Sai Yok National Park, Kanchanaburi Overview

Sai Yok National Park is a section of the Western Forest Complex protected area in Kanchanaburi Province bordered by Myanmar on the west. It nestles amid the Tenasserim Hills mountain chain about 100 km from the main city. The River Kwai, locally Khwae Noi, runs through the park. Its main attractions are picturesque waterfalls, including the Sai Yok Yai waterfall flowing into River Kwai.

The visitor center is located at the northeast edge of the park 19 km north of Hellfire Pass. The attractions around the visitor center are small waterfalls, springs, a few hiking trails, and caves. The largest one is the 500 meters-long Tham Lawa cave consisting of five larger caverns. Tham Daowadueng is another, with eight complex chambers of stalactites and stalagmites. Another chief attraction is the remains of the infamous Death Railway or Siam-Burma Railway and a work camp used by the Imperial Japanese troops to keep Allied prisoners of war.

Activities at Sai Yok National Park

You should also book a lazy river ride along River Kwai through the forest in a longtail boat. Several hotels along the shore also offer romantic rides, canoeing and paddling activities, or a swim in the river during low currents. You can stay at one of the floating rafts hosted by the local Mon people and learn about their cultures, customs, and traditions.

Flora and Fauna of Sai Yok National Park

Among fauna, there are elephants, tigers, sambar deer, barking deer, wild pigs, gibbons, slow lorises, Indo-Chinese serows, macaques, leopards, Asiatic wild dogs, and Malayan porcupines. A new species of crab - the red, white, and blue-colored Poo Rachinee crab - was discovered in the park in 1983. It is also home to a rare species, Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, which is considered to be the world’s smallest mammal weighing around 2 gm. You will spot this animal in the Khang Khao Cave, 2 km from the visitor center and close to the Death Railway remains.

There are also a variety of snakes, birds, and a few types of geckos currently only known to be found in Kanchanaburi. You will not see many animals around the visitor center. They reside in the more remote areas deeper inside the park.