Kanchanaburi

A really fun, action-packed destination
By beachgirl (dabbler - 3 reviews)
Written on 18th May, 2009 after a visit to Kanchanaburi in February, 2008
We liked Kanchanaburi a lot and while we only had three nights there, could have easily spent three weeks there.

Why? Because it has something for just about anybody. There are national parks, river trips, temples and stacks of great guesthouses to choose from. There are cooking schools, elephant rides, floating discos (they call them disco ducks) and even a floating nun.

But, despite all these things to do, Kanchanaburi is also just a great spot to chill out and do nothing -- not that we had time to do that as we were busy doing all the above.

Another great thing about Kanchanaburi is that if you're looking to meet other travellers, perhaps with a view to finding some travel companions, this is a good spot. There's a real social vibe and with so many tours (short one-day tours, not package tours) going, even if you're not bar hopping you're bound to meet others - we did.

As you can see from Kanchanaburi guesthouse listings on Travelfish, there's a heap of places to stay at. We stayed the first night at Jolly Frog which, while ok, is an absolute backpacker factory, then we moved to Blue Star for the other two nights, which was a far better choice. It was still full of backpackers, but the staff were far friendlier (not that that would be hard when compared to Jolly Frog).

We did two tours, one to Erawan National Park and the other to Hellfire Pass. The Hellfire Pass one was absolutely fantastic. The museum is a fabulous and really moving tribute to what happened there and if there was just one museum to see in Thailand, this should be it.

Erawan was a bit more circus like. It was during the weekend when we went so I think about half the student population of Bangkok was there, and, not joking here, I saw people doing their laundry in one of the lower falls! Further up it is better and, being about 700 degrees, the water was very refreshing. I'd say overall the waterfall is worth visiting, just don't expect a deserted jungle waterfall. We heard from others that the waterfalls up near Sangkhlaburi are better and far less crowded.

Back in Kanchanaburi, we swam in the river every day. There are a lot of reeds and stuff in the river, which didn't bother me, but there are also these very long thin needle fish -- which did bother me! I don't know if they are dangerous, but they freaked me out!

Last thing we did was the cooking course at Apple's. While there are a bunch of cooking classes, this is the best. It was a fun, not too serious time and we got to eat what we cooked. I don't remember the cost, but it wasn't too much. They also have bungalows, but I think it is far better to stay on the river.

One last thing, we went here on a bit of a spur of the moment, but would definitely return, so if you're looking for something that is just a couple of hours out of Bangkok, but not an island or beach destination like Ko Samet, I'd say this should be your first choice.

Have fun!
Also reviewed by beachgirl: Ayutthaya, Phu Quoc Island, Sukhothai,