Chom Ong Cave is a cave system located in

Oudomxay Province Oudomxay (alternates: Oudômxai or Moung Xai; lo, ອຸດົມໄຊ) is a province of Laos, located in the northwest of the country. Its capital is Muang Xai. It covers an area of . It borders China to the north, Phongsali province to the ...

, in the north of

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

. Featuring a length of more of 16 km, it ranks now as the longest cave in Northern Laos and is one of the top 10 in all Laos.

Naming

The villagers of Ban Chom Ong call the cave „Tam Chia“ ( Lao: ''Bat Cave''), as they traditionally hunt bats in the cave as food and exploit

guano Guano (Spanish from qu, wanu) is the accumulated excrement of seabirds or bats. As a manure, guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth. G ...

, which can be used as fertilizer, explosive agent or gunpowder. For better distinction from other caves in Laos which are called "Tham Chia". Scientist groups choose to call it by the village name, "Chom Ong".

Location and Infrastructure

The cave is located about 45 km from

Muang Xay Muang Xay ( lo, ເມືອງໄຊ), also referred to as Oudomxai or Oudomxay, is the capital city of Oudomxai Province, Laos. Naming Legend has it that in the year 1323, the inhabitants of the village Ban Luang Cheng in "Takka Sila" town wer ...

, capital of Oudomxay Province, at the border of Xay District with Nam Or District. It is accessible starting from the nearby village Ban Chom Ong, which is inhabited by people of the ethnic group

Khmu The Khmu (; Khmu: ; lo, ຂະມຸ ; th, ขมุ ; vi, Khơ Mú; ; my, ခမူ) are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia. The majority (88%) live in northern Laos where they constitute the largest minority ethnic group, comprising elev ...

. The road leading from Muang Xay to Ban Chom Ong is a hilly dirt road, which makes access to the village difficult during the rainy season.''Ban Chom Ong''
Website of the Provincial Tourism Department Oudomxay. 4 February 2010. During the dry season it is possible to reach the village by motorcycle or car in about two and a half hours. Starting from the village, the cave is accessible by a 45-minute walk.Oudomxay Provincial Tourism Department: Brochure "''Chom Ong Cave System. Oudomxay Province.''" Library of the Tourism Department Oudomxay

Geology

The system stretches along a 4 km long mountain ridge and has a parallel running and interconnecting fossil and river passage. In two explorations (2009 and 2010) it was explored to a length of 16.4 km (preliminary) with several wide open side passages remaining. The typical passage dimension is 20–25 m width and 20–30 m height. Two huge overlaying halls mark the connection of river and fossil passage with each 100 m length, 30 m width and ceiling heights of 30–50 m. The cave is a trough cave and could be entered with exploration equipment near the stream inlet in the north and left at the outflow in the south. The full traverse would take about 5 hours with additional 1 and 3 hours respectively return walking time to Chom Ong village. The cave was pushed at the last day in a 15-hour trip to its current length. The upper level of the cave leads to several about 15 meter high "balconies", from where it is possible to look down to a lower level, where the Nam Kaang river flows. Chom Ong Cave features especially impressive stalagmites and

stalactites A stalactite (, ; from the Greek 'stalaktos' ('dripping') via ''stalassein'' ('to drip') is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble an ...

, as well as large sparkling sinter formations.

History

In 2006, the Tourism Department of Oudomxay found out about the existence of the cave, while looking for potential touristic interesting sights in the Province. However, villagers of Ban Chom Ong knew about it since generations before, using its most accessible areas for hunting bats, fishing and exploiting guano. Since then, measures were taken to prepare the village for a creation of value of the cave, in line with ecotourism. In order to reduce poverty, the village was thought to be involved in a large scale to benefit from the revenue. Supported by German Development Service, workshops as tourguiding and cooking trainings were arranged and a tourist guesthouse for overnight stays was built.German Development Service: ''Jahresbericht Oudomxay 2009'' In January 2009, an international group of scientists of the Northern Lao - European Cave Project measured the first part of the cave and calculated a preliminary length of 13,5 km.British Cave Research Association: ''Speleology'', 13 May 2009, p.34 Supported by the Schmitz Foundation, toilet and bathroom facilities for the villagers were installed, as well as ceramic filters supplying clean drinking water. The first 450 m of the cave were equipped with illumination. In January 2010, research on Chom Ong cave continued. After completion of the measurements the cave, its length is assumed to be about 16,4 km. In the same month, an information board was installed in front of the cave entrance and the cave was opened for tourists for the first time.

References

External links

Article about Tony Wheeler (author of Lonely Planet) visiting the caveInformation about the cave on the website of the Provincial Tourism Department OudomxayInformation about research visit of the Northern Lao - European Cave Project
{{coord, 20.682, 101.865, region:LA-OU_type:landmark, display=title Caves of Laos Geography of Oudomxay province