Leave the bustling city of Bangkok behind for a full-day journey to Kanchanaburi, a province steeped in both history and natural beauty. This tour provides a moving glimpse into the legacy of the Death Railway while showcasing the lush landscapes of Erawan National Park.
Your day begins with a visit to the iconic Bridge on the River Kwai, a poignant symbol of courage and suffering during World War II. Built as part of a strategic railway to Burma, the bridge was constructed under brutal conditions by Allied prisoners of war, along with local laborers. Work that Japanese engineers expected to take at least five years was completed in just 16 months. The harsh reality of forced labor, malnutrition, illness, and mistreatment claimed the lives of more than 100,000 workers. Visiting the bridge is a powerful reminder of this difficult chapter in history.
From the bridge, embark on a short longtail boat ride along the river to the JEATH War Museum, taking in the scenic surroundings. The acronym JEATH stands for the primary nationalities involved in the construction of the railway: Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand, and Holland. This small museum displays original tools, photographs, and a bamboo hut replicating the shelters where prisoners lived. You can even see a dud bomb left from an Allied attempt to destroy the bridge.
After a reflective morning, we continue to Erawan National Park to immerse yourself in its stunning natural beauty. The park is home to the famous seven-tiered Erawan Falls, named after the three-headed elephant of Hindu mythology. The emerald pools invite a refreshing swim, while a hike to the top of the falls rewards you with panoramic views over the lush jungle.
At the end of a full day of history and nature, relax on the journey back to Bangkok, where you’ll be dropped off at your original meeting point, taking with you memories of both the region’s breathtaking scenery and its remarkable story.
Important notes:
- The journey from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi takes around 2.5 to 3 hours, with an additional 1.5 hours from Kanchanaburi city to Erawan National Park. It’s a long day, but packed with fascinating history and stunning natural beauty, making every moment worthwhile.
Pick up/Meeting point:
We provide hotel pick-up only from accommodations located on/near Khao San Road and on Siam Square.
If you are not an actual guest at one of the hotels in our pick-up area, the designated meeting point will be our office on Chao Khamrop Road in Chinatown. Our office in Chinatown is just a short 5-minute walk from Wat Mangkon MRT (metro) station.
For the exact location of our WanderSiam office on Google Maps, please click HERE.
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58 Comments
4.5
Started Out Stressful But Ended Up Wonderful
We had a great time on this tour. Our guide, Na, was terrific! She was cheerful, helpful, knowledgable and a fantastic photographer. I have never had so many wonderful photos taken on a trip. She kept my phone camera a lot of the time and suggested poses and made them look flattering. And she was so much fun to be around; we are smiling widely in all the photos. The Bridge on the River Kwai was very interesting and we walked along the whole bridge. We even got a photo with a train going by. After we paid a little extra to spend 45 minutes in a well done museum where we learned interesting history that we wish would have known before. After we got home we were looking up all kinds of things and are looking forward to watching two movies about the making of this bridge by prisoners of war held captive by the Japanese. Then we went on to the lovely Erawan falls. It wasn’t quite as beautiful as we thought it would be because the water was brown, not blue like in the pictures. And there was a lot of mud. We went up three levels and Na took all kinds of wonderful photos. We swam in the third level and Na helped us get in and out of the water. It’s a bit treacherous and there is a lot of walking involved, even though we only went up to the third level. The swimming was lots of fun!
I would love to give this tour a 5 but I can’t because of the poor organization of WanderSiam. They are a new group and I hope they are able to improve. The start of the tour was a bit of a disaster because we had to take a long taxi ride to get to their office and they gave us the wrong address, which caused all kinds of stress and added to the cost of our taxi. The night before they told us we had to be there 15 minutes earlier than planned and we were unable to have breakfast at our hotel, which starts at 6:30. The first 2.5 hours were a taxi ride with a driver who was pleasant and good but the only word he knew in English was “toilet”.
Once we met Da at the River Kwai things went from stressful to wonderful. The price was very reasonable because we were with the taxi driver and/or the guide for almost 12 hours. We got back to Bangkok at 7:00 pm. Luckily we met a very interesting young man, who was with us on the tour and we chatted the whole time on the way back. I would highly recommend this tour if WanderSiam could improve the startup.
5
Very nice day trip
Na is best and energetic guide ever with excellent foto skills. She made the trip a special experience …in addition to that beautiful landscape.
5
One of the most beautiful places I have ever been!!
I done this tour with Na, the best guide I could have hoped for. She is really good at her job and really enjoys telling you all about the bridge and Erewan national park and its waterfalls. I would 100% recommend doing this tour.
5
fun getaway 🙂
very well paced, nice mix of activities – really recommend for a bit of history and nature! kind and informed guide, very nice energy.
5
Great experience
Absolutely fun filled day. Guide was amazing from the start to finish , very informative great knowledge of history of the bridge.was lucky enough to watch the train pass . waterfalls were amazing even though didn’t get to swim due to Mother Nature.would highly recommend this be prepared for a long day due to travelling time. * recommend watching movie before coming .