Travelogue from Thailand: A once-in-a-lifetime experience on the River Kwai

In March 2025, Cecilie, a specialist in our booking department, travelled to Thailand. There, she discovered a Thailand she had never experienced before. Read about her adventures on the enchanting River Kwai.

Spending two days on the Kwai River in the Kanchanaburi province of Thailand was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. These are two days I will never forget, and something I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone wanting to experience a different side of Thailand.

On our first day and night, we stayed at Hintok River Camp, which offers luxurious glamping tents spread throughout a scenic jungle area. The tents are equipped with comfortable beds and a large bathroom, and each has a small terrace with outdoor seating where you can relax and enjoy the surroundings.

A variety of activities are available around the camp that you can book on site. For example, there are canoe trips, ziplining, and waterfall excursions. However, we chose to stay at the camp and enjoy everything it had to offer. We swam in a natural pool, enjoyed a relaxing massage, and later had drinks overlooking the river with the sunset in the background.

In the evening, there was a communal BBQ dinner for the camp’s guests. The area was beautifully decorated with lanterns and strings of lights, a bonfire in the centre, and pleasant music playing from speakers. The meal included grilled meat and vegetable skewers, freshly prepared pad thai, and the most delicious papaya salad. It was a truly cosy evening under the stars.

The next day, we enjoyed a delightful breakfast and packed our things for our next stop on the Kwai River. The journey was by ‘long tail boat’, taking about fifteen minutes, and we soon arrived at our next accommodation: the River Kwai Jungle Rafts – a floating hotel.

Staying on a floating hotel was a completely unique and special experience. Being so close to the water and surrounded by the beautiful jungle was truly enchanting.

The hotel itself is simple but has everything you need. Each room has its own bathroom and a small terrace right by the water with deck chairs. Notably, there is no electricity or Wi-Fi in the rooms – only at the reception. It was quite an adventure going without it for a day!

The unique ‘river jump’ experience is also available at the hotel. You put on a life jacket and jump into the water at one end of the hotel, floating with the current to the other end. The river’s current is so strong that you can just drift along and enjoy the scenery. Highly recommend!

In the evening, we enjoyed another delicious Thai meal in the cosiest of atmospheres on the large floating terrace. Afterwards, you could play card games and relax until bedtime. Once it was completely dark in the rooms, they were equipped with small battery-operated lamps that helped a bit with the darkness.

I often think back on those two fantastic days by the Kwai River and dream of returning one day!

Cecilie,

TourCompass – From tourist to traveller

Dreaming of experiencing the magic of the Kwai River on a tour to Thailand?