On May 6th, 2010 filed in Day trips

Kanchanaburi is the largest of Thailand’s central provinces. Just two hours from Bangkok by bus or train, Kanchanaburi makes a great place for a day trip, although the stunning natural beauty of the area, combined with its intriguing turbulent history often entices people to stay for several days or even a few weeks.

There are two main towns in Kanchanaburi Province that are popular with visitors; Kanchanaburi city, which is the capital of Kanchanaburi Province, and the picturesque border town of Sangkhlaburi.

Located on the banks of the Kwae Noi, or River Kwai as it is popularly know to travelers, Kanchanaburi city is the home of the famous Bridge on the River Kwai, which is visited each year by thousands of tourists from every country.

Surrounded by beautiful mountains, lush paddy fields and farms, there is no limit to what can be seen and done in this interesting region. A great way to view the countryside is to ride the Death Railway to Nam Tok. Once there, make sure you visit the Sai Yok National Park with its two Sai Yok waterfalls, the perfect way to cool down on a hot sunny day. Whilst in Sai Yok, check out the Mueang Sing historical park, where you will discover the ruins of a Khmer town and temple.

The spectacular seven-tiered Erawan waterfall, situated in the Erawan National Park must not be missed, and climbing the 1,500 feet to the very top offers incredible views out over the top of the jungle. It is easy to combine a visit to Erawan National Park with a trip to the nearby tiger temple of Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua, where many tame tigers reside and roam freely under the watchful eye of the gentle monks who also live there.

Of course, Kanchanaburi is famous for its World War II POW camps, and visits to the JEATH War Museum and the Thailand-Burma Railway Museum are good places to find out the facts behind this sad period of history, whilst people can pay their respects at the Kanchanaburi War Cemeteries.

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That can be petted by visitors. According to the abbot and others associated with the temple, in 1999, the temple received the first tiger cub, it had been found by villagers and died soon after. The story goes that several tiger cubs were later given to the temple over time, typically when the mothers had been killed by poachers, others who wanted to get rid of their tiger "pets" or those were under pressure to do so as laws and policies surrounding the keeping of protected species became more strict. There are around 50 tigers living at the temple now.

Source: THE GHETTO GURLS and their misadventures in the glamorous world ...

Holidays in Kanchanaburi Thailand ? Historical and Picturesque

Today visitors come to pay their respects to fallen Allied soldiers or to discover for themselves more about the town’s dark past. But Kan, as locals call it, is also a great place to relax at riverside guesthouses or venture to nearby natural attractions.

Sights THAILAND-BURMA RAILWAY CENTRE

Before you head out to the Kwai River Bridge, get a little history under your belt at this museum (%0 3451 0067; 73 Jaokannun; adult/child 60/30B; h9am-5pm). Professional exhibits outline Japan’s aggression in Southeast Asia during WWII and its plan to connect Yangon (in Burma) with Bangkok via rail for transport of military supplies. Captured Allied soldiers as well as Burmese and Malay captives were transported to the jungles of Kanchanaburi to build 415km of rail – known today as the Death Railway because of the many lives (more than 100,000 men) the project claimed.

KANCHANABURI ALLIED WAR CEMETERY

Across the street from the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, the Kanchanaburi Allied War Cemetery (Th Saengchuto; admission free; h7am-6pm) is a touching gift from the Thai people to remember the POWs, mainly from Britain and Holland, who died on their soil.

KWAI RIVER BRIDGE (DEATH RAILWAY BRIDGE)

While the story made famous by the film The Bridge on the River Kwai is one of endurance, heroism and suffering, the span itself is just an ordinary bridge with an extraordinary history. A bit of imagination and some historical context will help to enliven a visit to the bridge, which was a small but strategic part of the Death Railway to Burma. Engineers estimated that construction would take five years, but the human labourers were forced to complete the railway in 16 months. Allied planes destroyed the bridge in 1945 but later repairs restored the span; the bomb damage is still apparent in the pylons closest to the riverbanks.

During the first week of December there’s a nightly sound-and-light show put on at the bridge. It’s a pretty impressive scene, with simulations of bombers and explosions and fantastic bursts of light. The town gets a lot of tourists during this week, so book early. The bridge is roughly 3km from the town centre and the best way for you to reach it is by bicycle. You can also catch a s?wngth?ew (5B) going north along Saengchuto, but it isn’t obvious when to get off; if you get to the Castle Mall, you’ve gone too far. There are also three daily departures across the bridge on the Kanchanaburi–Nam Tok train

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Bridge on the River Kwai

Travellers always seem to score points off one another by comparing how remote the places they have been are, the further away from the crowd the more you can lord it over other travellers you meet in the bar. In any travellers bar when you hear someone mention they went to Ankor Wat sure enough a pretentious voice will put them down for going to a tourist mecca and proudly proclaiming they gave Ankor a miss and went to Two Bricks in a pile of Buffalo Dung Temple instead located in the middle of nowhere and without another tourist in sight.

Occasionally being guilty of this myself one thing I’ve noticed is there’s a reason tourists go to the popular sites, because the remote ones you visit as an alternative are often pretty crap compared to them. So over the last few years I’ve increasingly become a blip amongst the crowd of package tourists on the beaten track once again.

Bridge on the River Kwai

Kanchanaburi is the beaten track, well the bulldozed, tarred, luxury hotels built and a Bazillion package tourists already visited track to be more precise. It was also the first place in Thailand outside Bangkok I ever visited so holds fond memories. Back then they were still bussing in Japanese tourists in on day trips by the sushi cart load, so there’s never exactly been an unspoilt image for me to get spoilt, hence the fact on all my subsequent visits I’ve never done anything else but continued to like the place.

Think of Kanchanaburi and what most people think of first is The Bridge on the River Kwai made famous by the film. What tourists don’t realise is just about everything they know of the place is not true.

For starters the name of the river is River Kwai, Erm no......... River Kwai, meaning Water Buffalo River is a fine name for any river in Thailand, and there are many throughout the country, unfortunately it isn’t the name of the one that flows through Kanchanaburi. The Kanchanburi river is called the River Khwae, and pronounced like the English word “Square” but with the “S” taken off “quare”.

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Every tourist has heard of the town of Kanchanaburi, with its famous “Bridge on the River Kwai” and a few war museums for those with an interest in the town's role in World War II. But strangely, few travelers bother to make it any further than the nearby Erawan falls, a major tourist trap that attracts hundreds of visitors daily.

Beyond the historical town is Thailand’s beautiful ‘wild west,’ which offers an unforgettable excursion away from the tourist hordes and traffic, a region filled with hot springs, resort towns, lakes and archaeological sights.

The tiny town of Thong Pha Phum is slotted between rugged karst hills that rise abruptly from the area’s narrow Kwai river plain. The waterway cuts through the scenery, providing colorful views while various walking paths branch from the town amid the trees. The air at night is refreshingly clean and cool, the perfect break from Bangkok’s stuffy blanket.

There are several places to stay in Thong Pha Phum, ranging from the normal motel-cum-brothels for 200 baht a night to sedate bungalows spreading up the hills on the other side of the river.

The town has many excellent wooden restaurants with pleasant lighting and the traditional decorative wagon wheels. If you have your own transport you can choose from a greater range of accommodation as the entry road is lined with country parks and upmarket resorts that cater to Bangkok’s weekend visitors.

Around 20km before you reach Thong Pha Phum is a ridiculously pleasant set of hot springs. Free to visit, the Hin Dat springs are great for a gentle soak, along with a quick dip in the relatively chilly adjacent river.

The “do not diving” sign is rather unnecessary and the main peril is that the water can get a little hot after about 10 minutes. There’s even a discreet pool reserved for the region’s many monks, while massage beds are laid out above the...

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