Kanchanaburi Budget Travel Guide provides you an introduction to this famous destination in Thailand. Through my description, I hope you will get to know Kanchanaburi better. I am also listing on this page all the places of interest in the town which you might want to visit when you are there.
About Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is the name of the town which is also the provincial capital of Kanchanaburi Province in Thailand. It is located at the confluence of the Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai rivers forming the Mae Klong river. The town has been a regular destination of visitors on account of its place in history, as the site of the Death Railway, particularly the bridge over the River Kwai.
In addition to historical interest, Kanchanaburi has in the last decade developed other tourist attractions. The town has a number of cave temples within its limestone cave system. There is also a Vipassana meditation centre in Kanchanaburi. A rather offbeat tourist attraction - and one that has become unfortunately commercialized - is the Tiger Temple.
Many tourists arrive in Kanchanaburi on day packages from Bangkok, available from most travel agencies there. If you want to go there on your own, take the bus at the Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Taling Chan) in Thonburi. The first class buses depart from its office at Thanon Saengchuto while the regular buses depart from the main terminal building. The 1st class buses take about 2 hours to reach Kanchanaburi and costs ฿99 one way, inclusive of one bottle of mineral water. The regular bus costs just a fraction less, at ฿95.
If you are staying at Khao San Road, you can also take the tourist minibuses from there departing at 1:30 pm. If you are visiting Nakhon Pathom on the way, there are also buses from there to Kanchanaburi.
Budget Travel within Kanchanaburi
Most of the sights are too spread out to make walking from one to another a practical option. That's one reason why going by a day package tour might sound like a good idea. In any case, if you are there independently, then take the songthaew or motorcycle taxis. Better yet, hire the same songthaew or motorcycle taxi to take you to all the sights for a fixed, pre-negotiated price.
Erawan National Park National park with Erawan Falls, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Thailand. Entrance fee is ฿200 for foreigners.
Hellfire Pass A railway cutting that was famed for its cost in life. Now the pass is a memorial that you can visit with an audio walking tour.
JEATH War Museum Comprising the War Museum, World War II Museum and JEATH Museum, these are located 50 meters from the bridge. One fee gets you into all.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery Cemetery to the war dead located opposite the Kanchanaburi Railway Station.
Sri Sawat An area near Kanchanaburi with a few attractions including the Lumnam Jone waterway, where the River Kwai begins, the Pra That Cave, Huay Mae Khamin Waterfalls and Tham Than Lot Cave.
Tiger Temple Tigers aplenty but no temple to be seen, this is one of the usual sights in Thailand. Entrance fee is a hefty ฿500, but comes with a book on tigers. Do NOT wear bright yellow, pink or orange to visit this place.
Wat Tham Khaopoon Cave temple located 5 km outside Kanchanaburi town, past the Chongkai War Cemetery.
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