Thread: Bike from Kanchanaburi to Three Pagodas Pass

Yes, possible. Plan for about 8 hours each way. I've driven it and it's awesome but very steep and many times many curves once you're in the mountains proper; with heavy truck, bus, and van traffic. I hope you've got a 125cc bike at least and no passenger; a 600cc would be better.

This time of year may be dicey; rain, slides and washed out roads; not to mention falling, rolling rocks and boulders. Pics please after your trip.

There are many places to stay on that route. There's the famous tiger temple, Sai Yok and Sai yok Noi (water falls), so, it's a road with many tourist points along the way.
If you do the whole trip, you'll have had a hell of a trip. Hope you've got a camera. And don't forget the Mon Bridge in Sangklaburi; it's the longest wooden bridge in Thailand. Worth a walk across, for sure.

Originally Posted by highbrows

Can you reccomened a decent place to rent a bike in Kan? I can ride a 150 but wouldn't like to take anything bigger.

No, I don't know about that. Are you in Kanchanaburi? If so, I'd go to one of the farang owned restaurants and ask them.

Last year, I spent a couple days in Kanchanaburi at a guest house. I rented a bike and decided to drive it up to Three Pagodas Pass. Looking online, I saw that it was closed, or border disputes, or whatnot. So I rode it up to Songkhla Buri, which is the last main town before arriving at Three Pagodas Pass. I didn't make many stops besides the tiger temple, eating, pissing, and refilling the tank. I think it took me about 3 or 4 hours, and I was going at full throttle as much as I could because I was trying to get there before dark. The next day I spent the whole afternoon riding back and stopping at places along the way.

I suggest staying a night in Songkhla Buri. It's a 'new' town that was created when dams were built and the valley was flooded. Hill tribe communities had to resettle, and created a settlement along the banks of the reservoir, which is now called Songkhla Buri. It's interesting because it's a town that is predominantly made up of several different groups of hill tribes. So you will see folks milling about in different kinds of traditional attire, all in the same place. I stayed at a very cheap, but very nice guesthouse run by some very nice Mon people. The tv also showed some very uninteresting Burmese cooking shows and newscasts.

Long story short, I made the trip from Kanchanaburi one afternoon, stayed in Songkhla Buri that night, and was back in Kanchanaburi the next day.

Originally Posted by NokYai

Long story short, I made the trip from Kanchanaburi one afternoon, stayed in Songkhla Buri that night, and was back in Kanchanaburi the next day.

That's true; if you just want to go, no stops, then 4 hours is doable. But, I'd count on a bit longer. We did stop a few times along the way to see some sights. Traffic was heavy and passing very iffy; on a bike you might have some advantage.

I'd like to hear how it goes highbrows.