Naga Cave only open to 500 visitors per day, reservations required, says park chief
In a Facebook announcement on Monday, Phulangka National Park said that only 500 people will be allowed to enter Naga Cave per day and that all visitors must make a reservation via the QueQ app.
The announcement came after hundreds of Thai tourists found themselves stranded waiting to get down the mountain after visiting the cave.
The Naga Cave, located in Bueng Kan’s Bung Khong Long district, is part of the Phulangka National Park and is known for its scale-like markings and a rock that looks like the mystical serpent, the Naga. Thais believe a visit to the cave brings them good luck and reveals lucky lottery numbers.
The Phulangka National Park said that from Monday onwards, all visitors are required to show their ID card along with proof of reservation via the app at the park entrance. Visitors are also required to produce evidence of at least two Covid-19 vaccine shots or evidence they have recovered from the virus over the past three months. Alternatively, visitors can also present a negative RT-PCR test taken in the previous 72 hours or a negative ATK result in 24 hours.
Entry fees are 20 baht for Thai nationals (10 baht for children aged three to 14 and free for toddlers) and 200 baht for foreigners (100 baht for children aged three to 14). Thai visitors are required to pay 10 baht per person for insurance, while foreigners pay 40 baht per person.
Park chief Damras Phoprasit told Kom Chad Luek newspaper on Monday evening that he is having the incident of people being stranded on Saturday investigated.
Officials who were responsible for screening visitors have been suspended pending investigation.
“The Naga Cave can only accommodate about 500 visitors per day, and we try not to exceed this number to prevent overcrowding during descent,” he said. “Under the new rule, the number of visitors will be strictly capped at 500 per day and nobody will be allowed in after 3pm. All guides and park officials are required to adhere to this rule or they will be suspended.”