Chom Ong
The Chom Ong Cave in the Lao province of Oudomxay is true with about 16 kilometers in length as the longest cave in northern Laos.
Naming
The inhabitants of Ban ( "village" ) Chom Ong Cave as " Tam Chia " ( Lao: Bat Cave ) is known, since they hunt in their bats as food and guano gain, which can be used as fertilizer, explosives and gunpowder. Considering the fact that many Lao caves hold this name, it was for better differentiation of research groups from the village name, " Chom Ong ," assigned. On Khmusprache means Chom Ong " beehive ", suggesting beekeeping as traditional employment in the village.
Location and infrastructure
The cave is located about 45 kilometers from Muang Xay, Oudomxay the provincial capital on the border of the district with the district Nam Xay Or you lies near the village of Ban Chom Ong, whose inhabitants belong to the ethnic group Khmu. In the infrastructure links the village to Muang Xay is a mountainous dirt road, which is very bad to drive in the wet season. In the dry season this route are with motorcycle or a suitable car takes about two to two and a half hours for the replacement. Starting from the village, the cave can be reached in about an hour's hike.
Geology
The cave extends within a four kilometer long mountain train, and has a north and a south entrance. Your ceiling heights up to 50 meters, with transition widths of 20 to 30 meters. Their total length is estimated after completion of the survey in January 2010 to 16 kilometers.
From the large hall-like main course of Chom Ong there are numerous branches forming tours or long dead-end paths. The cave also runs on multiple levels, on the lower areas of the river Nam Kaang flows, which in the open air collects at the south end in a basin and enters through a chute into the cave.
The higher levels form in several places balconies from which one can see about 15 meters down the river. The Chom Ong is characterized by particularly impressive stalagmites and stalactites as well as large sparkling sinter formations.
History
In 2006, the Tourism Department Oudomxay learned on the search for potential subjects related to tourism attractions in the province of the existence of this cave. She was known for generations previously under the villagers of Ban Chom Ong, its easily accessible areas have been used for hunting of bats and fish, and for the extraction of guano.
Since then, measures have been taken to prepare the village on an ecotourism value of the cave. The village should in this case be heavily involved for the purpose of poverty reduction in the revenue. With the support of the German Development Service 2007 Workshops such as tour guide and chef training for the villagers were carried out and built a guest house and overnight accommodation for tourists.
In January 2009, an international research group of the Northern Lao surveyed - European Projects Cave Cave in parts and provisionally calculated an approximate length of 13.5 kilometers. With the support of Schmitz Foundation for the Construction of toilet houses and washing facilities for the inhabitants of the adjoining village as well as a supply of drinking water through ceramic filter followed. The first 450 meters of the cave were equipped with lighting. Early 2010, the research on the cave continued. After the end of the measurements in January assumes a length of about 16 kilometers. In the same month, an information board at the entrance of the cave has been installed and made the cave for the first time accessible to tourists.