Tham Khao Mai Khew

This guide to Tham Khao Mai Khew on Ko Lanta near Krabi climbs thirty minutes through jungle to the mouth of the island's largest cave system, then follows a local guide past still black pools and up bamboo ladders into a cathedral-sized chamber. It introduces the frogs, foot-wide spiders, and roosting bats sharing the dark, and the guides who became essential here after tourism on the island collapsed. Bring a headlamp — there's no lighting rig inside.