Attractions information

Laem Chabang Port

Laem Chabang is Thailand's largest port & is the main container port for Bangkok. It is located two hours to the southeast of Bangkok & about 30 minutes from the resort city of Pattaya.

The larger cruise ships have to dock here because of the shallowness of the Chao Phraya river's Klong Toey Port.
Laem Chabang Port undertook a major program to encourage development outside Bangkok and take advantage of the proximity to the Gulf of Thailand.

Construction began in 1988 and the Laem Chabang container port was completed in 1991.

It's now ranked in the top 20 of the busiest ports in the world. Much of the international shipping reaching Thailand goes through Laem Chabang. The port operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

As a port town, the economy is based on shipping services, as well as retail and tourism. The town is being marketed as an alternative to seedy Pattaya. Sukhumvit Road goes through the town.

Cruise ships using Laem Chabang Port during the 2009-2010 season include Costa Classica, Cunard's Queen Mary 2 & Queen Victoria, HAL's Amsterdam & Volendam, P&O's Arcadia, Diamond Princess, Ocean Princess & Sun Princess, Regent Seven Seas Mariner, Navigator & Voyager, Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas, Silver Sea's Shadow & Whisper and Voyages of Discovery.

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Bridge over the River Kwai

The Bridge over the River Kwai was built during World War II for the Japanese Army using Allied POWs.

Altogether, 61,700 British, American, Australian, Dutch and New Zealand soldiers and a large number of Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Malaysian, Thai, Burmese and Indian labourers were involved.
Two bridges were actually built side by side. A wooden trestle bridge, which is no longer there, was completed in February 1943 and an eleven span steel bridge completed in April 1943.

This bridge had been dismantled by the Japanese and brought to Kanchanaburi from Java in 1942. The central spans were destroyed by Allied bombings and rebuilt by British Army Engineers immediately after the war.

It was part of the strategic railway linking Thailand with Burma. During the construction of the bridge over the Khwae Yai River - River Kwai as it is known among foreigners - the brutalities of war, disease and starvation claimed thousands of POWs lives.

The bridge was immortalised in the book by Pierre Boulle entitled The Bridge Over The River Kwai and later in the movie of the same name. Unfortunately, he had never been to Kanchanaburi or he would have known that the railway does not cross the River Kwai. It actually crosses the Mae Klong River, so the Thai authorities simply renamed the river to aid tourism!

Attractions information

Tiger Temple Classic Afternoon

In Kanchanaburi Province there is a forest temple, founded in 1994, which has become a sanctuary for numerous wild animals including many tigers.

While it is more commonly known as The Tiger Temple, its Thai name is Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yannasampanno.
The abbot, Phra Acharn Phusit, has been caring for abandoned tigers since 1999. The mother of the first cub he took in had been killed by poachers. The first tiger cub died from its injuries, but a few weeks later two more tiger cubs were rescued from poachers and brought to the temple.

Word soon spread and more abandoned or injured tigers were brought to the temple. By 2005 there were 17 tigers at the temple. Seven were orphans rescued from the wild and ten have been born and bred here at the temple.

The monastery is situated adjacent to Burma. Protected areas and national parks along the Thai-Burma border are believed to contain the largest surviving populations of tigers in Thailand.

Unfortunately, while these areas are protected, poaching still occurs. A poacher can earn several years of a farmer's salary for killing a tiger, so the profit is well worth the risk. After the mother tiger is killed the cubs are taken as a bonus, or left to fend for themselves in the jungle and if found are left here.

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Ride & Bathe Elephants

In Thailand, elephants are the most revered of all animals and still play an active part within Thai society and culture.

In the past they have been used at the forefront of battles and in more recent times to assist in the logging trade. Now, visitors have the opportunity to ride and bathe them.

Despite their vast size, elephants are remarkably agile and are particularly adept at negotiating the narrow tracks in the forest. It's a little nerve wracking, especially when they are going downhill and so make sure you hold on tight.

They often pause along the way, bending far out to pluck some tasty morsel, oblivious to you perched high on their back.

The mahout will jump off during your trek and invite you to slide down onto the elephant's neck and take control. Be warned that their hair is prickly so shorts are not the best attire for this experience.

And also you will be able to bathe the elephants in the waters of the local river. You'll get wet, so don't forget your swimmers. We'll provide the life jackets for you if you want.

Important Information

Not every tour includes bathing the elephants. Please check the Tour Programme.

Attractions information

Floating Market Damnoen Saduak

Waterways have always been an integral part of Thai life and many communities depended entirely on them for their daily existence.

Long before cars, boats of all shapes and sizes plied the rivers and canals through the kingdom of Thailand, trading their wares and delivering their supplies.
The Floating Market at Damnoen Saduak is located in Ratchaburi Province which is just over 100 kms or two hours drive from the capital city of Bangkok.

This is a particularly fertile area, being irrigated by a 32 kilometre straight-line canal constructed by King Rama IV way back in 1866.

It connects the Taachin River with the Mae Klong River and became a major transport artery between the provinces of Samut Sakorn and Samut Songkram.

Apart from providing transportation, Damnoen Saduak Canal also provides year-round water, with more than 200 small canals having been dug by farmers to irrigate their land.

The area is famous for the quality of its fruit, namely grapes, mangoes, bananas, oranges, papaya & coconut.

Nowadays, both sides of the canal are densely populated and bright and early every morning vendors from the surrounding area turn up to trade their wares.

Attractions information

Floating Market Damnoen Saduak

Waterways have always been an integral part of Thai life and many communities depended entirely on them for their daily existence.

Long before cars, boats of all shapes and sizes plied the rivers and canals through the kingdom of Thailand, trading their wares and delivering their supplies.
The Floating Market at Damnoen Saduak is located in Ratchaburi Province which is just over 100 kms or two hours drive from the capital city of Bangkok.

This is a particularly fertile area, being irrigated by a 32 kilometre straight-line canal constructed by King Rama IV way back in 1866.

It connects the Taachin River with the Mae Klong River and became a major transport artery between the provinces of Samut Sakorn and Samut Songkram.

Apart from providing transportation, Damnoen Saduak Canal also provides year-round water, with more than 200 small canals having been dug by farmers to irrigate their land.

The area is famous for the quality of its fruit, namely grapes, mangoes, bananas, oranges, papaya & coconut.

Nowadays, both sides of the canal are densely populated and bright and early every morning vendors from the surrounding area turn up to trade their wares.