River Kwai & Tiger Temple

[GulvalTR20]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

[jdinasia]

HI

first ... there are 2 local temples (at least) with "Tiger" in the name

BOTH are worth seeing. Temple with Tigers is the common name of the place with the live tigets ... and Tiger Cave Temple is the other ... beautiful hillside location with one side overlooking the river and the back side overlooking rice fields and the hills behind them!

as for a tour operator I can reccomend Apple's Guesthouse in Kan .. (one of my fave restaurants in Thailand is there) google and you'll find them

Hitting the Erawan waterfall tour with elephant trekking and bamboo raft rafting and a train ride and then the Temple with Tigers makes for a very fun full day!

[udon]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch.

[GulvalTR20]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch.

Can you pleae explain what you mean

Thanks,

[jackr]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch.

... and that's only for the Tiger Temple

[agsnowdon]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch.

Can you pleae explain what you mean

Thanks,

Recently a farang lady got shot in the head in kan.

But im sure you'll be fine!!!!

Theres a thread on it if you have a scan.

Don't worry go and have a great time.

[Backpack_thailand]

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch

Easy udon, easy!

[udon]

Don't forget a bullet-proof vest and a Kevlar helmet if visiting Kanch

Easy udon, easy!

Ok, I won't mention anything about the copper who murdered the two British tourists, etc. etc.

[visarunner]

No need to arrange from BKK , go to the Southern Bus Terminal , near Khao San Road road,take a bus to K.

In Kanchanaburi there are plenty of Guesthouses which offer tours.

Very popular are various daytrips ,some of them include the TigerTemple where you can be with the Tigers and have yr photo taken, every afternoon between 13.00.-17.00 , Entrance is a steep THB 300.- , but everyone pays.

[Donz]

Yes i booked a river kwai and tiger temple tour on Khoa san rd.

Its a great little tour, the toilets there are the squatters which im sure she will find alot of fun.

She will have a ball i think

[udon]

Is it true that more tourists have been shot to death in Kanch than anywhere else in Thailand?

[jackr]

Is it true that more tourists have been shot to death in Kanch than anywhere else in Thailand?

[jackr]

I always enjoy Kan, but make a point of not going into the town if I can help it. Defo one of the worst places I've frequented in Muang Thai for feeling unwelcome. I know it depends on the day and chance meetings with unscrupulous individuals, but it just seems the whole place doesn't want you... ie - one feels about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!

Other than that, Kan has a lot of things going for it: the river region is sublime, with lots of cool guesthouses, restuarants and bars, and the nearby national parks are gorgeous. hel_l Fire Pass and Eweran Falls, also up that way, are superb... nice drive, too. I see the Tiger Temple is cashing in, though. It was about 40 baht per head when I went 3 or 4 years back.

[jdinasia]

Kan has always been a GREAT place for me ...

well worth a visit!

and no I do not think that Kan has more murders of foriegners by gunshot than some other places in Thailand ... Pattaya and Samui coming to mind first

[Donz]

I always enjoy Kan, but make a point of not going into the town if I can help it. Defo one of the worst places I've frequented in Muang Thai for feeling unwelcome. I know it depends on the day and chance meetings with unscrupulous individuals, but it just seems the whole place doesn't want you... ie - one feels about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!

Other than that, Kan has a lot of things going for it: the river region is sublime, with lots of cool guesthouses, restuarants and bars, and the nearby national parks are gorgeous. hel_l Fire Pass and Eweran Falls, also up that way, are superb... nice drive, too. I see the Tiger Temple is cashing in, though. It was about 40 baht per head when I went 3 or 4 years back.

only 40 baht?? i paid 100 baht 2 years ago

[ProfessorFart]

I paid 100B as well and that was 2 years ago!!

Its well worth a visit as well. The monks there are interesting guys and a few of them speak pretty decent English.

Ignore malicious reports about the animals here being mistreated. They are spread by a particularly nasty 'NGO' whose own conduct has been called into question several times.

[jackr]

I always enjoy Kan, but make a point of not going into the town if I can help it. Defo one of the worst places I've frequented in Muang Thai for feeling unwelcome. I know it depends on the day and chance meetings with unscrupulous individuals, but it just seems the whole place doesn't want you... ie - one feels about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!

Other than that, Kan has a lot of things going for it: the river region is sublime, with lots of cool guesthouses, restuarants and bars, and the nearby national parks are gorgeous. hel_l Fire Pass and Eweran Falls, also up that way, are superb... nice drive, too. I see the Tiger Temple is cashing in, though. It was about 40 baht per head when I went 3 or 4 years back.

only 40 baht?? i paid 100 baht 2 years ago

Hey, Donz, I thought you enjoyed paying over the odds?

[jackr]

I paid 100B as well and that was 2 years ago!!

Its well worth a visit as well. The monks there are interesting guys and a few of them speak pretty decent English.

Ignore malicious reports about the animals here being mistreated. They are spread by a particularly nasty 'NGO' whose own conduct has been called into question several times.

Yeah, I had a great time there and there were loads of other animals wandering around the place, too. If I recall, I paid something like 40 baht and the missus went in for free. This was back in 2002 and not that much of a big attraction compared with today. Signing the disclaimer and then walking through the big gate into the unkown expecting King Kong to emerge from the trees was a thrill in itself.

[Donz]

I always enjoy Kan, but make a point of not going into the town if I can help it. Defo one of the worst places I've frequented in Muang Thai for feeling unwelcome. I know it depends on the day and chance meetings with unscrupulous individuals, but it just seems the whole place doesn't want you... ie - one feels about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!

Other than that, Kan has a lot of things going for it: the river region is sublime, with lots of cool guesthouses, restuarants and bars, and the nearby national parks are gorgeous. hel_l Fire Pass and Eweran Falls, also up that way, are superb... nice drive, too. I see the Tiger Temple is cashing in, though. It was about 40 baht per head when I went 3 or 4 years back.

only 40 baht?? i paid 100 baht 2 years ago

Hey, Donz, I thought you enjoyed paying over the odds?

i dont mind. whats 160 baht???

I almost sh1t myself when i first went there, I just let my gf book some tour and I was like yeah what the hel_l i will go without really looking where we were going, she goes were about to enter the zoo with tigers, I was like "yeah cool lets go".

then paid the 100 baht went and walked down a pit, I was thinking "this is pretty boring", then I see 5 tigers infront of me with no metal bars between us, i was like "what the hel_l did you bring me too" my heart was pounding and the monk said " hey you, do you want to pat it first" I was like "hel_l no".

I just saw other people pat them and just taking photo's of the other tourists.

Then I said what the hel_l, not asif its going to kill me.

The monk goes dont make any sudden moves or it will swipe you with its paws. Im like "yeah thanks for that".

Sitting behid it was the first time I thought inferior to something, all i was thinking was "dam this thing could end my life anytime it wants". My heart was pounding, it was a great experience and a must do for anyone going to Thailand IMO.

[jackr]

I always enjoy Kan, but make a point of not going into the town if I can help it. Defo one of the worst places I've frequented in Muang Thai for feeling unwelcome. I know it depends on the day and chance meetings with unscrupulous individuals, but it just seems the whole place doesn't want you... ie - one feels about as welcome as a fart in an astronaut's suit!

Other than that, Kan has a lot of things going for it: the river region is sublime, with lots of cool guesthouses, restuarants and bars, and the nearby national parks are gorgeous. hel_l Fire Pass and Eweran Falls, also up that way, are superb... nice drive, too. I see the Tiger Temple is cashing in, though. It was about 40 baht per head when I went 3 or 4 years back.

only 40 baht?? i paid 100 baht 2 years ago

Hey, Donz, I thought you enjoyed paying over the odds?

i dont mind. whats 160 baht???

I almost sh1t myself when i first went there, I just let my gf book some tour and I was like yeah what the hel_l i will go without really looking where we were going, she goes were about to enter the zoo with tigers, I was like "yeah cool lets go".

then paid the 100 baht went and walked down a pit, I was thinking "this is pretty boring", then I see 5 tigers infront of me with no metal bars between us, i was like "what the hel_l did you bring me too" my heart was pounding and the monk said " hey you, do you want to pat it first" I was like "hel_l no".

I just saw other people pat them and just taking photo's of the other tourists.

Then I said what the hel_l, not asif its going to kill me.

The monk goes dont make any sudden moves or it will swipe you with its paws. Im like "yeah thanks for that".

Sitting behid it was the first time I thought inferior to something, all i was thinking was "dam this thing could end my life anytime it wants". My heart was pounding, it was a great experience and a must do for anyone going to Thailand IMO.

Nice one.

There was just the one out when I was there and the others were behind bars. Patted the one on the leash and it was like a horse (not literally) but when the monk took him back in the cage, the one that was already in its compartment was literally twice the size. Just a few cages along, another tiger was clearly pissed off and went for the missus... good boy!

[Donz]

When I was there they were not chained up, about 5 monks were out and just had a stick to keep then lying down.

And there was only 1 in the cage when I was there and he was a monster.

We also got to pat the cubs (which are still pretty big) but everyone was playing with them like they are nothing. After seeing the big ones I think we all thought that the cubs wouldnt do crap, but the monks were alittle scared that all of us just started grabbing the cubs like they were a dog and was telling us that they can kill you too if you piss it of.

Anyways I'll stop rambling

[Backpack_thailand]

It's 300 Baht now, a real rip-off. The Thais only have to put some money in an envelope as a donation...!!!

The head monk recently bought a brand new BMW! Big scandal around Kan in recent times, a lot of foreign owned tour companies won't go there now and refuse to promote it.

[Donz]

Cant a monk drive around in style???

300 baht is still well worth it. 300 baht is still as cheap as chips.

[TJAY]

300 baht its $10 to me. Which buys a few beers at the local!

My GF and I are heading to Thailand next week and we've only got a few days in Bangkok, so I don't want to waste a whole day on a bus tour. Does anyone know how much would a private car/driver for half a day cost to get us from Bangkok to the Tiger Temple and back?

Many thanks,

Ben

[magok naam]

Hi All,

My sister and I are visiting Thailand for the first time shortly.

We would like to visit the Kanchanaburi region for a couple of days to explore the River Kwai area and also visit the Tiger Temple.

Can Members please suggest a suitable tour operator in Bangkok we can contact on our arrival who can arrange this trip for us.

Thanks,

Kanchanaburi is worth a visit (the province, not the city), but the tiger temple is not. It used to be a buddhist temple taking care of tigers and other wild animals but after being featured on Discovery channel someone got greedy and turned it into a commercial tourist attraction. Yes, they are still wearing monk robes, yes they have tigers but it is no longer what it used to be. There are a lot of better zoos in Thailand worth a visit. The B400 entrance fee is also a lot more than you would pay in any large zoo (and against buddhist principles - entrance fee for a temple?!).

There is a safari park 30-40 minutes outside Kanchanaburi (towards Bo Ploy - you can get there by Songtaew from the city) where you will see tigers, cheetahs, lions, elephants, crocodiles, giraffes, zebras, bears, buffaloes, deer, antilopes etc etc. You can feed most of the animals (except the carnivores) there too. I would say that one is a much better use of your time than the ex-temple-turned-into-a-tourist-ploy.

[LaReina]

Well it is a rip off (as of late). It is nothing like what people who went a couple of years ago experienced. The animals look drugged and are down in the valley area by the waterfall.

When you arrive the helpers tell tourists that they need to pay an additional 100 baht if they want to have their pictures taken (with their own personal cameras).

The day I went, there was no walking with anything but the pigs and cows..

That is not that you should not go.. by all means check it out for yourselves, just do not expect too much.

Then take a ride down the river Kwai on a fish tail (??) boat. Be sure to negotiate the price and they will take you to several differnt spots along the river where you can get off walk around and get back on the boat.

Reminded me of Apocolypse Now

Edited October 3, 2006 by LaReina

[magok naam]

300 baht its $10 to me. Which buys a few beers at the local!

My GF and I are heading to Thailand next week and we've only got a few days in Bangkok, so I don't want to waste a whole day on a bus tour. Does anyone know how much would a private car/driver for half a day cost to get us from Bangkok to the Tiger Temple and back?

Many thanks,

Ben

B1500-B2000.

Oh, in my previous post I also forgot to mention that the tigers in the "temple" appear to be sedated nowadays. (I went there in 1999 or 2000 the first time. Back then it was worth a visit and I donated few thousand baht for tiger food. But now you are better off watching the discovery channel show about what it used to be and then go and watch animals in a normal zoo...)

Khao Kiaew open zoo is also a place I can recommend. It is in Chonburi (on the way to Pattaya). 1.5-2h from BKK by car - huge area with a lot of animals including a "big cat's valley" with all kinds of big cats. Their lions just got a pair of lion cubs and they always seem to have tiger cubs around. You can also feed all herbivores there (the hippos are mine and my family's favorites - always hungry). They are more into conservation than exploitation unlike the place this thread is about...

http://www.khaokheowopenzoo.com/

[Backpack_thailand]

300 baht its $10 to me. Which buys a few beers at the local!

My GF and I are heading to Thailand next week and we've only got a few days in Bangkok, so I don't want to waste a whole day on a bus tour. Does anyone know how much would a private car/driver for half a day cost to get us from Bangkok to the Tiger Temple and back?

Many thanks,

Ben

Have a look here >> Kanchanaburi Travel & Tour

[magok naam]

B1500-B2000.

clarification: ...would be the normal cost for a taxi or mini bus (per car, not per person), including fuel. Travel agents would probably charge you the same but per person, including the opportunity to share the vehicle with others...

[kayo]

I'm not going to post too much here, cos there's too many fear mongering idiots who've posted already,

except to say that I lived there for a few years and it's Beautiful the whole province, the people are some of the most wonderful in Thailand, the tiger temple is a sacrosanct place that is well worth making a relatively small donation for, and you will have an awesome time if you go.

Please disregard the fear mongers... half of them are american educated.

Apples Guest house tour desk always did great tours.

Go there and be amazed.

Kayo.

PS> Most of the FEW people who've been shot in Kan got themselves into situations they should not have.

Tragic and sad, but it has no bearing on what you want to do, so disregard these <deleted>.

Edited October 3, 2006 by kayo