Most people visiting Kanchanaburi go to the iconic bridge over the river Kwai and the beautiful Erawan waterfalls. However, there is so much more to see in and around Kanchanaburi. When we visited Kanchanaburi back in 2021, we really took our time to explore. In this blogpost we’ll share our favorite hidden gems in Kanchanaburi.
1. Wat Ban Tham (The Dragon temple)
🚗 20 minutes from Kanchanaburi
🎟️ Free entrance
First up, our favorite temple in Thailand, and probably the least known spot of this list: Wat Ban Tham. This is an old Budhist temple founded in 1782.The temple is located in Tha Muang District, Kanchanaburi Province, and took us about 20 minutes to reach by grab taxi. Be prepared for sore legs, because this temple is stairs upon stairs upon more stairs.
Walk up over the rolled out tongue of the dragon and head inside it’s mouth, through it’s belly. Inside you’ll see painted murals depicting dragons.
Climb up yet another set of stairs and you’ll reach a cave with a shrine with a beautiful Budha statue. After looking around in the cave, you can go even further up using an iron staircase. At the top you’ll find a small golden temple with a nice view over the river.
2. Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple)
🚗 30 minutes from Kanchanaburi
🎟️ Free entrance
The second temple on our list is the Wat Tham Suea. This temple is less of a secret, which makes sense since you can see it from a distance because of it’s size. The golden buddha statue is almost 70 meters high! There are no tigers at this temple currently, but according to folklore they used to hide in the caves near the temple.
There is so much to explore here, you can enter almost every building, and wander through the different floors (there are so many!). You can easily spend a couple of hours here.
Don’t just look at the temples, the panoramic view from Wat Tham Suea is equally stunning. You can see ricefields and the Mae Klong river. Nearby there are many caves and cave temples that you can venture too as well if you have time.
3. Giant Monkey Pod tree
🚗 30 minutes from Kanchanaburi
🎟️ Free entrance
Monkeypod trees are one of the widest trees in the world. This Monkeypod tree in Kanchanaburi, is the widest Monkeypod tree currently known with a radius of over 50 meters. There is not much to do other than marvel at this gigantic tree, well worth a quick peek in our opinion!
4. Huay Mae Khamin Waterfalls
🚗 2.5 hours from Kanchanaburi
🎟️ 300 Baht (8 euros) entrance fee
While most travelers head to the popular Erawan waterfalls, the Huay Mae Khamin waterfall is equally beautiful but without the crowds. The water of the Huay Mae Khamin waterfall is a kilometer long river that descends in seven levels. The crystal clear blue water of the waterfall is a truely magical sight!
To see all the different levels of the waterfall, you will embark on a scenic hike through lush bamboo trees. The path is very walkable, and it will take about an hour to reach the waterfall at the highest point (level seven).
5. Hellfire pass
🚗 1 hour from Kanchanaburi
🎟️ Free entrance
The Hellfire Pass is a notable historical site in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, primarily known for its tragic history during World War II. It was part of the Death Railway, constructed by Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers under harsh conditions imposed by the Japanese military. The name “Hellfire Pass” comes from the sight of emaciated workers laboring by torchlight, resembling a scene from hell.
You can head to the museum nearby to learn more about the history of this place. Next, you can take a walk on a path through the woods that runs for 4 kilometers along the route of the railway line
