If you mention Kanchanaburi to any Thailand backpacker, you’ll probably be met with blank stares. Kanchanaburi is not a very popular or well-known travel destination in Thailand, but it is well worth visiting! It has beautiful nature, waterfalls and a tragic but interesting history involving WW2 and the Death Railway. Kanchanaburi is also just a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok (and a break for your liver).
How many days to spend in Kanchanaburi
A lot of people backpacking visit Kanchanaburi as a day trip from Bangkok. However, it is a 2-3 hour drive one-way, so it’s gonna be a very long day! Ideally, if you have the time, two days in Kanchanaburi will allow you enough time to properly backpack and explore at a leisurely pace. If you are staying on the river at one of the floating resorts, allow for 3-4 days in Kanchanaburi.
How to get to Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is located to the east of Bangkok, quite close to the border with Myanmar. It isn’t a standard stop on most people’s itineraries, as it is a bit out of the way. The most popular way to get to Kanchanaburi is from Bangkok, but you can also get there from Ayutthaya. From everywhere else, you will need to head to Bangkok first and then make your way to Kanchanaburi from there.
How to get to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok
Regular minibus services run from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi and back. This is how most people backpacking will get to Kanchanaburi, even as a day trip. The minibus departs from either Southern Bus Terminal or Mochit in Bangkok. If you’re staying around Khao San Road in Bangkok, Mochit is generally easier to get to. However, Southern Bus Terminal is relatively close as well. The minibus will drop you at the Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal right in the middle of town. The minibus can take anywhere between 2 hours and 3.5 hours, depending on the time of day and traffic leaving Bangkok. It will cost 90 THB Thai Baht ($2.60 USD) one way.
The minibus departs every hour on the hour from 5 am until 8 pm. If you are wanting to do Kanchanaburi as a day trip from Bangkok, the earlier you get on the bus, the better! Coming back from the day trip, keep in mind that the last minibus departs Kanchanaburi at 7 pm. You can book buses on 12GOAsia or at the terminal.
Alternatively, if you are doing Kanchanaburi as a day trip and want to save time on transferring from buses, you can hire a driver from Bangkok. This will mean they can take you at any time direct to Erawan Falls, drive you around to all the sights for the day and then back to Bangkok. Expect to pay around 2200 THB Thai Baht ($65 USD) for a car and driver for the day. If you have more people joining in the car (maximum of 4), this could cost as little as 550 THB Thai Baht ($16 USD) per person.
How to get to Kanchanaburi from Ayutthaya
There are two ways of coming from Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi. The first way would be to get a minibus from Ayutthaya to Mochit in Bangkok. Then getting another minibus to Kanchanaburi. There are regular services from Ayuthaya to Bangkok and then Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, with vans departing every hour from 6 am to 6 pm. It takes around 1.5-2 hours from Ayutthaya to Bangkok and then between 2-3.5 hours from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi. Make sure you allow enough time for delays between buses if you are booking in advance online. Expect to pay 180 THB Thai Baht ($5 USD) total for the two minibuses.
The alternate way to get from Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi is by getting a Grab car (Uber in South East Asia) between the locations. The drive time is only 2.5 hours, and you take regional roads avoiding Bangkok and all the traffic there. Expect to pay 1330 THB Thai Baht ($38 USD) for a car. The more people you have in the car, the cheaper it will be. If you have four people (the maximum amount), you would pay only 332 THB Thai Baht ($9.5 USD) per person.
How to get around Kanchanaburi
Kanchanaburi is a surprisingly big town spread along the side of the river. The most popular ways of getting around are Grab, public bus or walking. It is fairly easy to navigate getting around as they are quite used to tourists.
Getting around Kanchanaburi on foot
There are plenty of sidewalks, and it is very easy and safe to walk around Kanchanaburi town. It felt very safe walking, even at night. If you’re staying at D Luck Hostel or nearby, you could walk along to the Jeath Museum and the Death Railway Bridge. It would take around 50 minutes, but it is a nice walk along the River Kwai. You can also walk to the War Memorial, which is around 20 minutes in the same direction as the Death Railway and War Museum. If you don’t care to walk, there are plenty of Grab cars around Kanchanaburi that you can jump in to get around.
Getting to Erawan Falls from Kanchanaburi
Erawan Falls is a 1.5-2hr drive North East of Kanchanaburi town. Most people will catch the local bus from the Bus Terminal in town to get there. The buses depart Kanchanaburi at 8 am, 9 am, 10 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm, 2:30 pm and 4 pm. To get back, the buses depart at 8:30 am, 12 pm, 14 pm, 3 pm and 4:30 pm. The bus costs 50 THB Thai Baht one way ($1.50 USD).
You could also get a Grab there, but it may be a bit difficult getting a Grab back as it is quite remote. Expect to pay around 450 THB Thai Baht ($13 USD) one way per vehicle. Alternatively, to hire a private driver to take you to and from Erawan Falls and Kanchanaburi town (and wait for you while you’re at the Falls), it would cost 1600 THB Thai Baht ($46 USD) per vehicle.
Where to stay in Kanchanaburi
There really aren’t many hostels if you are backpacking Kanchanaburi, and none have any social vibe. There are some flashpacker options like WesTory or some cheaper boutique hotels if you want a private room. The majority of the hostels are nowhere near capacity during most times of the year, so a lot of people end up getting dorms to themselves or only having 1 or 2 other people in their dorm. You can book all accommodation online here.
D Luck Hostel
This is definitely a budget hostel, but it’s perfect if you’re only staying 1 or 2 nights. The beds are really comfortable and come with curtains, decent pillows and proper duvets. The bathrooms are extremely basic, but they have hot water and were cleaned regularly. The rooms were a bit small and didn’t have much luggage storage, but I’ve never heard of anyone staying in a dorm in Kanchanaburi where it was more than 50% full, so it’s not really that much of an issue. The location of D Luck is great; it’s only two blocks from the bus terminal and one block from the night markets.
River Kwai Jungle Rafts
If you really want to treat yourself and stay somewhere that is an experience in itself, stay at one of the floating raft resorts on the River Kwai. There are a few options in Kanchanaburi, and some of the newer ones are a bit more budget-friendly (not quite a backpacker budget, though!). It is very similar to Khao Sok National Park and the floating bungalows, where you actually stay on the River Kwai in the Jungle. River Kwai Jungle Rafts is one of the original resorts, so it is a little pricey. Expect to pay 4000 THB Thai Baht ($114 USD) a night for a room. This does include breakfast and dinner daily and boat transfers to and from PhuTaKien Pier just north of Kanchanaburi town.
The experience of staying on the River Kwai in the jungle is once in a lifetime! Kanchanaburi Jungle Rafts is probably not going to be in every backpacker’s budget, particularly if you’ve been or are planning to visit Khao Sok. It is a bit more luxurious than the standard backpacker floating bungalows at Khao Sok. You have your own private room with a private deck with loungers. You can kayak along the river or can float and let the tide carry you down to the restaurant barge. The surrounding nature is beautiful, and you can walk to a nearby village and meet the Mon people and learn about life in the Jungle and their culture.
What to do in Kanchanaburi
90% of people backpacking come to Kanchanaburi purely to visit the Erawan National Park with its famous waterfalls. However, there is more to do in Kanchanaburi than just the National Park. Kanchanaburi is also famous for its tragic history as one of the main sites for POW (Prisoner of War Camps) building the Death Railway in WW2.
Erawan National Park
You cannot visit Kanchanaburi without visiting the stunning 7-tiered waterfall in Erawan National Park. The National Park itself is super impressive, with lush, untouched jungle, with the waterfalls themselves just adding to the experience. Erawan National Park is around a 1.5-hour drive northeast of Kanchanaburi town. Make sure you organise your way there and back either via bus or private driver before you get there. It is 300 THB Thai Baht entry ($8.60 USD) per person. If you come by car instead of bus, there is an additional fee of 30 THB Thai Baht ($0.90 USD) per vehicle to drive up to the park entrance.
There are multiple tiers of the waterfall where you can swim, all clearly marked by signage. Some tiers of the waterfall are not safe for swimming, but this is also clearly marked. If you plan on swimming, you do need to rent a life jacket just near the entrance. It is 20 THB Thai Baht ($0.80 USD) per person. Even if you are a confident swimmer, the park rangers will blow a loud whistle and make you get out if you don’t have a life jacket on!
The water is freezing and pretty deep in some parts. Also, the flow of the waterfall is pretty strong in some areas, so be mindful of how deep you go in if you are not a strong swimmer. There’s also a heap of fish in all the falls, known as “Doctor Fish”. They will try to nibble off any dry skin while you’re swimming, which is not really painful, but the sensation freaks a lot of people out! Most people will spend a whole day walking around and exploring the National Park.
JEATH War Museum
The JEATH War Museum is a great stop before you head to the actual Death Railway. JEATH is an acronym for the Japanese, English, Australian, American, Thai and Holland Prisoners of War who worked on the Death Railway. The Museum has many sections and thoroughly covers the history of WW2, conditions at the POW (Prisoner of War) camp and the legacy of the Death Railway. You could easily spend a few hours reading all the stories of the former POWs. It costs 50 THB Thai Baht ($1.50 USD) to enter. It is just around the corner from the actual Death Railway.
Death Railway
If you’re not familiar with the story of the Death Railway and the importance of the Bridge on the River Kwai, head to the Jeath War Museum first. If museums aren’t really your thing, you can watch the famous movies, “The Bridge of the River Kwai” or “The Railway Man” about what happened there. Strongly recommend familiarising yourself with the history prior to walking the Death Railway to get more out of the experience. It is free to walk the Death Railway, and a very popular activity to do. Most people will only walk a small portion of the bridge or go to the other side and back. The railway line and bridge are still active for a few local trains. If a train comes, you must move to one of the safety platforms to the side.
Kanchanaburi War Cemetary/ Memorial (DonRak)
On your way back from the JEATH Museum and Death Railway, if you have time, consider paying respects to the War Cemetary and Memorial. It is free to enter and wander through reading the plaques dedicated to the soldiers building the Death Railway.
Where to eat in Kanchanaburi
Depending on your budget and what kind of dining you prefer, there are a few options for eating out in Kanchanaburi.
Night Markets
There are a bunch of Night Markets dotted around Kanchanaburi for dinner. These are mostly geared towards locals and domestic tourists, so you will need Google Translate to read a few of the menus. If you’re staying at D Luck Hostel or nearby, there’s a night market nearby just outside the 7/11. If you type in “night street food” on Google Maps, exact directions will come up to the Sangchuto Road Night Market.
Tara Buree Restaurant
If you’re looking to treat yourself to something other than street food, Tara Buree Restaurant is a cute little floating restaurant on the River Kwai. They only do Thai food and have a good selection of cocktails if you fancy a drink with dinner. The prices are reasonable for a sit-down dinner service, and the location on the river is super cute. If you don’t fancy Tara Buree, there are a number of other floating restaurants. Just walk down the River Kwai Road in the direction of the Death Railway.
Nightlife in Kanchanaburi
There really isn’t much nightlife or any backpacker bars in Kanchanaburi. Most people will come to visit Erawan Falls or for the war history. So they want to wake up early as opposed to partying. There is a cluster of dive bars along River Kwai Road just down from the War Cemetary. Honestly, I would probably use Kanchanaburi as a break from nightlife and partying and save it for Bangkok or other more popular nightlife destinations in Thailand.
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