Travel Infomation about Kanchanaburi, Thailand

War Museum
The museum, located near the River Kwae Bridge, displays the collection of weapons, tools and utensils of the Allied POW and Japanese soldiers during the Second World War.

It is open daily from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Admission fee is 30 baht.

The JEATH War Museum
The JEATH War Museum comprise another reminder of the wartime past. The enclave, in the riverside precincts of Wat Chaichumphon, has been constructed in the form of an Allied POW camp. The name JEATH is derived from countries inextricably associated with the years 1942 through 1945, namely Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland. The thatched detention hut with cramped, elevated bamboo bunks, contains photographic, pictorial and physical memorabilia dating from the Second World War. POWs who survived the ordeal have donated items from that period to substantiate the museum’s authenticity.

The museum is open daily from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission fee is 30 baht.

Kanchanaburi Town Gate
This is the remain of Kanchanaburi town built in 1831 during the reign of King Rama III. It is located on Lak Mueang Road near the meeting point of the Kwae Yai and Kwae Noi Rivers.

Somdet Phra Srinagarindra Park
Situated in Kanchanaburi’s Agricultural College at Tambon Nong Ya, 9 kilometres from town, it is also Known as “the Stone Garden” which abounds with stones of different size and shapes.

Wat Tham Mangkon Thong
Situated 5 kilometres from town, the temple is well known for the incredible performance of the nun floating in a deep pool. There is a small museum where a variety of ancient objects found in the area are on display.
Visitors can take a Kanchanaburi – Dan Makham Tia bus and get off at the temple.

Wat Tham Phu Wa
The monastery in natural surroundings, famous for meditation, is 15 kilometres away from the provincial capital. There is a beautiful cave with plenty of stalactites.

Ancient Town of Kanchanaburi
Located at Tambon Lat Ya, 18 kilometres away from the provincial capital, this ancient border town involved in battles between the Thai and the Burmese during the Ayutthaya period to early Bangkok period. Servral ruins are found in Wat Pa Lelai, Wat Khun Phaen, Wat Mae Mai and Wat Nang Phim.

The Nine-Army Battle Historical Park
Located at Tambon Chong Sadao, some 40 kilometres from town on Highway No. 3199, the Nine-Army Battle Historical Park ware initiated by the Royal Thai Army to commemorate the great battle under the command of King Rama I, in defense of the kingdom against the aggression of King Bodawpaya of Burma in 1795. The Historical Study Building houses historical data involving this great battle, a sand table displaying battlefields and dioramas showing the battle strategy. It is open daily from 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.

Kanchanaburi Cultural Centre
The collection centre of human life styles from the past till the present is displayed at the Rajabhat Institute of Kanchanaburi, 14 kilometres out of town on the route to Sai Yok. It is open daily from 8.30 a.m. – 4.30 p.m.

Ban Kao National Museum
Some 35 kilometres from Kanchanaburi and overlooking the Kwae Noi river, the petite Ban Kao National Museum was constructed beside a Neolithic burial site discovered by an Allied POW during the construction of the ‘Death Railway’. Some 4,000 years ago, Neolithic man lived, roamed and hunted beside the Kwae rivers, sheltering beneath rock overhangs or in nearby caves. The Ban Kao museum houses skeletal remains, pots, axe heads, jewellery mad from animal bones, and other artifacts dating from that period. It is open Wednesday-Friday except public holidays from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is 30 baht.

Amphoe Sai Yok
The Sai Yok District is 60 kilometres north of the provincial capital. Its landscape, generally rich in forests and mountains, is dotted with many natural attraction and historical places.

Hell Fire Pass memorial Museum
The Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, opened on April 24, 1998, by the Australian Prime Minister, Mr. John Howard, and some 80 kilometres north of the provincial capital on Highway No.323, powerfully evokes the period when the ‘Death Railway’ was constructed. A masterful display of contemporary photographs, maps, models, illustrations and physical memorabilia from the period is complemented by a moving 7-minute audio-visual presentation.

A 4-kilometres Walking Trail permits visitors to descend to the Hellfire Pass, and then explore the ‘Death Railway’ railbed in the area. Hellfire Pass was so named because of punishing night work when flickering bonfires illuminated emaciated POWs. The cutting is some 500 metres long, and 26 metres deep. It was completed within six weeks during 1943 by Australian POWs employing hand drills, picks and shovels, baskets and dynamite.

The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Lawa Cave
Located 75 kilometres from Kanchanaburi and 50 metres from the bak of the Kwae Noi river, this large cave can be visited either by boat and by car. Chartered boats are available at the Pak Saeng Pier (southwest of Namtok Railway Station), the trip takes 45 minutes and cost 800 – 1,000 baht per boat (loading 8-10 people). Visitors travelling by road can cross the bridge at Ban Kaeenng Raboet and continue by foot. The cave contains beautiful stalactites and stalagmites in several chambers.

Sai Yok National Park
This 300-square-kilometre park contains several interesting caves and the enduringly popular Sai Yok Yai Waterfall, which flows directly into the Kwae Noi River. The idyllic beauty of the waterfall has been repeatedly celebrated in Thai poetry and song. The Daowadueng Cave, which also entails a river trip and 1-kilometre walk for visits, is an even more popular cave.
Sai Yok’s deciduous forests, including majestic teak tree, host small mammals such as squirrels, bats and deer, and numerous bird species, including wreathed hornbills and blue winged pittas. The park enjoys a maximum elevation of 1,307 metres, and is home to what is probably the smallest mammal in the world, the two grammed Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat, which was first discovered in 1973 by a Thai naturalist.

The park is 104 kilometres from Kanchanaburi via Highway No. 323 and can also be reached by chartered boat from the Pak Saeng Pier. The park is popular during weekends, but enjoys more somnolent ambience during weekdays. Bungalow accommodation, river rafts and camping facilities, and a daytime food market are available.

Amphoe Thong Pha Phum
Thong Pha Phum is 159 kilometres north of the provincial capital. Besides limestone waterfalls which are the major attractions in the area, an overnight stay in comfortable resorts or raft-houses also offers a relaxing holiday for visitors.

Amphoe Sangkhla Buri
Dai Chong Thong Waterfall
Travel 1 kilometres along an access road off the Thong Pha Phum-Sangkhla Buri Road at Km. 32-33 and 600 metres on foot. This is rather a large waterfall which cascades down towards Vajiralongkorn Dam.

Hin Dat Hot Spring
The riverside hot spring with a pond for bathing is situated 2 kilometres off Highway No. 323 Zbetween Km.105-106). It was discovered a Japanese soldier during the Second World War.

Sangkhla Buri
Sangkhla Buri is a predominantly mountainous and northern district of Kanchanaburi which borders Myanmar (Burma). The 224 kilometre road journey from Kanchanaburi’s provincial capital, particularly the final 7o kilometres to Sangkhla Buri district town, largely edges the picturesque Vajiralongkorn Dam reservoir, and climbs through forested mountains, offering exhilarating views of broad mountain valleys before finally descending down into the settlement which edges the reservoir’s northern extremities.

The settlement contains several guesthouses and resorts, and serves largely as a dormitory for visitors making excursions in adjacent countryside. Sankhla Buri is also the embarkation point for eco-tourism trips entailing boat rides, forest treks by elephants, and travelling by bamboo raft through picturesque riverine secnery.

Getting Therer – Sangkhla Buri is served by a daily VIP bus service originating at Kanchanaburi Bus Station which departs at 9.30 a.m., 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. On return, the VIP buses depart from Sangkhla Buri at 8.45 a.m., 10.45 a.m. and 2.30 p.m. The one-way fare is 151 baht. Air-conditioned vans make the same trip, departure times from Kanchanaburi are 7.30 a.m. 11.30 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. and departure times from Sangkhla Buri are 6.30 a.m. , 7.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m. , 1 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. The one-way fare is 118 baht. (Please check a current schedule at TAT Kanchanaburi before departure.)

Wat Wang Wiwekaram
This extensive temple on the southern outskirts of Sangkhla Buri edges on Khao Laem reservoir. The complex is constructed in an unusual mix of Thai, Indian, and Burmese Buddhist architectural styles, and the abbot ‘Luang Pho Uttama’ is highly revered among local people, including tribal folk and Burmese.

Srinagarindra National Park
This park covers 1,532 square kilometres and is situated 105 kilometres from Kanchanaburi. The park’s relative inaccessibility necessitates a final 40-kilometre and punishing drive along a dry weather track, and negotiable only by motorcycle, pick-up trucks or 4-wheel-drive vehicles. Alternatively, the park can be accessed by a 45 to 75 minutes (depending on the vessel) boat ride from the Tha Kradan Pier. The Kradan is located 12 kilometres beyond the entrace to Srinagarindra Dam at Km. 44 of Highway 3199. A boat loading 10 people can be chartered at 1,500 baht.

Major park attractions include the lovely seven-tiered Huai Mae Khamin Waterfall which is conveniently accessible by a gradually ascending ‘user-friendly’ footpath originating near the park’s headquarters. Boat trips on the sprawling reservoir bring their own scenic rewards, and treks through encroaching deciduous forests and bamboo groves, reveal a rich variety of butterflies and bird species.

Bungalow accommodation is available. Because no restaurants as such exist, visitors are advised to bring their own food provisions. Easy Thai dishes can be cooked by park staff.

Amphoe Bo Phloi
Bo Phloi, some 40 kilometres from the provincial capital, is famed for locally mined blue sapphires and semi-precious materials such as onyx. A Jewellery Handicraft Centre enables visitors to see how these materials are fashioned into finished jewellery creations.

Getting There – Bo Phloi can be reached from Kanchanaburi by non air-conditioned bus departing from Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal every 20 minutes between 6 a.m. – 6.30 p.m. The journey takes 1 hour and costs 20 baht.

Amphoe Phanom Thuan
Don Chedi Archaeological Site
This is located behind Wat Thung Samo some 15 kilometres from town. The site, with the remains of a Chedi of the Ayutthaya period, was excavated by the Fine Arts Department in 1982. A hundred human skeletons, ancient swords, elephant jaw bones, and a horse riding kit were discovered.

SPECIAL INTERESTS
National Parks
Kanchanaburi contains four major national parks, namely the Sai Yok, Erawan, Chaloem Rattanakosin and Srinagarindra national parks, which can be enjoyed year-round by botanists, ornithologists, and nature lovers alike. Each park offers bungalow accommodation, complemented by rafts and –or camp sites with cold-water and simple toilet facilities. Trekking along either will-defined waterfall trails, or nature trails, to visit cascades, caves, or to appreciate local flora and fauna, is a popular activity at each of the national parks. Three of Kanchanaburi’s most picturesque waterfalls are contained within the Sai Yok, Erawan and Srinagrindra national parks.

Note: Admission to the national park is 200 baht per person. Visitors intending to make overnight stays in the national park should make reservations through the Royal Forestry Department in Bangkok.

Train Schedule & Fares
Train depart from Kanchanaburi Railway Station every day at 6.11 a.m., 11 p.m. and 4.35 p.m. to Nam Tok Railway Station. On return, train leave Nam Tok station at 5.25 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3.15 p.m. Travelling time is about 2 hours. The fare is 17 baht.

Golfing
Undulating fairways and mountain backdrops characterise the terrain of most Kanchanaburi golf courses. Golfers can test their skills at eight 18-hole or 27-hole courses scattered throughout the province, and at two smaller course operated by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand at the Srinagarindras and Vajiralongkorn (Khao Laem) dams.

Some course are attached to resort hotels. Most have sports complexes and swimming pools, particularly important for non-playing spouses and children. Few are fully booked during weekdays, meaning that walk-ins are almost always assured that greens are available. Because of Kanchanaburi’s comparative proximity to Bangkok, bookings are recommended during weekends and public holidays.