3 Days Ampawa & River Kwai

Bangkok - Ampawa (Lunch, Dinner)

Pick up at your hotel in Bangkok and depart by van to Ampawa. Our first visit will be to Wat Bang Kung, built during the Ayudhaya period (more than 200 years ago). This interesting temple is completely embraced by the roots of a huge Banyan Tree. Our next visit will be to Baan Benjarong. Benjarong is an enamel overglaze process painted on china ware. The finish never fades and is strong enough to resist scratching. The entire surface from rim to base is drawn by hand and you can watch the skilled artisans at work. There is also an exhibition of Benjarong from various periods in the adjacent private museum. After lunch at a riverside restaurant, check into the resort. In the afternoon, explore the canals during a trip in a motorized long-tailed boat. The boat trip offers plenty of photo opportunities of coconut and fruit plantations, wooden houses built on stilts along the canals, narrow bridges and footpaths, villagers and food-sellers in rowboats and people taking a bath in the canals. Return to the resort for some time to relax. Dinner and overnight at Baan Amphawa Resort & Spa (Superior room).

Optional tour (minimum 2 persons): Evening 1-hour boat trip to watch the fireflies (850 Baht per person if booked and paid on spot).

Ampawa - Damnoensaduak Floating Market - Kanchanaburi (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

After breakfast at the resort, depart by taxi-boat to Damnoen Saduak Floating market, then continue by van to Kanchanaburi. Check in at Hin Tok River Camp, located 90 km north of Kanchanaburi town. After lunch, visit nearby Hellfire Pass Memorial (closed Dec 24-27,Dec 31,2007 & Jan 01, 2008), which is dedicated to those Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers who suffered and died at Hellfire Pass during the construction of the Burma-Thailand railway in World War II. A 4.5 km walking trail along the embankment of the former railway (the tracks have been dismantled after WW II) provides a deep insight into the plight of the workers along the trail.

The hike from the museum to the tented camp takes roughly 2 hours (you may also choose to take a shorter walk for one hours and transfer back to the camp by van). Please wear proper non-slip walking shoes or sneakers bring along a hat (sandals, flip flops are definitely out of question!). Later in the afternoon, take a walk or bicycle to the nearby village, where locals engage in weaving large bamboo baskets, that are traditionally used to transport fruit and vegetables to the markets. Dinner and overnight at Hin Tok River Camp.