The Emerald Cave (aka Morakot Cave) located on Koh Mook Island in Thailand is the window to a secluded lagoon. The rumor says that it used to be a hiding place for the pirates in the former days. To reach the lagoon surrounded by the high cliffs, you will need to swim through a frightening dark cave, about 80 meters long in total.
I had the privilege of experiencing this perhaps small but awe-inspiring adventure during a boat trip from Koh Lanta. At first, I was not conclusive whether to swim through the cave or not, as I was a little (!) afraid. However, as a compulsive traveler, I couldn’t miss the adventure. Upon buckling up our life jackets, we jumped into the water one after the other and formed a queue at the entrance of the cave. After swimming a couple of meters, the cave became totally dark and I wanted to turn back in panic. At the same instance, Tom pushed me forwards saying it is too late due to the people behind us. It was almost impossible to swim for me, set aside the darkness: firstly there was no room to move, secondly the swimming life jacket on was so hard. I then held a big strong man in front of me to struggle only with the darkness to ease my panic; luckily he pulled me without noticing my weight. When we arrived at the hidden beach and laid down, I was so relieved with the feeling of not being defeated by my phobia that I soaked up the hidden paradise until the last bit. If you are around, don’t miss this unique opportunity!
In my opinion, the best way to visit this cave is to stay on the Koh Mook and arrive early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid boat tours. Arriving at the little island is not as convenient as the other places in Thailand, so you would most probably be taking a boat tour and you’d just need to imagine hard, how a lot more beautiful it would be without the crowds.
A side note: the next day we met a couple, who experienced the same adventure with a difference: on their tour day the dark cave was full of jellyfish everyone was crying in pain, and it was a horror for them. They hated every moment, they hated the idea of having to swim back to the same damn cave, hence couldn’t enjoy the beach at all.
The cave is apparently invaded by jellyfish occasionally, so you’d rather wear a lycra shirt and tights, or use similar protection.
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| It was SO dark… |
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| But insanely beautiful |
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| Small but amazing hidden beach |
PS: The photos are from several websites, found on Google search.
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