Kanchanaburi is a province that comes with a specific image; Overnight raft⛵, waterfalls🏊, and watching the River Kwai view💦. But most of these destinations required more than 2 hours and a half, or even more than 3 hours to reach😱
But there’s still hope for everyone who wants to get in touch with nature without spending half a day on the road 😭 because LifeSara is here with 5 natural attractions you can reach after less than 2 hours of driving💖 Come take a look!!
1
Heavenly Dragon Cave, @Wat Ban Tham
While the usual traveler would drive past Kanchanaburi city, our first destination would turn left before then, running along the other side of the River Kwai instead. It is on this local road where Wat Ban Tham is, and on the top of the mountain of this temple is where Heavenly Dragon Cave sits upon.
Only 90 km. from Bangkok, Heavenly Dragon Cave is as heavenly as its name, thanks to its beautiful, enormous natural cavern that overlooks the River Kwai. By standing at the mouth of this cave, you can see River Kwai with a 180-degrees bird’s-eye view.
And the trekking up there is exciting, too😄 Because you’ll walk into a Dragon’s mouth and go up the stairs inside the dragon’s throat that is decorated with Buddhism mythos murals, seamlessly transition into the natural caverns where Buddha statues and other artifacts of worship resides, before reaching the viewpoint on the top of the mountain😄
2
Tha Lo Freshwater Beach, @Wat Ban Thong
While every Kanchanaburi tourists have to stuck in the traffic at Tha Lo T-intersection, if you turn left instead to the small local road before the junction, the view at the end of the road will surprise you😮 Because you’ll show up on the beach 😲⛵
With white sand that leads into the water🚣, the rocking waves that softly crash into the land, and the towering mountain as a background. You could have fooled yourselves into thinking that you’re at some seaside beach, if not for the fact that the water here is fresh!! You can jump right in the water for a splash, or lay down on some desk chairs under an umbrella for some shut eyes, without the stickiness of the sea wind, too!!
3
Giant Raintree
Sometimes you can really put your life into perspective when you go standing next to something so gigantic, so ancient you can’t help but feel awestruck, and come to realize how insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the universe😮 Or maybe you just wanna sit under the tree. Whatever.
Just go see for yourselves, then. Here’s the Giant Raintree 🌳🌲that has stood there for more than a century! And you can see it has put all those years to good use just by looking at its enormous size!!
And it’s closed by, too! Only a few kilometers away from Heavenly Dragon Cave!! And recently the local administration has built very beautiful walkways surrounding the tree, so you can get real close to the tree without damaging the root!! You can sit, take a nap, selfies, and spend your time here as much as you like☝
4
Kao Krachai Viewpoint
This place is a bit different because this is the ultimate test of luck, endurance, and bravery that even many Thai didn’t dared to take a risk😱😱
Because this viewpoint is actually a part of the recently renovated community park that also happened to be a tourist attraction as well. Except that there’re only two ways to the top; a Stone staircase for pedestrians, and a narrow concrete road for vehicles.
And that narrow concrete road is the real challenger of this trip!! Because it’s so narrow that two cars almost can’t pass each other 😨 So if you’re not certain in your driver’s skill, and lack the endurance to walk up the mountain, keep this place as a stop on the way instead, so if you really can’t make it to the top, it’s not too much of a wasted trip.
But if you manage to make it to the top, the view here is totally worth its trial😍 This viewpoint is overlooking the entire Kanchanaburi city, and on a good day with good weather, you can see all the way to the River Kwai😲 And if you come at the right time, you can see the train on the death railway driving by beneath you too!! A view that is worth the challenge💖💖
5
Wat Tham Khao Pun
If you want to have a taste of the view of the River Kwai and the Death railway train, but do not leave your trip up to the chance as Kao Krachai, then Wat Tham Khao Pun is your place💖💖
Just a few minutes ride out of Kanchanaburi city, you’ll reach this ancient temple eventually😏😏 While the official unseen attraction of this temple is the Buddha statue in the cave that existed long before Rama V’s reign, the real gem of this place in the eye of the younger generation is at the end of the road instead.
Yes, that’s right! The end of that local road is the viewpoint that we came for! This platform in front of the Katyayana statue is overlooking the bay where River Kwai takes a curve and creates a wonderful triangle view of the two-point river and a train track at the bottom🙌 Timed your arrival carefully, and you’ll get to snap a picture of the death railway train with a river and mountain backdrop! You can take a seat at some cafe nearby, or save your money and stick to the free platform👌
