Erawan and Sai Yok
Erawan is known for seven swimming tiers, not a Bangkok day trip. Take the 08:00 bus from Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal. Upper tiers close about 15:30.
Erawan National Park is the seven-tier waterfall about 65 to 70 km from Kanchanaburi town. Foreign adults pay 300 THB, children 150 THB, plus 30 THB per car or 20 THB per motorbike. Carry cash. The useful public trip is local bus 8170 from Kanchanaburi Bus Terminal. The first bus is 08:00, about 1.5 hours and about 60 THB. Flag-downs exist on Highway 323 before the bridge. Check on arrival.
Lower pools are the family stop. Tier 7 is stairs and roots. Rangers clear the top in the mid-afternoon; treat 15:30 as the turnaround, not a debate. The last bus back leaves about 16:30. After heavy rain the park can close swimming. Call 034 574 222 or DNP 1362 the morning you go.
Erawan, Sai Yok Noi, Hellfire Pass
Sai Yok Noi (Khao Phang) is the free roadside waterfall near Nam Tok station, about 60 km from town. Weekend excursion trains dump people here. It is taller than many visitors expect and not the same place as Sai Yok Yai inside Sai Yok National Park, which sits farther upriver and charges its own park fee when open.
Hellfire Pass (Konyu Cutting) is an Australian-run memorial walk about 80 km northwest of Kanchanaburi town, about 1 hour by car. Nam Tok station is about 20 km south of the cutting. The passenger train ends at Nam Tok; the last stretch is by road. It is not a station and not a waterfall. Pick one hinterland besides Erawan. A car can do Erawan or Hellfire Pass. It cannot do both well with the 15:30 cutoff.
| Site | Fee | How |
|---|---|---|
| Erawan, seven tiers | 300 THB foreign adult | Bus 8170 at 08:00, or a car |
| Sai Yok Noi | Free roadside | Nam Tok train or Highway 323 |
| Hellfire Pass | Memorial, not a DNP falls ticket | About 20 km past Nam Tok. Arrange the car in town. |
Keep going
Book
- Kanchanaburi townTwo nights
Town if Erawan is tomorrow. Upriver only if you skip the 08:00 bus.
Search stays - Erawan or Hellfire Pass, not bothTours
A car for one hinterland site beats a missed 16:30 bus.
See tickets 
Thonburi trainsTrip.comOrdinary 257 and 259. Foreigners pay 100 THB. Confirm Thonburi, not Krung Thep Aphiwat (Bang Sue Grand).
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Common questions
- Is the 08:00 bus early enough for tier 7?
- Usually, if you walk up as soon as you pay. A later 8170 makes the 15:30 cutoff a problem.
- Sai Yok Noi or Sai Yok Yai?
- Sai Yok Noi is the free fall by Nam Tok. Sai Yok Yai is the national park on the river, farther out, and a different ticket.
- Can you add Hellfire Pass after Erawan?
- Not in one afternoon. The cutting is about 20 km past Nam Tok, and the Centre closes at 16:00. Give it its own morning.