Kanchanaburi Attractions

Kanachanaburi's main claim to fame is the famous, not to say infamous Bridge on the River Kwai, popularized by Pierre Boulle's novel of 1956 and the epic film of the same name made in 1958, and actually filmed in Ceylon.

Hellfire Pass is a 500 m long portion of rock that was dug - by hand - by 1,000 Prisoners of War for the Death Railway. Over the 12 week period that that the prisoners worked on the digging, 700 of them died.

The museum is a memorial to the fallen soldiers as well as pictures and tools that describe the events. There is also a trail that visitors can follow, the old railway track, into the jungle.

JEATH War Museum was built in 1977 as an exact replica of the original POW camp. There are bunks, pictures and other authentic items on display as well as accounts written by former POW's, their relatives, and authors that interviewed many of the prisoners.

Ban Kao on the Kwae Noi is one of the most important excavation sites in Kanchanaburi province. The finds, including tools, skeletons, vessels, pottery and the Bronze Age burial already mentioned, are on display in Bangkok's National Museum, which also has statues in the Lopburi style (derived from the Khmer style, 7th-13th c.) found at the "Lion City" of Prasat Muang Singh, 34 km (21 mi.) from Kanchanaburi.

Kanchanaburi Province owes part of its wealth to its mines and diggings. Some of these are still in operation today around Bo Phloi, a little place 48 km (30 mi.) north of Kanchanaburi Town. Besides gold, silver, wolfram and tin, there is mining for such gemstones as sapphires, rubies, garnets, cornelian and amethyst. In fact jewelry and cut and uncut stones are cheaper in the Bo Thoi shops than anywhere else in Thailand.

The falls take the form of a series of cascades and pools over and among the rocks, and are supposed to be shaped like the divine Indra's three-headed elephant, hence their name.

The whole area has been declared the Khao Salop National Park. This extends over 2024 sq. km (781 sq. mi.), and beyond it is Thung Yai, another National Park. Both parks are best visited during the week, since they attract large numbers of visitors from Bangkok at the weekend.

The Mangkorn Thong caves are half an hour from Kanchanaburi (boat hire) by river on the Kwae Noi. Two brightly colored dragons mark the foot of the steep flight of over 95 steps leading up to the Cave Temple of the Golden Dragon, the series of tunnels up to the mountain top, and a cavern with some fine stalactites.

Anyone with a taste for adventure should make the river trip, passing between towering rock walls and riding the rapids, to the Sai Yok Yai waterfalls, half a mile from Nam Tok railway station, where a turbulent mountain stream cascades down into the Kwae Noi.

A cave, Talad Yai ("big cave"), about half a mile past the Nam Tok Trai Treung waterfall, has two resident hermits.

Tham Keng Lawa is an exceptionally scenic system of caverns, full of stalactites and stalagmites, just a few minutes from the River Kwai Village Hotel, in a beautiful setting of jagged rocks, deep gorges, waterfalls and jungle-covered mountains.

About 95 km (59 mi.) north of Kanchanaburi (Highway 3199 then left at Nong Preu), in Chaloem Rattanakosin National Park, there are two caves which are worth seeing. Than Lot, a large and lofty cavern with stalactites and stalagmites, was a site of prehistoric settlement, as the many finds made here testify.

Reached by Highway 323 or 324, Wat Dong Sak is built of teak and is worth seeing for its 6th c. figure of Vishnu and extremely beautifully carved gable, while Wat Phra Taen Dong Rang is the place where, according to legend, Buddha lay down in a hollow to enter Nirvana. Not far from this temple is another hilltop shrine where the body of Buddha is said to have been cremated.

Other places worth visiting along the Kwae Yai valley include Wat Kanchanaburi Khao, a temple on the old site of Kanchanaburi Town, with a chedi and a prang from the Ayutthaya period, and Erawan Falls, 55 km (34 mi.) from Kanchanaburi by road on Highway 3199 or about three hours by river.