Kanchanaburi Destination Guide

The Bridge over the River Kwai   Death Railway

The Safari Park

The Safari Park is located approximately 40 kilometers from town along the Kanchanaburi-Bo Phloi route. It is home to numerous African and Asian mammals, including giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers and bears that dwell in beautifully landscaped environs. Visitors can drive their private car to explore the park or use the bus service provided by the park. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission fee is 300 baht for adults and 150 baht for children. Call 0 3453 1888, 0 3453 1999, 0 3450 0089 or fax. 0 3450 0088 for further information.


Ban Kao National Museum

A small Tambon (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 tambon 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 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Admission is 30 baht. Call 0 3465 4058 for more information.

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (known locally as the Don-Rak War Cemetery) is the main Prisoner of War (POW) cemetery associated with victims of the Burma Railway. It is located on the main road (Saeng Chuto Road) through the town of Kanchanaburi, Thailand, adjacent to an older Chinese cemetery. 

It was designed by Colin St Clair Oakes and is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. There are 6,982 former POWs buried there, mostly Australian, British and Dutch. It contains the remains of prisoners buried beside the south section of the railway from Bangkok to Nieke apart from those identified as Americans, whose remains were repatriated.

There are 1,896 Dutch war graves, the rest being from Britain and the Commonwealth. Two graves contain the ashes of 300 men who were cremated. The Kanchanaburi Memorial gives the names of 11 from India who are buried in Muslim cemeteries.

Wat thawonwararam

Wat Thawonwararam (a little tongue twister) is proof for a big Chinese influence in Kanchanaburi town. 

The architecture and signage is Chinese, Inside the temple is Phra Buddha Sathapornmongkol or Luang Phor To, a beautiful late U-thong period image. 

The temple sits quietly along the famous river Kwai. 

Well, not so quiet because of the dogs. The temples of the town are a nice alternative to visit after all the River Kwai attention.

The JEATH War Museum is one of two war museums in Thailand about the Death Railway built from 1942 to 1943 by Allied POWs under the direction of the Japanese, a part of the famous Thai-Burma railways.
Founding

The museum was founded in 1977 by the chief abbot of Wat Chaichumpol Venerable Phra Theppanyasuthee. It is located on the grounds of a temple at the junction of the Khwae Yai and Khwae Noi rivers in Kanchanaburi and it is a part of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai[1] saga.

The acronym JEATH stands for the primary nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japanese, English, Australian, American, Thai and Holland,[2] whereas the Thai name is Phíphítháphan Songkhram Wát Tâi (Wat Tai War Museum).
The museum is divided into two sections, depicting the construction of the Death Railway is meant to recreate the quarters used by Allied POWs, the reconstructed bamboo huts contain such items as paintings, drawing and photos of and by the prisoners, weapons, tools, maps and so forth.[4] It includes a prehistoric view on the province as well as the Miss Thailand contest room.

Tourist photos are not permitted in the museum.

Had Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park

The Royal forest department had surveyed and established the 75 million-year shell cemetery (Susan Hoi), Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi and near-by islands in Nong Thale sub district, Ao Nang sub district, SaiThai sub district and Pak Nam sub district of Amphoe Muang Krabi, 243,725 rais, as the 47th National Park of Thailand so called "Had Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park". There after, it had been expanded to cover the shell cemetery and near-by islands, 12.68 Rais., to have totally area of 243,737 rais. After that the area of Nong Thale sub district, Amphoe Muang Krabi, Krabi province which is the area of the Royal Thai Navy and the Royal Palace area has been excluded from this national park and left only 242,437 rais.

Topography
Consists of the land area on the coast of the island such as Oaw Maow mountain area, Oaw Nang-Hang Nak forest and other islands. The geological form of this area is the high mountain laid along the northwest-southeast direction. Coast area is the high mountain while the western side has deeper slope than the eastern side. Geological form of sea coast area and islands in Andaman sea would be affected by the line of earth layer movement so called "Indosenia Teotonic Movement". At the area of mangrove forest of Hang Nang mountain you would find the Klom mountain canal on the coast rim which get the drained water from a big pond, so called "Nong Tale" (Sea Pond) and originates the mangrove forest and low plain area of the Samed forest in the area of national park office namely "Klong Hang" (Dry canal)(Nhoparatanatara Beach).

Climate
"Nopharatanatara - PhiPhi Beach National Park are influenced by tropical monsoon wind. During November-October would has the southeastern-monsoon wind drives through and induces to have two seasons of weather here; the first is raining season starts from May till December and the hot season starts from January till April. Average temperature here is about 17 - 37 degrees celsius. Average rainfall per year is about 2,231 milimeters which would be highest in July and lowest in February.

Flora and Fauna
Vegetations in the national park area could be classified into 3 groups as follows :

Primary rainforest could be found in the high steep mountain. According to these are the limestone mountains which have a thin layer of soil and are frequently impacted with strong wind, lets the rainforests in this area are not naturally fertile. Most of plants are iron wood, rubber and shorea, and the low level trees such as chanpha, rattans, banyans and many kinds of vines.
Mangrove forest could be found in dry canal and Yan Saba canal. Found plants are red mangroves, samae, peninsular, withe beans, black beans, etc.
Phru forest is the society of dominant plants which found the dense samet trees in the Nhoparatanatara beach. Other found plants are shorea, jambolan plum, cogon grass, etc.

Wildlife
Animals int the Nhoparatanataral-Phi Phi Islands National Park can be classified as follows : mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes and other aquatic animals which no spine, such as sea slug. The important one in this group is coral such as a thorn coral, cub surface coral, leaf coral, tree coral, ect.

SUVARNABHUMI: BANGKOK’S NEW AIRPORT

A fter more than 40 years in the planning, a chequered and sometimes controversial history and pessimistic cries of doom from many in the country, Thailand's glamorous new Suvarnabhumi Airport opened on 29 September with a distinctly unglamorous pre-dawn cargo flight from Germany.
The simple fact of the opening without drama was cause for celebration indeed for the thousands of stakeholders in the new project that replaces the creaking Don Muang.

No one doubts the new facility is needed and overdue. The Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang had been running two million passengers over capacity in recent years but, it seems airport capacity is set to remain on the agenda for some time to come.

Suvarnabhumi went on that first day to record more than 100,000 passengers. There were glitches and some frustrated passengers over baggage delays but hardly the meltdown some had predicted.

The airport has made steady progress in dealing with an array of problems – most importantly baggage handling.

With the goal that any flight should not be delayed for more than 15 minutes, the airport averaged about 50 percent on those targets in the first few days of opening, although flight punctuality improved dramatically during October.

Tourists themselves seem to like the airport's airy, futuristic design by German architect Helmut Jahn. There is no doubt that it is a great landmark for the industry and the country and presents to Thailand some significant opportunities.

By now the facts are well known – the world's largest terminal building under one continuous roof at more than 560,000 square metres, and the tallest control tower in the world at 132 metres.

For Thailand, the new airport will open up possibilities of developing the often neglected intra-regional tourist market and create a major hub as one of Asia's busiest airports. With a boost in tourist arrivals, and extra capacity to handle eight million more passengers than at Don Muang airport, this raises issues.

No sooner had the opening glitches been addressed than there were calls for the airport's expansion to accommodate an expected jump in traffic over the next five years.

Chaisak Angsuwan, Department of Civil Aviation Director-General, led the calls saying that with more tourists visiting Thailand and new airlines expected to want slots, arrivals could quickly reach 40 million.

While the airport was designed to initially handle 45 million passengers a year, it can be expanded to serve up to 120 million.

Some plans are already in train. The airport already plans to build a 600-million-baht terminal to cater to budget carriers within 16 months.

Suvarnabhumi operator Airports of Thailand says that the new facility will be able to handle the increasing arrivals for about five years. But with that deadline, decisions must be taken now if the mistakes of the past are to be avoided.

The fate of Don Muang is still to be determined. Although it remains open to charter flights and as a maintenance facility, pleas by budget carriers to be allowed to use the facility have so far been rejected.

Civil Aviation Department Director-General Chaisak Angsuwan has asked the Ministry of Transport and Airports of Thailand to speed up the feasibility study for the new low-cost passenger terminal, as domestic flights operated by low-cost carriers have grown 40 percent annually over recent years.

That may not be enough to satisfy them.

While tourists have an increasingly positive view of Thailand's new gateway, there are some voices of concern now being heard, particularly from low-cost carriers. They say their proposed move back to Bangkok's old airport is because of the increased costs at Suvarnabhumi, as much as the airport reaching capacity.


In a sign that the authorities may yet be prepared to discuss a move they have previously rejected, Chaisak said his department would listen to their reasons but so far have not started official discussions on this issue. He questions whether Suvarnabhumi costs will rise further from here.

In the end, any decision would come down to economic value to the country, he said, with a balance that needed to be struck between the need to service a growing tourism industry against the costs of operating two separate airports.

The issue of expanding Suvarnabhumi is yet another item on the agenda for the new government that took charge shortly after the airport opened. That has led to changes already, with the 14 directors of Airports of Thailand, including Khun Chaisak, resigning less than a month after the airport's opening.

Khun Chaisak said this was simply "good manners… to pave way for the new leaders to appoint a new set of people to work with." A new board is expected to be appointed before the end of the year and it is in the entire country's interests that this board be strong and act quickly on the new challenges ahead.

Suvarnabhumi has been a success so far. It provides fantastic opportunities for Thailand and the tourism industry going forward.

The new government has said that completion of facilities at the existing Savarnabhumi terminals is a priority and that must take precedence over any expansion. With many shops and offices at the new airport still building sites, that is fair enough.

In the future, the industry must work with the government. We must try to avoid those delays and problems that marred the ambitious project for so long before its opening.

A TRIP TO THE CITY OF LIONS

Only a couple of hours from Bangkok, Muang Singh Historical Park in Sai Yok district offers a chance to explore the westernmost outpost of the Angkor-based Khmer empire


Located in the mountainous terrain of Central Thailand, Kanchanaburi is a delightful province with a little of everything to offer visitors. A good starting point for history buffs is Muang Singh Historical Park in Sai Yok district. A prosperous outpost of the Khmer Kingdom once thrived here, encircled by limestone hills on the banks of the Sai Yok river. After a look at a stone tablet detailing the city plan, we learned the ancient city covering around 641 rai was almost square-shaped and was guarded by moats, ramparts and laterite walls as high as 880 metres, with gates on all four sides. The south side of the wall winds along the river; there are earth embankments along each of the other three sides. On close observation, we found that the outer sides of the wall are enclosed with moats and ramparts which are believed to have been constructed at least partly for the city's water system.


Inside the city gates, broad parks with well-pruned gardens and towering trees act as a perfect backdrop for Muang Singh (City of Lions), which was abandoned until the reign of King Rama I when it was rebuilt as a border town in Kanchanaburi province.


According to records, the Muang Singh compound was the westernmost outpost of the Angkor-based Khmer empire. Artifacts, including temple carvings, religious statuary and pottery signify that the city must have been occupied from approximately the 12th to 14th centuries, although human remains dating back some 2,000 years have been unearthed. The complex is predominantly comprised of laterite blocks decorated with stucco reliefs.


We counted a total of six ponds within the city perimeter which are believed to have been used for both religious and irrigation purposes. There are four monuments inside the city walls, of which the most prominent is Prasat Muang Singh, the first stop on the tour. A distinct Khmer architectural influence can still be seen in the tower-like ruins of the religious structure which stands at the centre of the enclosed city. A separate nearby building encompassed by a laterite gallery has a much-revered Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara statute.

Of the three remaining monuments, one consists of three tower-like structures oriented along a north-south axis just a stone's throw away from Prasat Muang Singh. Brick and laterite walls mark the location of another ancient monument, while all that remains of a fourth is the base.




At a nearby museum numerous stucco decorations, pottery, Buddha images and other religious objects are on display in a spacious rectangular room. Still in relatively good condition are sculptures which have the classic Bayon Buddha characteristics - a calm facial expression, with eyes closed and mouth parted, and a reserved smile. Another display that grabs the attention are images of Buddha seated under muti-headed naga which were excavated around the monuments. Buddhist texts mention this particular type of Buddha image in a mythological story which sums up the period after Lord Buddha found nirvana. According to the story, the Mucalinda naga protected Lord Buddha from a storm while he was meditating near a pond. It is believed that the image of the Buddha in meditative form under the multi-headed naga was highly popular with Khmer Buddhists at the time.

After exploring the historical park we paid a visit to the Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum - built in memory of the suffering of Allied prisoners of war who were forced by the Japanese to build the Thai-Burma Railway during World War Two. The museum, only 250 metres from the "Death Railway", was officially opened on April 24, 1996, and houses exhibits detailing the true story behind the building of the railway. The memorial site was first dedicated by the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce on April 25, 1987, following a request by former Australian POWs.

Hellfire Pass, or Chong Khao Khart as it is called in Thai, is a must-visit reminder of the horrors of war.

The complex is 80km north of Kanchanaburi on land under the control of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Agricultural and Cooperative Division Development Command. A staircase has been built near the museum to make it more convenient for guests to tour the area where the POWs worked near the Konyu Cutting, arguably the most difficult section of the entire railway.

The Konyu Cutting was nicknamed Hellfire Pass by POWs because of the eerie illumination of the oil-fired bamboo torches on the quartz formations. Prisoners worked around the clock to finish excavation of the 17m deep, 110m long cutting through solid limestone and quartz in only 12 weeks.


A universe - but only a short distance - away we took time to pamper ourselves at the Rock Valley Hot Spring before returning to Bangkok. The side trip offered the opportunity for small tilapia fish, which thrive near mineral-rich hot springs, to nip away on the dead skin covering our bodies, thought to stimulate blood circulation. The experience, however, needs getting used to, as it can be very ticklish when an entire school of fish nibbles your skin all at once.

North : TAK Province

ThiLoSu Waterfall

 Doi Maeramueng

General Information
On traveling to Tak Province, expect to discover a place with long history, where natural wonders are magnificently enhanced by ethnic diversity.

Mostly forested and mountainous, Tak is a northern province peacefully situated on the Maenam Ping basin. The province covers an area of 16,406 square kilometers and is 426 kilometers north of Bangkok. As Tak shares natural border with Myanmar, it is highly regarded as a western gateway to Myanmar, and a northern doorway to Thailand’s major cities such as Lampang and Chiang Mai.

The Past
A province with a long history, Tak was earlier called Mueang Rahang. Historians believe it was built prior to the Sukhothai era and was treated as the western frontier of the Kingdom. Tak was also associated with Thailand’s former Great Kings, from King Ramkamhaeng the Great, King Naresuan the Great, King Narai the Great to King Taksin the Great. These four Kings usually called their troop assemblies in Tak. That is why the seal of the province depicts King Naresuan the Great on the royal elephant, pouring sacred water on the ground. This is a symbolic representation of the declaration of the independence of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya during the war with Burma in 1584. Tak was considered the first district to be liberated from the power of the Burmese Kingdom.

The Present
Today, Tak is no longer a strategic military frontier between two great nations. It is however a trading gateway to Myanmar at Amphoe Mae Sot, where lots of economic activities take place daily along the border. In addition, the province has the Asian Highway that runs from Thailand’s western border towards the northeastern region at Chong Mek (Mae Sot – Sukhothai – Phitsanulok – Ubon Ratchathani - Laos).

Apart from Tak’s military and economic importance the province is also an environmental and cultural center with magnificent forests, spectacular waterfalls and caves and fascinating hill tribes such as Karen, Lisu, Musoe (Lahu), Akha, Yao and Hmong.

How to get there
By Car:
From Bangkok, take Highway No. 1 (Phahonyothin) and Highway No. 32 to Nakhon Sawan via Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Sing Buri and Chai Nat Provinces, then take Highway No. 1 again and proceed to Tak via Kamphaeng Phet Province. The total distance is 426 kilometers.

By Bus:
From Bangkok: Air-conditioned buses depart from Bangkok's Northern Bus Terminal (Mochit 2 Bus Terminal)to Tak between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. every day. The journey takes 6 hours. Call 0 2936 2852-66 or visit www.transport.co.th for updated schedules. Daily bus services to Tak are also available. They are operated by private bus companies such as Thanchit Tour (Tel: 0 2551 1307), Choet Chai Tour (Tel: 0 2551 1054).

By Train:
From Bangkok: There are no trains going directly to Tak. The nearest train transfer station is Phitsanulok. From there, tourists can take a local bus to Tak. Contact Bangkok Railway Station Tel. 1690, 0223 7010, 0 2223 7020 or visit www.railway.co.th for more information.

By Air:
From Bangkok: Thai Airways flies from Bangkok to Mae Sot, a district which is 86 kilometers from the City of Tak. For more updated information, call 0 2628 2000 (24-hour reservation center) or visit www.thaiairways.com. Air Andaman also flies to Mae Sot and to Chiang Mai every day except Saturday. Visit www.airandaman.com/Infomation.html or call 0 2229 9500 for updated information.

From Bangkok via Pitsanulok Province: and then transfer to the Pitsanulok-Tak shuttle. The flights are scheduled to run every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Call 02 628-2000 (24-hour reservation center) or visit www.thaiairways.com for more information.

From Bangkok to Umphang, Take air-conditioned buses, as well as flights from Bangkok to Mae Sot, and then, take the local bus to Umphang. There is now a charter flight operated by Siam GA Co., Ltd. The fare is approximately 9,000 bahts to fly directly to Umphang either on Monday, Wendesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. For more information, call 02 5043320 ext. 197.

Travel from Tak to other Cities
Tourists who want to travel from Tak to Bangkok or any other city may choose to go by air or land. Car rental service in the City of Tak is also available.

By Air: The Thai Airways offers a wide range of trips from Tak and Mae Sot to other provinces, including Chiang Mai and Phitsanulok. For more information, call 0 2628 2000 (24-hour reservation center)

By Bus: Many governmental and private bus companies have regular and air-conditioned bus services to nearby provinces. For more information, call Transportation Authority of Tak, tel.

Festivals
Loi Krathong Sai
Loi Krathong Sai ,Thailand’s lovely annual “Festival of Lights” on the full moon night in November, is celebrated in a unique manner in Tak. Local people thread together their krathongs which are launched simultaneously and appear as lighted necklaces on the Ping River.

Taksin Maharachanuson Fair
Taksin Maharachanuson Fair Celebrated annually from December 28-January 3 at the Taksin Shrine and provincial sports field, the fair features religious ceremonial and processions, displays and nightly folk entertainment.