Attractions in Kanchanaburi, attractive places by GuideRooms.com   

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Bo Phloi | Muang | Nong Prue | Phanom Thuan | Sai Yok

Amphoe Bo Phloi

Bo Phloi

The Bo Phloi district, located some 40 kilometers from the city, is well known for its locally mined blue sapphires and semi-precious stones such as onyx. Visitors can visit a Jewelry Handicraft Centre to see how these materials are honed and fashioned into spectacular jewelry sets.

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

Kanchanaburi Safari Park

Amphoe Muang

Animal Shelter

Located at Ban Phu Pradu, Tambol Nong Bua, some 20 km. from Kanchanaburi. It is accessible by Highway 3229 with a turn for 3 km. between Km. 16 – 17. The animal shelter covers a total area of 38 rai and was relocated from Thung Si Kan and houses mostly dogs, as well as cats, cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep. Dogs are available for adoption. Open daily during 8.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.

Art Gallery and War Museum

Located not far away from the Bridge on the River Khwae is a private museum which features the World Wide II story and art objects such as war weapons, army uniforms, photographs, jewelry, etc. The museum is open daily from 7.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. Admission fee is 30 baht/person.

Ban Kao National Museum

A small Tambol (sub-district) located on the bank of the Kwai Noi River approximately 35 kilometers from the city is a site where some ancient Stone Age tools were found. In addition, a Neolithic burial site was discovered by the Dutch Allied POW, Dr. Van Hickderen who was forced to build the Death Railway. The consequences of findings revealed that Tambol Ban Kao was once a dwelling of prehistoric men. Some critical discoveries included skeletons of prehistoric men, tools made from gravel stone and axes. The Ban Kao Museum houses skeletal remains, pots, axe heads, jewelry made from animal bones, and other artifacts dating from that period.

The museum is open from Wednesday through Friday with the exception of public holidays from 9.00 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. Admission is 30 baht. Call 0 3465 4058 for more information.

The JEATH War Museum

The name JEATH is derived from countries which engaged in the WWII death railway construction from 1942 to 1945, which included Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand and Holland. Located in the area of Wat Chai Chumphon, the museum is a reconstruction of the POWs thatched detention hut with cramped, elevated bamboo bunks. On the wall of the huts, photographs and illustrations of the POWs living conditions are on display. POWs who survived from the camp have donated items to enhance the museums atmosphere and authenticity. The museum opens daily from 8.30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Admission fee is 30 baht.

Amphoe Nong Prue

Huai Ongkot Royal Project
The objective of the royal project site is to develop the infertile area around the Ongkhot basin. It is located at tambon Somdet Charoen, Nong Phru District, 130 kilometers from Kanchanaburi. The Neolithic remains have been found in the area.

Amphoe Phanom Thuan

Don Chedi Archaeological Site

Situated in Ban Don Chedi, the site was found by the Fine Arts Department when an excavation revealed important remains such as ancient swords, elephant jaw bones, human skeletons and an Ayutthaya-style Chedi. From the findings, most historians believe that the site was the killing field where a Yutthatthi battle took place.

Somdet Phra Naresuan Maharat Moument

The site, which is located close to Don Chedi Archaeological site, was built using money donated by locals to honor the victory of King Naresuan the Great over the Crown Prince of Burma.

Thung Samo Temple (Wat Thung Samo)

The temple located approximately 15 kilometers from the city can be on U-Thong Road via Highway No. 324. The major attraction is a big Kuan Yin statue.

Amphoe Sai Yok

Hell Fire Pass Memorial Museum

This is a part of the Death Railway that was constructed during the Second World War using POW labor to cut through the mountain. The site is located in a thick forest near Km. 66 of the Sai Yok-Thong Pha Phum Road (Highway No. 323). Along a 4-kilometer walking trail made by the Allied prisoners visitors can envision the difficulties faced in constructing the Death Railway using simple tools. The pass is approximately 500 meters long and 26 meters deep. In 1943 Australian POWs employing hand drills, picks and shovels, baskets and dynamite completed it within six weeks.

There is also a museum displaying contemporary photographs, maps, models, illustrations, etc. from the period. Open daily from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Admission is free.

Lawa Cave

The cave is on the side of Khwae Noi River, 75 kilometers from Kanchanaburi City. The entrance to the cave is a bit narrow although the interior is spacious with several chambers including the music chamber, the throne chamber, and the curtain chamber with stalactites and stalagmites in full display. The cave can be accessed either by boat or car. Chartered boats are available at the Pak Saeng Pier (southwest of Namtok Railway Station), the trip takes 45 minutes and costs 800 to 1,000 baht per boat (capacity 8-10 people). Visitors traveling by road can cross the bridge at Ban Kaeng Raboet and continue on foot.
 
Prasat Muang Sing Historical Park

Muang Singh town was built between 857 and 1157 when the Khmer Kingdom was still prosperous. It was later abandoned until the reign of King Rama I when Muang Singh was rebuilt as a Kanchanaburi border town.

The only archeological site with a religious structure built in the middle of the city is the Khmer Prasat Mueang Sing (Tower of the City of Lions) where the heavy influence of the late Lop Buri arts is clearly visible. The ancient site is located on a steep bank of Khwae Noi River where the waterway narrows and becomes fast flowing. The city walls, which were made of rectangular laterite, are approximately 800 meters in width, 1,500 meters in length and 5 meters in height. The compound is believed to have been the westernmost outpost of the Angkor-centered Khmer empire. Remains dating back some 2,000 years have been discovered, and artifacts, including temple carvings, religious statuary and pottery shards indicate that the city must have been inhabited from approximately the 12th to 14th centuries.

The historical park is open daily from 9 a.m.-4.30 p.m. Admission fee is 40 baht. Call 0 3459 1122 or 0 3459 1334 for additional information.

Visitors can take a train from Kanchanaburi to Tha Kilen Railway Station and continue on foot or by local transport to Prasat Muang Sing, which is just 1.5 kilometers away. Trains depart from Kanchanaburi Railway Station every day at 6.11 a.m. (arriving at Tha Kilen at 7.28 a.m.), 11 p.m. (arriving at 11.59 a.m.) and 4.37 p.m. (arriving at 5.42 p.m.). To return to Kanchanaburi, trains depart from Tha Kilen Station at 6.22 a.m., 1.51 p.m. and 4.31 p.m.

Sai Yok Elephant Village

Located at Moo 3 Ban Lum Phueng, Tambol Lum Sum and offering a 30-minute nature trek on elephant and rafting. There is a daily elephant show during 8.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. To get there, from Kanchanaburi, take the Sai Yok – Thong Pha Phum route for some 30 minutes to around Km. 45, or a train and get off at Wang Pho Station. Open daily during 8.30 a.m. – 4.00 p.m. For a group visit, please contact in advance. Te.l 0 3459 1255, 0 3459 1102, 08 1878 9979.

Sai Yok National Park

The park covers approximately 300-square-kilometers and contains several interesting caves and the nation’s famous Sai Yok Yai waterfall. The park has dense forests, including majestic teak trees and an abundance of small mammals such as squirrels, bats and deer, as well as numerous bird species. IN addition, the park is home to what is probably the smallest mammal in the world, the two-grammed Kittis Hog-nosed Bat, which was first discovered in 1973 by a Thai naturalist. The park is 104 kilometers from Kanchanaburi via Highway No. 323 and can also be reached by chartered boat from the Pak Saeng Pier. The park is very popular during the weekends. Bungalow accommodations, river rafts, camping facilities, and a daytime food market are available.

Sai Yok Yai Waterfall (Namtok Sai Yok Yai),

Located 104 kilometers from the town, flows directly into Khwae Noi River. Its idyllic beauty has been repeatedly celebrated in Thai poetry and songs. A rope bridge enables people to cross the river to view the waterfall. Rafts are available for a river trip along the riverbank but advance booking is recommended.

Lawa Cave and Daowadung Cave

Two caves, which house numerous stalactites and stalagmites. Of the two caves, the Daowadueng Cave, which entails a river trip and 1-kilometer walk, is the more popular cave.

Thung Nang Khruan Waterfall (Namtok Thung Nang Khruan)

Located approximately 190 km. from Kanchanaburi at Ban Thung Nang Khruan, Tambon Chalae, within the area of Khuean Srinagarindra Dam. It is a large 7-tiered limestone waterfall amid verdant and shady intact natural surroundings. There is water all year round which cascades down high cliffs, some of which are more than 35 metres high. To get there, take Highway 323 (Thong Pha Phum – Sangkhla Buri), turn right at Km. 26 (noticing the white Buddha image at the intersection) and continue for 15 km. along the alternate asphalt and laterite road to Ban Thung Nang Khruan, turn for 3 km. into the entrance to the waterfall. A walk for another 1 km. or 30 minutes will lead to the 1st tier of the waterfall. A four-wheel drive vehicle or pick up truck and local guide will be needed.

Thong Pha Phum National Park

Located within the area of Pa Huai Khayeng and Pa Khao Chang Phueak reserved forests covering a total area of approximately 700,000 rai, some 60 km. to the west of Amphur Thong Pha Phum on Highway 3272. There are many spots of interest including 2 viewpoints at Doi Tong Palae which is about 300 meters uphill from where Namtok Chokkadin is visible, and Noen Kut Doi which is accessible by car and offers a panoramic view of the mountains, Vajiralongkorn Dam and Khao Chang Phueak – the national park’s highest peak. There are 3 nature trails to waterfalls; namely, Namtok Chokkadin, Namtok Pha Pae and Namtok Chet Mit. These waterfalls are located in the evergreen forest of Tambol Pilok which is a former location of tin and wolfram mines on the Thai – Burmese border. A four-wheel drive car and hired guide will be needed.