Thailand’s Amazing Tiger Temple

Floating Markets and Tiger Temple by Jenica

On Monday I returned from a two week trip to Southeast Asia. Even in my sunburnt, jetlagged haze, one of the things I can’t stop talking about is my visit to the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. I had heard about and seen great photos of the tigers from other RealTravelers who had been there, and knew that this would be an experience I wouldn’t be able to forget. How often can you get that close to tigers? I’d also learned that you can take an all day tour from Bangkok to visit the Damnoen Saduak Floating Markets, The River Kwai and the Tiger Temple all in one day - this was a perfect way to end my visit to Thailand.

To get to the temple, you drive down a dirt road. Once there, you pay the 300 baht (less than $10) and they give you a little book that tells you the history of the temples, and even a short description of the personality of each tiger. From 1:30 to 4:30 is when they allow you to go down to the tiger canyon and get your picture taken with several tigers, one at a time.

RealTraveler, Miss Brown recently visited the temple on the same type of tour and shared her experiences:

“We walked through the temple grounds towards the canyon. At the bottom of the canyon in front of the waterfall were 8 tigers - no cages, just right there, full grown tigers. The first sight we saw was a little girl being lifted onto the tigers belly as the tiger rolled on his back! Crazy! The Buddist Monks set the Tiger Temple up after an orphaned tiger cub was found in the forest. The Monk raised the cub and since then other cubs have been taken there. I was led around the canyon so I could stroke the tigers one by one. It was a really exciting experience and I loved every minute. ” (more…)

The one thing I was not aware of or expecting was the hundreds of animals that take refuge daily at the temple grounds. Around feeding time, you can see wild boars, horses, water buffalo, peacocks, cows, pigs and more walking, running, playing and eating food that the monks provide. I was so amazed by how close I was to all of these wild animals that I didn’t even notice wild horses that were right behind me and I was constantly bumping into cows. Little piglets and baby boars were crossing in front of us.

To book an all day tour, you can go to a travel agent in Bangkok. There are hundreds in the tourist areas such at Khao San Road, but you can also ask at your hotel or guesthouse. The prices vary depending on what type of transport they use, and what other sites the tour includes. You can also stay in Kanchanaburi and visit from there. Visit Kyle and Dan’s blog for ideas on where to stay.

Other Useful Links
Tiger Temple Travel Blogs
Tiger Temple Site
Kanchanaburi Travel Blogs