Bridge of River Kwai Kanchanaburi Thailand

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Kanchanaburi Province

Given the jaw-dropping natural beauty of Kanchanaburi Province (กาญจนบุรี), it seems paradoxical that the region is best known for the horrors of WWII's Death Railway. The provincial capital's war memorials are a mandatory stop before heading deeper into the parks and preserves that comprise the southern end of the Western Forest Complex, one of Asia's largest protected areas. Numerous waterfalls and caves can be reached with minimal effort, but hiking trails plunging into thick jungle also lure hardened adventurers to this wild terrain.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Erawan Waterfall in Kanchanaburi, Thailand

    Erawan National Park

    Kanchanaburi Province

    Splashing in emerald-green pools under Erawan Falls is the highlight of this very popular 550-sq-km park. Seven tiers of waterfall tumble through the…

  • The Death Railway, bridge over the River Kwai

    Death Railway Bridge

    Kanchanaburi

    Constructed by POW labour, this 300m-long bridge is heavy with the history of the Thailand–Burma Railway. Its centre was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1945…

  • Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre

    Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre

    Kanchanaburi Province

    The infamous cutting known as Hellfire Pass was the largest along the length of the Thailand–Burma Railway, and the most deadly for the people forced to…

  • Sri Nakarin Dam National Park

    Sri Nakarin Dam National Park

    Kanchanaburi Province

    Visitors to Erawan National Park often find themselves wondering what the waterfall would be like without the hordes. The answer is Namtok Huay Mae Khamin.

  • Saphan Mon

    Saphan Mon

    Kanchanaburi Province

    Sangkhlaburi's iconic, 447m-long wooden bridge, the largest in Thailand, connects the main town, home mostly to Thai and Karen, with the Mon settlement…

  • Wat Ban Tham

    Wat Ban Tham

    Kanchanaburi

    In the countryside around Kanchanaburi, cave temples are almost as common as convenience stores are inside the city, but this is one of the most…

  • Thailand–Burma Railway Centre

    Thailand–Burma Railway Centre

    Kanchanaburi

    This excellent museum balances statistics and historical context with personal accounts of the conditions endured by POWs and other imprisoned labourers…

  • Thong Pha Phum National Park

    Thong Pha Phum National Park

    Kanchanaburi Province

    This seldom-explored park sprawls across a serrated mountain range along the Myanmar border. Billing itself as the 'land of fog and freezing rainforest',…

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Kanchanaburi Province and beyond

Beyond Kanchanaburi Province
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