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.

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Don Rak War Cemetery Kanchanaburi

The Don Rak War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi is the final resting place of 6,982 Allied POWs who perished during the construction of the Death Railway during World War II.

There is another cemetery at Chungkai just outside Kanchanaburi.

Don Rak War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi is maintained in beautiful condition by the Australian Government and is a sober reminder of those who paid the supreme sacrifice so that we could live in peace.

The Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is only a short distance from the site of the former 'Kanburi', the prisoner of war base camp through which most of the prisoners passed on their way to other camps.

The graves are marked with horizontal bronze plaques set into the grass. Scarlet, purple and white bougainvillaea tumbles over the surrounding walls and flowering trees and shrubs dot the grounds. It seems a strange thing to say, but this is truly a beautiful place.

Within the entrance building to the cemetery will be found the Kanchanaburi Memorial, recording the names of eleven men of the army of undivided India buried in Muslim cemeteries in Thailand, where their graves could not be maintained.

The Don Rak War Cemetery is the location of the ANZAC Day Wreath-laying Ceremony held on 25th April each year.

Important Information

On wet days, the lawn cemetery is off-limits to the public.

If you wish to see a specific grave, please bring the number with you as there are two main cemeteries in Kanchanaburi.

Attractions information

Kanchanaburi Province

Kanchanaburi Province which borders Myanmar (Burma) to the north-west is the third largest Thailand's of seventy six provinces.

It is located 130 km west of Bangkok and has a population of about 735,000 of which 54,000 live in Kanchanaburi town itself. This is a most picturesque part of Thailand.

Kanchanaburi town was originally established by King Rama I as a first line of defence against the Burmese, who might use the old invasion route through the Three Pagodas Pass on the Thai-Burma border.

The magnificent landscape & charming beauty of Kanchanaburi have resulted in major tourist attractions including the well-known Erawan Waterfalls, caves which were once inhabited by Neolithic man, pristine national parks, tranquil rivers, virgin forests, and reservoir.

Together, they offer an intriguing experience whether you are visiting for the first-time or returning for another visit.

Whatever your personal interest: fishing, rafting, canoeing, mountain biking, bird-watching, star-gazing, golfing, elephants, tigers, jungle trekking or even living on bamboo rafts, Kanchanaburi takes pride in offering them all.

Local residents of Kanchanaburi are engaged in agricultural activities as this is one of the most fertile provinces. Most of the locals are of Thai ancestry with notable Mon and Karen minorities.

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Tiger Cubs @ Wildlife Sanctuary Safari

The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest cat species. The species is classified in the genus Panthera with the lion, leopard, jaguar and snow leopard. (we will feed the Tiger, age less than one year)

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Death Railway Wang Pho Viaduct

The Death Railway is a section of the Thai-Burma line which was built to support the Japanese occupation of Burma during World War 2. The Wang Po Viaduct is a wooden lattice structure that supports the railway line around a cliff wall with the River Kwai below and is quite spectacular.

The twice-daily train service runs from Thonburi to Nam Tok station, which is the end of the line now. It is a slow trip as the third class train stops at every little station on the way and the scenery is not so interesting.

However, once the train arrives in Kanchanaburi, everything changes. First off, the train crosses the Bridge over the River Kwai and then follows the river providing some spectacular scenery.

The highlight of course, is the train crawling around the Wang Pho viaduct and it will allow you time to reflect on the 100,000 conscripted Asian labourers and 16,000 Allied POWs who died during its construction. The two main viaducts followed the bottom of the cliff for some distance. A ledge had to be carved out of the cliff face to form a base for the bridge and embankment construction.

Near the station is the Krasae Cave, which houses a fine Buddha figure and offers a spectacular view over the River Kwai. This cave was used by the POWs as a hospital during the construction of the railway.

Attractions information

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!

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Hellfire Pass Museum

The Hellfire Pass Museum is co-sponsored by the Thai and Australian governments to commemorate the suffering of those Prisoners of War involved in the construction of the railway connecting Thailand and Burma during World War II.

You can walk down into Konyu Cutting itself and along the old track.

Hellfire Pass or Konyu Cutting was a particularly difficult section of the line to build, not only because it was the largest rock cutting on the railway, but also because of its remoteness and the lack of proper construction tools during building.

The Australian, British, Dutch and other allied Prisoners of War were required to work 18 hours a day to complete the cutting and many died from cholera, dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion during the six weeks it took to complete.

A new walkway has recently completed down into the cutting which has made things a lot easier. You can say a quiet word of thanks to the builders on the way down. However, you'll still need decent shoes because the rail bed is stony and the rocks are hard on your feet.

From Konyu Cutting, the walking trail follows the alignment of the original Burma-Thailand railway for approximately four kilometres from Hellfire Pass to beyond Compressor Cutting.

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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.