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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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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Elephant Ride Bareback

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 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.

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Elephant Bathing

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 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.

Be warned that their hair is prickly so shorts are not the best attire for this experience.

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.

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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.