Thai National Parks

By tour operators

It is possible to arrange guides to pick you up from your hotel in Bangkok or Kanchanaburi. Visit our "Tours" section to see various possibilities.

Public services from Kanchanaburi to Erawan Falls

There are regular bus services from Kanchanaburi Bus Station (see map) to Erawan falls, ticket for a single trip costs 60 Baht (2023 price).

Kanchanaburi to Erawan Falls: 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:15, 13:00, 14:30, 16, 17:50

Erawan Falls to Kanchanaburi: 5:20, 6:10, 8:30, 12:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:30

(The departure times last updated on February 2023. If the details are too old, please remind us by using contact-us pages)

Public services to Kanchanaburi

By bus

From Bangkok to Kanchanaburi:

BKS public buses (line 81) leave from Bangkok's Southern Bus Terminal (Sai Tai Taling Chan สายใต้ตลิ่งชัน), which is located far west in the suburb Thonburi. In Kanchanaburi, there are two separate but nearby bus terminals, with 1st class buses departing from an office off Thanon Saengchuto, and 2nd class buses from the larger terminal one block east.

1st class buses should leave Bangkok every 15 minutes from 05:00-22:30, take about 2 hours, and cost 110 baht, including a bottle of water.

2nd class buses (new route) leave Bangkok every 20 minutes from 03:30-19:00 and take about 2 hours. Cost 95 baht.

2nd class buses (old route) leave Bangkok every 15-30 minutes from 04:00-18:00 and take about 3 hours.

There are also tourist minibuses directly to/from Khao San Road, departing Kanchanaburi at 13:30 and 18:30.

There are also some buses leaving less frequently from Bangkok's Northern Mo Chit bus terminal (note: not the same as Mo Chit BTS station, and not within walking distance of it, although a standard 50 baht motorbike ride is available. It's often called "Mo Chit 2"). Here are the times I could find at the station:

First-class bus with toilet (3 hours, 122 baht): 06:00, 11:00, 14:30

Second class bus with no toilet inside: 05:00, 07:00, 09:30, 12:30, 17:00

Minibus leave from Terminal 4 regularly, (12 noon was one of the scheduled times) taking 3 hours for 120 baht (July 2015)

Bus rides may be variable or cancelled (for example, with 14:30 being the last of the day.) BUT there are vans available at the bus station leaving even when you're told there's no way to get there by bus! It may pay to talk to the information desk for this.

From Nakhon Pathom, there are direct buses (2nd class only) every 15 to 30 minutes between 04:00 and 18:00, which take two hours. Alternatively, you can hop off a 1st class bus when it passes by Nakhon Pathom, but double-check with staff to ensure the route allows this and they know your plans.

From Phetchaburi to Kanchanaburi:

Passing by minivans to Kanchanaburi can be stopped by a small minivan service company on the opposite side of the road from the Big C supermarket.

From Sangkhlaburi to Kanchanaburi, you're spoilt for choice:

Air-con VIP buses leave at 08:45, 10:45 and 14:30 and take 4 hours.

Air-con minibuses leave at 06:30, 07:30, 11:30, 13:00, 15:30 and take 3.5 hours.

Standard buses leave at 06:45, 08:15, 10:15, 13:15 and take 5 hours.

From Pattaya to Kanchanaburi:

There is a direct bus from Pattaya to Kanchanaburi, running 2 times a day (9:30am and 7:30pm), departing from Central Pattaya, arriving at Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal. The bus service is provided by Sri Mongkol bus company.

Travel duration: approximately 5 hours (distance of about 220km - 230km)

Bus ticket price: THB315 (price as at January 2016. Double-deck bus with air conditioner & toilet on board, price includes 1 free bottle of water & one chocolate bon)

Where to buy ticket & depart: Sri Mongkol bus terminal at Chaloem Phrakiat, Pattaya Sai 3 (Direction: on Central Pattaya Road, find the TOT building (Telecommunication Company), Chaloem Phrakiat/Pattaya Sai 3 intersects with Central Pattaya road at this TOT building. The Sri Mongkol bus terminal is just about 150 meters north from the TOT building on Chaloem Phrakiat on the west side. It is hard to find, it is in the strip of shops, just before a large empty lot (as of January 2016)

Sri Mongkol contact: 089-280-2255 or 081-876-7770, or 081-879-9494, or 081-547-1548

Tips: best to buy a ticket at least one day in advance. As with many other Thais outside Bangkok, the company staff cannot understand & speak English well, especially over the phone. If there is any problem communicating to the staff, consider asking your hotel/hostel staff to speak to them in Thai over the phone, e.g. asking for the bus station address and have the hotel staff write it down in Thai - taxi/tuk tuk driver could find the place easier that way.

The 5-hour journey is quite long but the road quality is pretty good with hardly any problem. A good option to consider if one does not want to go to Kanchanaburi from Pattaya via going back to Bangkok. Beats using two minivans (cost 280 B depending on which company you use) and is only 30 Baht more.

From Ayutthaya to Kanchanaburi:

Ayutthaya - Suphanburi, public minibus no. 703, 80 baht, travel time 1.5h, leaves every 30m. from Chao Phrom market bus station. Suphanburi - Kanchanaburi, bus no. 411, 50 baht, travel time 1.5h, leaves every 20m. By minivan directly from your hotel at 9:30am or 4:30pm. 400 baht per person. Takes 2.5 hours. Book through a tour agent.

By train

Trains leave Bangkok's Thonburi Train Station at 07:50 and arrive at Kanchanaburi at 10:25, also at 13:55 and arriving at 16:24. You may be interested in buying a ticket all the way to the River Kwai Bridge, since these two trains are the only ones which cross the bridge each day.

Be warned that reaching Thonburi Station from Khao San Road is harder than it looks; tuk-tuk drivers will try to charge you outrageous rates, and walking involves crossing two bridges and looping back a ways. The best way is probably to take the passenger boat from Phra Arthit Pier and connect to a cross-river ferry that reaches the Thonburi Railway pier, then walk or take the open minibus from there. The other way to reach Thonburi (Bangkok Noi) Station is walk little bit south from Thammasat university (next to Sanam Luang), take river ferry from Wat Mahathat to Wanglong, on the other side of river walk west until you reach main north-south road, here walk north until you reach big bridge where you will go under it and then just walk west to train station, all this from Khao San Road to train station takes only about 30-40mins easy walk + river ferry. You can also walk a bit away from Khao San Road and find a metered taxi that will not rip you off. If you miss the train, a taxi from Thonburi train station to Sai Tai Mai bus terminal for buses to Kanchanaburi.

Alternatively, use google maps route planner on your smartphone or on the computer in your hostel, and look for a local bus connection.

Return trains leave at 07:25 and 14:48 from the main railway station; from the River Kwai Bridge they leave 6 minutes earlier. Riding 3rd class is an adventure in itself, and definitely recommended.

Both train services continue to/from Nam Tok, the current terminus of the Death Railway. The normal trains will charge "Farangs" (Westerners) 100 baht in each direction from Kanchanaburi to Wang Pho, the last station before Nam Tok. Thais pay a lot less.

The 10:30 train has a special tourist section, where the low, low price of 300 baht gets you air-con, a soft drink and a certificate of having ridden the Death Railway. This service has occasionally been operated by a steam engine, but usually uses an ordinary diesel DMU, and rail fans will have to content themselves with the Japanese-era steamers plinthed at the main and bridge stations, also at the waterfall in Nam Tok Noi. The steam train rides no longer operate.

By minivan

Minivans depart to Kanchanaburi from Old Southern Bus Station (Pin Klao) in Bangkok.

By car

Kanchanaburi is about 2.5 hours drive from Bangkok, along Hwy 4 (Phet Kasem) from Bangkok until it meets Hwy 323. This will take you all the way to Kanchanaburi.

By limousine taxi

Bangkok (Airport) limousines are a comfortable and swift means of travel between Thailand's capital and Kanchanaburi. Transfer rates by luxury Japanese sedan are typically from 3,000-3,500 baht. (Site note: A single trip space-wagon service costs 2,200 Baht through our website, see details)

By Minibus

For shorter travel, day trips from Bangkok are commonly sold at Bangkok travel agencies. Typically these include Toyota minibus transport from one's hotel to Kanchanaburi and back (visiting the famous bridge, Erawan National Park, etc., depending on the package), and perhaps lunch and entrance fees.

(*) Source: Wikitraval.org. This section of the copy ("Public services to Kanchanaburi") is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.

Driving to Erawan Falls

From Bangkok

• Take the highway route 4 west out from Bangkok and drive 64 until you are through Nakhon Pathom and reached the junction to route 323
• Turn right to the route 323 and drive 11 km until you reach the junction to route 3089 before the Mae Khlong River
• On the junction, turn right to continue route 323 north, and follow the the route North West for 53km until you pass Kanchanaburi and reached the junction to 3199
• On the junction, continue straight ahead to route 3199 and drive 58 km until you see the sign into the Erawan National Park HQ
• Turn left and drive another 3.4km by following signs to HQ

From Ayutthaya

• Drive 2km west from town on route 3263 till you get to the junction to route 347 and 3263
• Turn left in junction to route 347 and drive 38 km until you reach the T-junction to route 346
• Turn right on route 346 and keep an eye on signs for route 346 through a few junctions. Drive the whole route for 102 km until you reach the T-junction to route 324
• Turn left on route 324 and drive 23km until you reach central Kanchanaburi
• Turn right to route 323 and drive north west for 6 km until you reach the junction to route 3199
• Drive straight away on junction and follow 3199 for 58 km until you see the sign into the Erawan National Park HQ
• Turn left and drive another 3.4 km by following signs to HQ