About Kanchanaburi

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Kanchanaburi is a beautiful, relaxed and very friendly place to visit with its many National Parks, caves, adventurous activities and the famous Bridge over the river Kwai. Below some of the finest places in Kanchanaburi province.

Visit the famous River Kwai Bridge, the Hellfire Pass and the Death railway in Kanchanaburi in Thailand with Thaitraveldreams Bridge over the river Kwai
Internationally famous bridge, as part of the Death Railway linking Thailand with Myanmar. It was built by allied prisoner-of-war labour under Japanese supervision in WWII. The bridge spans the Kwae Yai river. The first railway bridge over the Kwae river was made from wood. It was part of the so called "Death Railway" between Thailand and Burma, built by over 100,000 Prisoners of War. Tens of thousands did not survive the poor working conditions, deseases and brutal camp discipline. Many are buried in the war cemeteries. Nowadays the bridge functions normally with trains to Nam Tok crossing a few times daily.

An anecdotal remark: please note that the name should be pronounced as "Bridge over the river Kwae (vowel sounds as in "glad") not Kwai. The word Kwai (vowel pronounced as in "why") means buffalo in Thai and Thai people will not understand what you mean.

Visit the famous River Kwai Bridge, the Hellfire Pass and the Death railway in Kanchanaburi in Thailand with Thaitraveldreams War cemetery & Jeath war museum
The Kanchanaburi War cemetery is located within the city. It contains the remains of 6982 allied POW's woh perished during the construcion of the Death Railway. There is a second war cemetery called Chongkai on the other side of the river. This occupies the former site of the Choingkai POW camp. It is smaller and more peaceful, contains 1750 remains mostly of English POW's. Both cemeteries are very well kept.

Jeath War museum consists of a replica bamboo hut in which the prisoners had to live. It is filled with scetches, photos, articles, tools, letters from ex-POW's and various other objects picting various aspects of POW life. Jeath is short for Japan, England, Australia & America, Thailand and Holland, home countries of most of the allied POW's.

Visit the famous River Kwai Bridge, the Hellfire Pass and the Death railway in Kanchanaburi in Thailand with Thaitraveldreams Muang Singh Historical Park
Prasat Muang Singh represents the western outpost of the Khmer empire, whose stone ruins have been renovated into a pleasant green park beside the picturesque Kwai Noi river making a great picnic site. It is one of the most important sites in the Khwai Noi River basin in Kanchanaburi. Prehistoric human skeletons have been discovered near the ancient city, together with metal tools, vessels and ornaments, bricks, foundations of Dvaravati period architecture and laterite ruins from the 13th century. The remains of the ancient city comprise several layers of rectangular walls and a moat. The annual festival within the historical park is the "Thin Buri Sri Chai Sing" featuring a light and sound show and classical dances. A visit to Muang Sing is included in all our excursions from Kanchanaburi to Sai Yoke.

Hell fire pass
A part of the Death railway cut through the stone mountain during World War II and a haunting tribute to the many. There is a walking trail and also a small museum displayed to commemorate the history of WWII. The pass was called "Hellfire pass" by the POW's because at night they had to work with torch lights. Nearby lies the "Pack of Cards bridge" so called because during the construction it collapsed 3 times, costing the lives of many people. Nowadays trains run normally over the PoC bridge. The memorial trail runs via a bamboo forest to the pass. A memorial stone south of Sai Yoke remembers the POW's that died during the Konyu digging.

Visit the famous River Kwai Bridge, the Hellfire Pass and the Death railway in Kanchanaburi in Thailand with Thaitraveldreams National Parks
About 65 km north of Kanchanaburi lies the 7-tiered Erawan waterfall, one of Thailand's loveliest cascades. Enjoy the scenery and if you want then you can go all the way up to level 7, a challenging walk of about 1½ hour after which you will be rewarded with a serene surroundings and clear blue water in a white stone basin in which you can take a cool refreshing dip (take your swimsuit along). The Sai Yoke Noi waterfalls are close to the Nam Tok train station and the Sai Yoke Yai waterfalls are on the other side of the river, 30 km further upstream. The latter is different from other falls in that it runs from the cliff directly into the river. The more adventurous can take a kayaking trip and spend the night in the forest surrounding the falls. All waterfalls are at their most beautiful during and just after the rainy season (July - October) when the water is at peak flow. Best to be visited on weekdays as the weekends can be crowded.

A few km away from the Erawan falls is the Phra Tat cave. Near Sai Yoke Noi waterfall on the other side of the river the Lawa caves can be found. It is the biggest cave of the area. Further towards the Birmese border lie the Daowadueng Cave. All caves contain spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations.

An Elephant village is located in Sai Yoke national park where you can enjoy a ride on an elephant back and rafting on a bamboo float over the river. The animals also perform acrobatic shows.