August 2018 – There are literally no words to describe our experience at River Kwai Jungle Rafts a floating hotel or floatel in Kanchanaburi – Thailand. How did it all start? Well we decided to spend 3 weeks in Thailand. The first 2 weeks we explored Thailand through an adventurous holiday we booked via Shoestring, a fantastic travel agency. It offered a very well organized itinerary through which we got the chance to meet our amazing local tour guide, Wan and other likeminded wanderers. But let me tell you a bit more about the floatel.

Key facts to know

Facilities – When we arrived the hotel we realized that as the name suggests, it floats on the river Kwai. The coolest thing about this floatel is that it is ecofriendly, which means that throughout our stay there was no electricity! The rooms were made of local bamboo and decorated with wood, the shower was outdoors facing the river bank for more privacy and our porch was equipped with a veeeery comfortable hammocks. They also have wellness facilities and and a local restaurant where you can enjoy the delicious Thai local food. In the evening we enjoyed a live traditional and Mon tribal performance. This was definitely a unique experience.

The River Jump & other activities – When we got there (a 20 minute ride from the Phutakian Pier via a long-tail boat) they told us that we could actually swim or float in the river if we wanted to. I was trying to figure out how exactly we were going to do that. Well the hotel provided us with lifejackets and instructed us on how to stay safe while jumping from one end of the floatel to the other. The so called “River Jump”! We enjoyed “swimming” or “floating” in the river so much that we kept going in again and again. From a point onwards we literally couldn’t stop laughing. Other activities you can enjoy at the floatel include boat trips, canoeing, paddling, you can even participate in cooking classes.

Our morning surprise

The day after we had to go! We kept wishing our stay at this floatel would last longer. While getting ready to depart from the floatel I saw a group of people (tourists probably) approaching the river bank and speaking in a language that I couldn’t understand! ( So far I can only speak fluently Greek and English). That’s when I asked my cousin Leda to go over there and check out what was going on. And so she did, standing by the crowd, trying to figure out what everyone is staring at.

She said to me “Tati, I can’t see anything. Everyone is staring at the river bank but I honestly can’t understand why!”. That’s when I decided to join her and try to solve the mystery. And then I saw it…a huge elephant bathing in the river. I started laughing and I couldn’t stop, I completely forgot that Leda did not have her eye lenses on. “It’s an elephant, I can’t believe it. But Leda mou, it’s huge I can’t believe you couldn’t spot it” (mou means my dear in Greek).  We immediately crossed the bridge that was connecting the floatel with the local village and went there to take a closer look. The elephant was friendly and a guide was escorting it so we got the chance to get even closer. We were ecstatic! I took a picture let me show you!

Honestly that’s it one of the funniest and concurrently most fascinating moments I’ve experienced travelling abroad.

And that is why I definitely recommend staying at a floatel if you are ever in Kanchanaburi!