The Healing Hot Springs of Kanchanaburi Province
Kanchanaburi is a city in Thailand that is well known to those interested in World War 2 history. It’s the location of the iconic Bridge on the River Kwai which attracts large numbers of international tourists on day trips from Bangkok. But Kanchanaburi province extends for several hundred kilometres beyond the city, right up to the Myanmar border, and is one of Thailand’s easiest to reach nature destinations.
The province contains national parks, some of the country’s most spectacular waterfalls, the even more iconic Mon Bridge – the longest wooden bridge in Thailand and the second longest in the world – and many hot springs located up the valley of the River Kwai along the route of the infamous ‘Death Railway’ which was built by Allied POWs during WW2.
The hot springs were the specific reason that I travelled to Kanchanaburi province. I’d been suffering some groin pain for nearly two months after a bad bout of Covid and couldn’t find any way to get rid of it. But when I spent a couple of days at a saline hot spring in Krabi in southern Thailand, I discovered that the pain had more than half disappeared.
Soaking in the 41°C saline hot spring in Krabi.
At first, I wasn’t convinced that it was the soaking in the hot spring that was the reason for the pain suddenly lessening, but after a week checking out the hot springs in Kanchanaburi province, the pain disappeared completely. I’m now a convert to the healing powers of mineral hot springs.
I spent a week visiting Kanchanaburi’s hot springs because it’s recommended that you do not spend more than 20 minutes soaking in water that is more than 41°C in temperature (the usual temperature of most hot springs) – and even then, you should only do it in sessions of five minutes each. If you stay longer in the hot water, you’ll undoubtedly start to feel faint and there is a danger you could pass out.
Between my daily trips to the hot springs, I spent time hiking in the national parks (including a climb to the top of the spectacular Erawan waterfall), kayaking on a lovely lake at the Home Phu Toey riverside resort at Sai Yok, and visited some of the other WW2 memorial sites such as the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre at Sai Yok and the ‘Weary’ Dunlop Park located within the grounds of Home Phu Toey.
There are many raft houses along the River Kwai at Sai Yok.
From Kanchanburi city right up to Three Pagoda Pass on the Myanmar border (a four-hour drive through picturesque mountains and teak forests) there are a myriad of small family-run riverside resorts and raft houses which will appeal to those looking for a relaxing and quiet ‘back to nature’ holiday experience.
However, for those who may not have the time to spend a week in the province checking them all out as I did, here are the hot springs that I visited starting with one just outside Kanchanaburi city and then moving northwest up the River Kwai valley. The second hot spring is the one that I would recommend for those who may only have the time to go to one hot spring.
Wat Wang Khanay Hot Spring
This very traditional public sulphur hot spring is located in a temple complex on the south-eastern side of Kanchanaburi city. It’s very conveniently located to the city – only about 15 km away – but it is unlikely to appeal to most international visitors. You’ll be invited to step into a large stainless-steel drum that looks like an industrial cooking vat after the attendant has filled it with hot water from the underground spring. There are several rows of the vats along one side of the temple courtyard.
Some of the stainless-steel soaking tubs at Wat Wang Khanay.
The temperature is around 40-41°C and you can sit in the vat soaking up to your neck. It feels good but you also feel like you are on public display as people of both sexes walk by on their way to the footbath section. There’s another section where domestic bathtubs have been concreted into the ground. That’s a little less public, but there’s still a row of the stainless-steel vats looking down on you.
If you are not shy to show your body in public, then the novelty of this almost ‘industrial’ looking hot spring might appeal to you (there are separate male and female sections) but you’ll see few foreigners there. There’s no charge to use the facilities of the hot spring but you are expected to make a small donation to the temple on your way out.
Rock Valley Hot Spring
This is undoubtedly the best hot spring experience that I’ve had in Thailand. The Rock Valley Hot Spring & Fish Spa, to give it its full name, is located about an hour’s drive north-east of Kanchanaburi city on the eastern side of the river. Most people who visit Rock Valley do so on day trips from Kanchanaburi city. You can either drive yourself or book a trip through a travel agency in the city.
The ’back entrance’ track to the Rock Valley Hot Spring.
If you drive yourself and follow Google Maps, you’ll cross the river after turning left at Chaiyaphruek Village and then have a 14 km drive on rural roads. When you arrive, you’ll wonder whether you are in the right place because most guests arrive by river on the other side of the hot spring, and from the rear the reception area looks like a unkept farmyard.
There’s no specific parking area. Just park in one of the open areas near the big clumps of bamboo and walk down the dirt track to the large wooden building which is the reception. If you book through a travel agent, you’ll be taken by van to the River Kwai Village Hotel on the other side of the river just off the main highway, and from there by boat to the hot springs (which takes less than 5 minutes).
If you want to drive yourself to the River Kwai Village Hotel, you can do so and use their parking area, but if there’s not a boat going over at the time you arrive, you’ll be asked to pay 375 baht for a special trip (per boat, not per person). Of course, if you are staying at the hotel, you’ll be able to ride over for free.
The communal showers in the men’s changing room at Rock Valley.
The entry fee for the hot spring is 650 baht per person and that entitles you to use the hot spring for two hours, which is more than enough time to have a good soak in each of the 15 hot mineral water pools. The attendants at the reception area will provide sarongs for women and oversize baggy shorts for men. The shorts I was given would have fitted a 150 kg man, and kept coming undone, so it’s wise to wear a pair of swimming trunks underneath.
There are separate changing rooms for men and women, but note the showers in the men’s changing room are communal – so another reason to bring some swimming trunks if you are shy to be around naked bodies. There are lockers to store your valuables and you’ll be asked to leave your shoes there as well.
An attendant will take you to the first pool, after which you’ll be left to make your own way between the pools. They are clearly numbered and there’s only a short walk between each, either along a concreted path or wooden boardwalk. There are towel racks at each pool.
The first mineral water pool is one of the hottest at 40-42°C.
The mineral water at the Rock Valley Hot Spring is piped directly from underground into the first two pools which are among the hottest at 40-42°C. The mineral content of the water is predominantly calcium carbonate and sulphur but also contains sodium, fluoride, zinc and manganese and trace amounts of copper, iron, chromium and selenium.
I couldn’t see any difference between the first two pools except the second one has water sprayers hung under the shadecloth that covers the pools, so if you like the feeling of soaking in a hot spring pool in the rain, you’ll enjoy soaking in the second pool. These are the pools from which you will get the most health benefit.
If 40-42°C is too hot for you, then you can go straight to the third pool where the temperature is 38-40°C, but personally I find a temperature of 41°C the best to get the full benefit of soaking in a mineral hot spring. Just remember not to soak more than five minutes at a time in the higher temperatures.
This ‘cooling off’ pool has a nice view over the River Kwai.
The fourth pool wasn’t labelled as to what its temperature was, but it felt around 38-40°C to me. The difference between this pool and the previous one is that it is covered by a plastic greenhouse-like structure which means that the steam is trapped inside, and you’ll feel like you are in a sauna when soaking in this one.
The fifth pool is called the herb pool, probably around 38-40°C too, but with brownish water due to the herbal infusions. I don’t know what herbs were used for the infusions. They were displayed in five large glass jars in an adjacent hut labelled ‘Herbal Hut’ but the names were in Thai. If you are travelling with any Thai friends, then I’m sure they would be able to translate the names for you.
For the sixth pool you need to backtrack a little to some steps between the second and third pool. Down the steps is a pool labelled ‘normal temperature’ where you can cool off and enjoy some nice views of the River Kwai.
The Chinese tea pool is infused with mulberry and thunbergia.
The seventh to 14th pools are smaller than the others, so if there are people already in them you may have to try them in non-sequential order. I was lucky because I went there in the middle of the rainy season, and I was the only person there until I was almost ready to leave. During the dry season I’m sure the hot spring would be much busier.
The seventh pool is the Chinese tea pool, so if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to soak in Chinese tea at 37-39°C, this is your chance. It’s a pleasant experience and you don’t come out smelling like tea. The water is actually an infusion of Chinese tea, mulberry and Thunbergia laurifolia – the leaves of which supposedly have antipyretic and antioxidant properties.
The next three pools weren’t labelled with their temperatures and only two were labelled with details of their infusions – the butterfly pea pool and the milk spa. The butterfly pea pool had a sign stating that it would help to naturalise the antioxidants in your body, but I’m not sure what that means.
The mineral water in the butterfly pea pool was a sparkling blue.
I had read on the Rock Valley Hot Spring’s website that there were two pools with infusions of roselle and orange peel, so probably the one that wasn’t labelled was one of those. But the aroma of the infusion wasn’t strong enough for me to detect which was which.
The milk spa had a more detailed listing of its benefits in Thai, English and Russian. It stated that it would stimulate the regeneration of skin cells, moisturise the skin, deep clean pores, make the skin radiant, refresh and rejuvenate the skin, remove sunburn and tighten the pores. That all sounded great, but personally I didn’t like the feeling of soaking in milk.
The milk spa wasn’t very hot, so I moved on to No 11 which wasn’t labelled but felt as hot as the first two pools. I don’t think there was any infusion in this one, I think it was just straight mineral water, so I just spent five minutes there and then moved onto No 12 which was the coffee pool.
The hot coffee pool will supposedly help blood circulation.
The pool infused with coffee is claimed to enhance the blood circulation and have detoxifying and antioxidant effects. The temperature was similar to the Chinese tea pool and, similarly, if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to soak in black coffee (albeit weak black coffee) this is your opportunity.
I had quite a long soak in the coffee pool, but it wasn’t my favourite. The next one was – the eucalyptus pool at No 13. This also claimed to help with blood circulation and skin detoxification, but I so loved the aroma. I could have soaked in this one all day. The temperature was probably only around 38-39°C so you can certainly spend longer in it if there are not too many other people at the hot spring.
That was the last pool that I spent much time in because No 14 was only straight mineral water at 38°C. It wasn’t labelled but I assume it was a ‘cooling down’ pool before the last pool which was labelled ‘normal temperature’. That is the largest of all the pools at the hot spring, but I didn’t get to try it because it was being cleaned on the day I was there.
The eucalyptus pool had a beautiful and relaxing aroma.
It took me a little under two hours to get through all the pools, spending most of my time doing multiple five-minute sessions in the hottest pools and taking breaks to rest and enjoy the jungle and river scenery. As I was the only person there for most of the time, it was very quiet and all up a most enjoyable afternoon.
Home Phu Toey Hot Spring
The next hot spring is located about eight kilometres upstream from the Rock Valley Hot Spring within the grounds of the Home Phutoey River Kwai Hotspring & Nature Resort. This is only accessible to guests staying at Home Phu Toey. Fortunately, as this resort was the one that I used as my base for the week I was in Kanchanaburi province, I was able to use the hot spring pool every day.
The resort is classified as three-star and the large cabins are well appointed and comfortable. Their restaurant food is excellent as far as evening meals are concerned, but the breakfast is quite basic.
Soaking in the Home Phu Toey hot spring pool in the rain.
There is only one hot spring pool, and it doesn’t have the ‘natural’ feel of the hot spring pools at the Rock Valley Hot Spring because the hot mineral water is pumped into what looks like a small swimming pool adjacent to the resort’s main swimming pool. But it’s surrounded by jungle and landscaped gardens and overlooks a small lake on which guests can take out kayaks, so it’s still very relaxing.
However, the water is pumped from underground only early morning and early evening, so it’s only around 40-41°C for a couple of hours up to about 9am and then in the evening up to 9pm when it closes. During the day the temperature drops to a level where it’s still very warm but not to the extent that you’ll get so many health benefits from it.
Lin Thin Hot Spring
The Lin Thin public hot springs are located right next to the River Kwai only five minutes off Route 323 about 40 minutes north of the Home Phutoey resort. There was nobody there when I visited on a weekday, except an attendant. There are two pools. The attendant said one was 44 degrees and the other was 40 degrees, but there was no way they were that hot. The hottest pool could have been 40 but the other was only around 36.
The two mineral water pools at the Lin Thin hot spring.
Although the location right on the river was picturesque, it wasn’t quiet because loudspeakers were blasting out Thai pop music. That might appeal to some, but it didn’t to me. Entry fee is 50 baht for foreigners and 20 baht for locals. If you are travelling on Route 323 between Home Phu Toey and Lin Thin, do stop off at the Australian Government’s Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre on the way. Entry is free.
Hin Dat Hot Spring
About 15 minutes further on from Lin Thin, the public hot springs at Hin Dat are just a couple of minutes off the highway to the right. They are located right next to the small river that flows down from the Pha Sawan and Pha Tat waterfalls. There are three hot water pools. Two are around 40-41 degrees whilst the other is cooler. After soaking in the hot pools, you can cool off in the river.
The Hin Dat public hot spring pools next to the river.
This hot spring is popular with locals, and the pools can get crowded, especially at weekends. There are a lot of drinks stalls around the car park adjacent to the hot springs, and several selling local food. Entry fee is 60 baht for foreigners and 20 baht for locals. A visit to the Hin Dat hot springs can be easily combined with a visit to the Pha Tat waterfall which is like a mini-version of the more well-known Erawan waterfall further south.
Green World Hot Spring Resort
A few minutes further on from Hin Dat, a road off to the left takes you down into the ‘Green World Hot Spring Hotel Resort & Golf Club’ to give it its full name. Up until about two years ago, the resort was receiving good reviews on Google, but I noted there had been some more recent reviews claiming that the resort had deteriorated under new Korean ownership. I wondered whether that meant it was now being used only for package golfing trips from Korea.
Given that the resort promotes itself as a 5-star hotel (and was still being sold as such through hotel booking sites at the time I was there), I planned to have lunch in their restaurant after my visit to Hin Dat and then enquire about public access to the hot springs.
The unattended main entrance to the Green World resort.
As I drove into the hotel car park, I was shocked. The car park was pot-holed, and the gardens were overgrown with weeds and long grass. It looked like an abandoned resort but there were about a dozen cars there. So I parked and walked to the entrance. There was nobody at the entrance, but I could see a person behind the reception desk in the lobby. I walked into the lobby and it immediately reminded me of hotels in which I had stayed in North Korea. It was musty, dark and rundown.
I asked about lunch but was informed that the restaurant was closed. I didn’t bother asking about access to the hot springs because this was clearly a place that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. I had assumed that when Google reviewers had made references to new Korean ownership, that they were referring to South Korea. But I wondered whether in fact Green World had been taken over by North Koreans.
At the time I visited Green World, it was still being advertised on hotel booking sites with photographs that were obviously years old, but I noted prior to publishing this article that it’s since been taken down from most booking sites and the resort’s own website seems to have disappeared, so I assume that means the resort has now closed. Perhaps it will reopen refurbished at some stage in the future. If it does, I will update this article once I’ve had the opportunity to visit it again.
All images: © David Astley
