern was a vast river cave , which means a cavern with an active water source flowing through it . ` everything about the cave is big-from its towering entrances to its phobia-inducing spiders , which can be 10inches across , ' pollack told national geographic . nature at its best ! the upstream inflow entrance of tham khoun xe has a verdant forest inside a huge collapsed doline . it is possible to kayak from the resurgence to here and back in one full day . hidden secrets ! massive formations abound in a newly discovered fossil section of the cave , 50 metres above the river level . this section , encrusted with delicate formations and not yet open to tourists , is one of several higher passages that lead to jungle shrouded entrances low-light plants in an underground garden in a huge fossil passage that adjoins the inflow entrance of tham khuon xe . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . visitors to tham khuon xe can rent canoes or kayaks and paddle upstream to view the stunning calcifications on the cave walls . sunlight streams into the mist-filled fossil passage near the sink of the xe bang fai river . this section supports a verdant garden of ferns and other low light plants . water painting with kayaks and submerged led lights near the downstream entrance of the cave . a cave explorer amongst giant stalagmites in the stairway to heaven area of the cave . the cave is formed by the xe bang fai river , a major tributary of the mekong .
 Laos is a popular tourist destination known for its beautiful scenery and ornate temples. However, not many people venture below the surface and discover what lies underground. The Tham Khoun Xe cave is one such hidden wonder, featuring stunning limestone formations and an enormous cavern. Visitors can kayak through the cave's entrance chamber and marvel at the sheer scale of the underground world. The cave is part of a larger network of caves and rivers that stretch for miles, offering endless opportunities for exploration and discovery. With its vibrant green color and towering walls, the cave is a natural wonder that inspires awe in all who visit.