Sangkhlaburi is a small lakeside town in the far north-west of Kanchanaburi province, close to the Myanmar border. People come for three things: the long wooden Mon Bridge, the ruins of a temple that rise out of the reservoir in the dry season, and the everyday life of the Mon community that built both.
It is not a day trip. Sangkhlaburi lies well over 200 km by road from Kanchanaburi town (our estimate from the map), along a mountain road past Thong Pha Phum, so plan at least one night and ideally two. The town is quiet, the air is cooler than on the plains, and mornings over the water are the best part of the stay. This guide covers the sights, the national park nearby, the border question at Three Pagodas Pass and how to get there.
Sangkhlaburi at a glance
- Where
- Sangkhlaburi district, Kanchanaburi province, on the Vajiralongkorn Dam reservoir
- Main sights
- Mon Bridge (Uttamanusorn Bridge), Wang Ka Mon village, the sunken temple, Wat Wang Wiwekaram
- National park
- Khao Laem NP: 200 baht foreign adult, 100 baht child (DNP Category 2)
- Rain
- Wettest July (353.3 mm) and August (344.9 mm); December 5.4 mm (TMD, Thong Pha Phum station, 1991–2020)
- Border
- Three Pagodas Pass: visit the Thai side only; the UK advises against all travel to the Myanmar side (October 2026)
The Mon Bridge and the village across the water
The Uttamanusorn Bridge, known to everyone as the Mon Bridge or Saphan Mon, is Thailand's longest wooden bridge, about 850 m long. It crosses the Songkalia river arm of the reservoir and links Sangkhlaburi town with Wang Ka, the Mon village on the far side. The local Mon community first built it in honor of Luang Por Uttama, the revered monk of Sangkhlaburi's Mon temple.
The bridge has had a hard life. Its middle section collapsed in floods on Sunday 28 July 2013. After a contractor failed to finish the job, army engineers rebuilt it, and the bridge officially reopened on Saturday 18 October 2014, the day of the yearly merit-making for Luang Por Uttama, according to the Bangkok Post. Floods closed it again for two days in July 2018; it reopened on 22 July. We found no report of damage in the 2026 rainy season, but ask at your guesthouse if heavy rain is forecast.
Walk across early. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) points to the sunrise view over the lake, and at that hour you share the boards with villagers going to market and monks on their alms round. The planks are uneven and the rails are low, so watch children and look down when you walk. On the Wang Ka side, the village has small cafés and shops selling Mon dishes, and TAT notes that visitors can try on traditional Mon clothing.
Cross the Mon Bridge before 08:00. The light is soft, the bridge is quiet and the morning alms round passes over it. By mid-morning day visitors and photo groups fill the narrow walkway, and the heat on the open boards rises quickly.
The sunken temple in the reservoir
When the dam was built, the valley was flooded and the old village with its temples went under the water. The ruin people now call the "underwater temple" stands in the reservoir off the town. TAT names it Wat Samprasob and says that in the dry season its walls emerge from the lake, while at high water it is partly submerged and you see it from a boat.
How much of it you see depends on the water level, and we could not find published reservoir levels for visitors. As a rule of thumb, more of the ruin is above water late in the dry season than after the rains. Boat trips to the temple and around the lake are arranged locally, often through guesthouses near the bridge; agree the price and the route before you get in. Our guide to hiring a long-tail boat covers what to check, including life jackets.
Mon culture: Wat Wang Wiwekaram and the boat festival
Sangkhlaburi is one of the few places in Thailand where Mon culture is part of daily life rather than a museum display. The Mon are a people of lower Myanmar and central Thailand with their own language, script and Buddhist traditions. In Wang Ka you hear Mon spoken in the market, and the food stalls sell dishes you rarely find elsewhere in Thailand.
Wat Wang Wiwekaram is the community's main temple and the center of its religious year. It is an active temple, so dress and behave as you would at any other; our page on temple etiquette and dress has the rules. If you want to give alms in the morning, our article on monks in Thai daily life explains what the custom means.
The temple is also the setting for the Mon Floating Boat Festival. In 2018 TAT listed it for 23 to 25 September: villagers decorate bamboo boats with flags and offerings, make merit with the monks and on the last day push small boats out onto the water to send away bad luck. The festival is held each year, but we found no date for 2026 or 2027, so check with TAT's Kanchanaburi office before you plan around it.
Khao Laem National Park: waterfalls and the San Nok Wua trail
The forested hills around the reservoir belong to Khao Laem National Park, a Category 2 park where foreign adults pay 200 baht and children 100 baht. Its best-known stop by the road is Kroeng Krawia waterfall. After the late-September floods, the head of the Department of National Parks (DNP) inspected it on Monday 5 October 2026 together with its flash-flood safety measures, so it was being kept open under monitoring. Do not swim after heavy rain.
For hikers, the park opened its San Nok Wua nature trail for the 2026–27 season on Sunday 18 October 2026. According to the DNP, it climbs the highest peak in Kanchanaburi province (1,767 m) on a walk of about 9 km, done as two days and one night with park guides. You must book ahead through the park office or its Facebook page, and there is a daily visitor limit. The reward is a view over the whole reservoir.
Along the road there is also Pom Pee viewpoint, which TAT lists among the district's sights. Weather on this road is wetter than in Kanchanaburi town: Thong Pha Phum has 26 to 27 rainy days a month in July and August. Our article on travelling in the rainy season explains what that means for a trip like this.
Three Pagodas Pass: see the Thai side, do not cross
North of Sangkhlaburi, the road ends at Three Pagodas Pass, a historic crossing on the border with Myanmar. On the Thai side you can see the three small whitewashed pagodas, Chedi Sam Ong, which give the pass its name, and a market area.
Across the line is Payathonzu, in Myanmar's Kayin State. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against all travel to Kayin State and to neighboring Mon State, and it says the Myanmar authorities restrict travel to most border areas (as of October 2026). We could not confirm that the checkpoint is open to foreign visitors at all. Treat the pass as a viewpoint, not a crossing, and ignore old blog posts about day passes into Myanmar.
Old "Three Pagodas day pass" advice is out of date. Crossing into Kayin State goes against UK government advice, and travel insurance may not cover you if you travel against your government's advice. For legal visa runs that still work in 2026, see our page on border runs from Thailand.
For a wider picture of what the British and US governments say about Thailand's border areas, read is Thailand safe to visit, and check your policy wording against our guide to travel insurance for Thailand.
Getting to Sangkhlaburi from Kanchanaburi and Bangkok
Almost everyone travels through Kanchanaburi town first. Our guide to getting from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi compares the train from Thonburi, minivans and buses. From Kanchanaburi the road runs north-west to Thong Pha Phum and then climbs through the hills to Sangkhlaburi.
- Minivan or bus. Public minivans and slower buses serve the route from Kanchanaburi's bus station, but we could not find a current official timetable or fare. Ask at the station the day before and take an early departure. Our page on minivans in Thailand explains seats, luggage and safety.
- Car. Driving gives you the freedom to stop at the waterfalls and viewpoints. The road is winding in places and visibility drops in heavy rain; our guide to renting a car in Thailand covers licenses and insurance.
- Train. There is none. The railway west of Kanchanaburi ends around Nam Tok, far short of Sangkhlaburi.
How Sangkhlaburi fits a Kanchanaburi trip
Most visitors spend a day or two in Kanchanaburi town first, at the bridge, the war cemeteries and the museums; our Kanchanaburi guide covers the town. The scenic ride on the Death Railway to Nam Tok can be combined with the road north if you have a car waiting at the end of the line. Erawan National Park lies on a different road, and it has been closed since 27 September 2026 after flood damage, so check its status before you plan the two together.
A good rhythm is three nights in Kanchanaburi and two in Sangkhlaburi. The cool, dry months from November to February are the most comfortable for the drive and the bridge at dawn.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mon Bridge in Sangkhlaburi open?
Yes. The wooden bridge reopened on 18 October 2014 after its middle section collapsed in 2013, and it was closed only briefly during floods in July 2018. We found no report of a closure in 2026, but heavy rain can close it for safety, so ask locally.
When can you see the sunken temple?
According to TAT, the ruins emerge from the reservoir in the dry season and are partly under water when the lake is high. No official water-level forecast is published for visitors, so ask a boat operator or your guesthouse how much is visible before you go out.
Can foreigners cross into Myanmar at Three Pagodas Pass?
Do not plan to. The town across the border is in Kayin State, where the UK government advises against all travel, and we could not confirm that the checkpoint is open to foreign visitors. Visit the pagodas on the Thai side only.
How many days do you need in Sangkhlaburi?
Two nights is ideal. The journey from Kanchanaburi takes most of a day, and you want one full morning for the bridge and the boat trip, plus time for a waterfall or the Mon village in the afternoon.
Sources
- Bangkok Post – Mon bridge back in one piece (October 2014) (checked October 2026)
- Bangkok Post – Sangkhla Buri floodwaters recede, cleanup begins (July 2018) (checked October 2026)
- TAT Newsroom – Kanchanaburi: the Mon Bridge and the underwater temple (March 2025) (checked October 2026)
- TAT Newsroom – Mon Floating Boat Festival 2018 (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Khao Laem National Park opens the San Nok Wua trail (18 October 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Inspection of Kroeng Krawia and Sai Yok Noi waterfalls (5 October 2026) (checked October 2026)
- UK FCDO – Myanmar travel advice (updated 4 August 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Kapook – National park entry fees by category, from the DNP list (July 2025) (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climate normals 1991–2020 (checked October 2026)