Thailand Travel Report : Sangklaburi, One of a kind border town.

   

Discover breathtaking landscapes, beautiful people living in harmony with nature where very few tourists dare to come….why ? Too far, deep in the mountains, forest, lake, rivers and hopefully for us no train station , no airport.  

LOCATION : 

 Sangklaburi is located 370km East of Bangkok, or 220km from Kanchanaburi with the famous bridge over the Kwai River and the death railway during the second world war. (the movie wasn’t shoot there but it’s another story).  

 

Visiting Sangklaburi is like travelling in time, this little lovely town is NOT YET develop. Foreigners cannot cross the border since 2006 because the Burmese army does not control that area, there is still tensions with Karen army . Thai citizen can cross the border but are not allowed to go far, just few kilometers, anyway the interesting part is in Sangklaburi and around.  

 

CLIMATE and WEATHER:  

As everywhere in Thailand the climate is hot and humid, there 3 seasons in Sangklaburi, the cool season probably the best time to visit from middle October until middle of January, Thai people come from Bangkok every week ends to enjoy the morning fog, temperatures are between 16-20 degre morning and evenings, and above 30 the rest of the day. Then come the hot season until mid may, and the monsoon when it’s rain a lot, good time for 4 wheels lovers.  

 

PEOPLE :  

One things you cannot miss, it’s Sangklaburi Market, the heart of the town, very busy early morning and evening, and relaxing in the afternoon . Many cultures and religions lives together, most of the people living here cannot go further unless special authorization. The Mon people who came from India through Burma are in majority , there is also Burmese, Karens, people from Nepal, India, Laos….so you can enjoy so many kind of foods, smells, smiles.  

 

Beside you will have the opportunity to meet with foreigners from all the continents, coming here for volunteer work in orphanage or refugees camp, or just living here, or looking for a little piece of adventure !  

 

WHAT TO DO ?  Many things to do starting with :  

- sunrise and sunset on the Mon wooden Bridge the longest in Thailand with 455 meters.  

- Breakfast at Sangklaburi market with local food : Thai, Burmese, Mon, Muslim…..  

- Walk on the Mon side with temples, the golden Chedi, market with Jewelry, textiles and wooden items  

- Enjoy Songkalia River with restaurants, inner tube float, bamboo rafting, swimming…  

- Sightseeing on the lake with tail boat and visit the underwater Samprasob Temple  

- Fishing on the lake with tail boat or floating house 

- Trekking in the forest with 4x4 pick-up, visiting Karen remote villages in the jungle  

- Horse riding, elephant riding, atv Quad ,rent a motorbike or a bicycle  

- Don’t miss the Saturday walking street with plenty of food, souvenirs, dance, singers  

- Visit the 3 Pagodas Pass at the border 19km from Sangklaburi with wooden furnitures, Jewelry, duty free shop, cave  - Retreat at the Thong Pha PhumMedidation center 72km from Sangklaburi  

- Heal your body at Hin Dad Hot spring 95km from Sangklaburi  

- Just relax busy doing nothing 

 

HOW TO GET THERE :  

Starting from Bangkok you can either : 

- Drive by yourself by car or motorbike 5 hours drive  

- Take the bus from Mochit Station 7-8 hours trip with stop at kanchanaburi, Sai Yok and Thong Pha Phum  

- Take Mini van from Bangkok (Near Victory Monument) to Kanchanaburi 1h30 trip and take another from Kanchanaburi to Sangklaburi 3h30 trip.  

 

WHERE TO STAY :  

There are many option available :  

- You can just go there and walk and find many nice homestay bungalows  

- Bring your tent and enjoy camping at the lake with the stunning view  

- Sleep at one of the many resort in town , with the lake view or on the lake. No need for booking except during the cool season in December where it’s quite busy.  

 

USEFULL LINKS : 

 - OhDee Hostel : Located near the Post office, single room or dormitory, many activities available : horse riding, Bamboo rafting, motorbike excursion. Room start at 800thb https://www.facebook.com/OhDeeHostel/  

- Samprasop Resort : Mon bridge and lake view, swimming pool and activities. Room start 1500thb. http://www.samprasob.com  

- P Guest House : Hotel with view on the lake and Golden Chedi, Room start at 300thb with fan, many activities and excursions available. http://www.p-guesthouse.com  

- Nature Club Resort : Adventure resort with Quad, Kayak, Zip line http://thenatureclubresort.com  

- A nice video presentation of what you can expect : Saturday walking street, Mon Bridge, Songkalia river https://youtu.be/JLeBs-bgwRY  

- Hin Dad Hot Spring http://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/Hin-Dad-Hot-Spring--262  

- Dhamma Kancana Vipassana Meditation Centre http://www.tourismthailand.org/Attraction/Dhamma-Kancana-Vipassana-Meditation-Centre--6546  

 

All the photos were taken by us except the 1st and 5th from https://www.facebook.com/Sangklaburi.Thailand/  

Have a great day !