Awesome Lao cave
Xe Bang Fai cave near the Vietnam border in Laos is one of the world’s biggest and most spectacular river caves. This shot was taken near the downstream entrance after completing a kayaking trip through the 7 kilometre long river passage. The caver standing on the large rock gives some scale to the chamber. The picture was a several-second exposure taken with an olympus waterproof digital camera.
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1chick1
great capture
Dusker
Your work is stunning—you make it sound so easy.
Matthew Dawkins
Very cool
John Spies
Thanks Matthew- it was a US/Can team with Nat Geo that mapped and photographed the cave last year that inspired me to go for it. They have some amazing pics of the cave on the web- only 6 at the moment but worth googling.
Christopher Biggs
I thought what it pretty cave until I found the person you pointed out for reference. Now it spectacular – and such a good shot of it.
John Spies
Thanks Christopher, the cave is gigantic, with passage size bigger as you go in a few kms. Without a model, as you pointed out, it could be just another pretty cave.
Garth Smith
Wow, thank you for pointing out the caver. I would have had no idea of the scale otherwise. Fantastic.
John Spies
Appreciate your comment Garth, big caves belittle us humans.
Mojca Savicki
Wow, incredible!
John Spies replied
Thanks Mojca, that’s what I thought
Misty Lackey
beautiful place to dwell… run across any bats
John Spies replied
there were bats, but the ceilings were so high you could never see them close up.
fenjay
Wow John. I just went to that Cave and you have done an amazing job dislaying the beauty of the place
John Spies replied
Are you sure is the same one? There is another cave Kong Lo, where the locals use long-tail boats to go through. Kong Lo is becoming a huge tourist attraction. This is remoter, on the Xe Bang Fai river, and no locals enter it. It is also much, much bigger than Kong Lo.
fenjay
Think you are right John. Yep I did go to Khong Lo. i got thrown by the 7km description as it is too. Wow Ill have to get to that one. Im based in Laos so Ill definitely get there at some point
John Spies replied
If you’ve got transport you can drive to Bulapha, then the village near the cave, there is a path to the entrance but you need an inflatable to go inside, and definitely only in the dry-Feb-March, plus friends, lots of light, a sense of adventure…and it is a great place to camp, there is a path over the top of the cave…magical, the most awesome attraction in Laos.
funkybunch
stunning
John Spies replied
Thanks funky, appreciated
sfmilner
Greetings John; A stunning capture, very beautiful.
steve
John Spies replied
Thanks Steve, just wish i had big lights to photograph the amazing interior, best formations i had ever seen
DwCCreations
My husband has always said that this part of the world is some of the most beautiful scenery he had ever seen. This image certainly reflects that. Awesome!
John Spies replied
The area that this cave is in has incredible limestone crags, cliffs and towers, real Lord of the Rings fantasy land type scenery.