Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [172]
Some tour companies in Kanchanaburi can arrange guided tours of the parks; Click here.
SAI YOK NATIONAL PARK
The 1400-sq-km Sai Yok National Park (0 3451 6163; www.dnp.go.th; admission 200B) is easy to reach and has several waterfalls, caves and some particularly rare animals.
The park was the setting for the famous Russian-roulette scenes in the 1978 movie The Deer Hunter. Notable wildlife here includes elephants, barking deer, wreathed hornbills, gibbons and red, white and blue queen crabs, first discovered here in 1983.
Near the main entrance are limestone caves, remains of a bridge on the ’Death Railway’ and Japanese cooking stoves (little more than piles of bricks). The park is well signposted and free leaflets provide information about hiking trails and how to hire canoes, rafts or bicycles. A cycling route is available to the Kitti’s hog-nosed bat cave, where the eponymous creature, the smallest mammal in the world, was first found in 1973.
Near the visitors centre is Nam Tok Sai Yok Yai (Sai Yok Yai waterfall), which is more of a creek than a waterfall. It empties into Mae Nam Khwae Noi near a suspension bridge.
Forestry department bungalows (0 2562 0760; 800-2100B) are available and sleep up to six. Several raft guesthouses near the suspension bridge offer fantastic views. One of the prettiest is Saiyok View Raft (08 1857 2284; r 800B), which has rooms with private bathrooms that look out onto the river. There are floating restaurants nearby and rows of food stalls near the visitors centre.
The entrance to the park is about 100km northwest of Kanchanaburi and 5km from Hwy 323. You can take the Sangkhlaburi–Kanchanaburi bus (60B, two hours, frequent departures) to the turn-off and hire a motorcycle taxi to reach the entrance. Tell the driver that you want nám òk sai yôhk yài. The last bus back to Kanchanaburi passes at about 4.30pm.
Around 18km south of Sai Yok Noi is Lawa Cave (admission 200B), a 500m-long cave with five large caverns and imposing stalactites and stalagmites. To get here, private transport is best, or you can take the train to Nam Tok station and try to find a motorcycle taxi.
Long-tail boats near the suspension bridge can be hired for sightseeing trips along the river, and also to Tham Daowadung cave. It’s wise to take a guide and torch with you before entering Tham Daowadung. Chartering a long-tail costs about 800B per hour, but rates are negotiable.
THONG PHA PHUM NATIONAL PARK
This park (0 1382 0359; Thong Pha Phum district) includes the Jorgrading waterfall and simple but breathtaking accommodation in tree houses (0 2562 0760; www.dnp.go.th; r600-1200B).
The 62km ride from Thong Pha Phum to the park is along a meandering but well-made road that is shaded by soaring hillside trees. The main Jorgrading Waterfall is 5km from the entrance.
Another 8km along Hwy 3272 is the frontier village of E-Thong, where 80% of the population is Burmese. In the centre of this village, E-Thong Homestay (08 7169 0394; r600-800B) can help with trips out. If things get too quiet in this remote frontier village, there is always the family karaoke machine.
Khao Laem National Park
With the mighty Khao Laem reservoir at its heart, this 1497-sq-km park (0 3453 2099; Thong Pha Phum district) is one of the country’s most picturesque. The park headquarters are 28km south of Sangkhlaburi.
More than 260 species of wildlife have been recorded at the park, including gibbons, deer and wild boar. Ornithologists flock to Kroeng Kravia Swamp to view the birdlife, which includes Asian fairy bluebirds and green-billed malkohas. To reach the swamp, go to the Kroeng Kravia substation, 45km south of Sangkhlaburi.
The reservoir is surrounded by several waterfalls and huge limestone mountains. Kra Teng Jeng waterfall begins 400m from the park entrance and has a shaded trail leading towards the main falls; a guide is required to complete the 4km walk. Approximately 12km south from the park entrance is the 15m-high Dai Chong Thong waterfall.
Around 1km north from the park entrance is Pom Pee substation (0 2562 0760;