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WINGS OF THE WHITE BELLY SEA EAGLE - SATUN SECRET CAVE
Satun Secret Cave
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Wings of the White Belly Sea Eagle
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SATUN SECRET CAVE
Wings of the White Belly Sea Eagle
Tarutao Mini-Expedition
We keep the location of Thailand's most
majestic tidal sea cave and Hong system a secret for two reasons - safety of
the paddler and preservation of the cave and pristine Eco-system behind the
cave.
Safety is simple. Check out "Kiss The Oysters" and ask yourself what happens
if the tide is just a bit off and the current slightly too strong. This shot
is the back window - at the wrong tide the front window simply takes your
head off.
Conservation is also obvious. There aren't many spots left untouched by
humans. All "decorated" caves are fragile, and usually succumb to souvenir
hunters. We want this one to stay perfect.
The eco-system behind the cave is virtually perfect. A lead guide from our
old company collects all the orchids he can reach, but other than that the
only things touched is an occasional rock in a "tight squeeze" traverse
(three small caves sit behind the big one) and when we lift a SOTAR over a
fallen log. I was horrified when a Singapore-based school group company
asked me to help then camp out in the back. Despite the educational
benefits, a school-kid campout would wreak havoc in this perfect nature. We
declined.
The cave is one kilometer long, built along a huge fault line. The first few
hundred meters has a fairly low ceiling, but once you pass the first window,
the ceiling rises and the decorations start - huge columns at first with
curtain stalactites peppering the final few hundred meters.
There's usually macaques, king squirrels, pythons, water monitors and a
variety of birds hanging out in the back. The monkeys call the alarm as soon
as we enter the meandering Hong, but the animals remain calm and we always
have good sightings in this tranquil Garden of Eden. After exploring until
we get tired of traversing fallen logs, we return back through this
beautiful cave.
We are happy to take small groups, but no GPS, please - for the sake of the
few remaining spots of perfect nature.
Enjoy this remarkable show!
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