Tiger Temple Kanchanaburi

There’s not many places in the World where you can stroke a one of these magnificent beast so why not take a trip to the Tiger Temple in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

If you want an experience that few others ever get the opportunity to fulfill then a trip to the tiger temple in Kanchanaburi may be right up your street. Located a few hours drive northwest of Hua Hin the temple was originally opened in 1994 and five years later, in 1999, received it’s first tiger cub to care for.

Since then the number of tigers at this wildlife rescue sanctuary has swollen to well over one hundred and the park now has its own breeding program with most of these powerful carnivores being raised in the park nowadays.

The tiger temple is run by Buddhist monks and is situated close by the border with Myanmar (Burma).

Although the temple houses a lot of tigers only a select handful are chosen to interact with the public for petting and these are normally chained up first.

For the lucky ones there is the opportunity to bottle feed the cubs in the afternoon, for an extra fee of course.

Other Animals housed at the Park

Tigers are not the only animals that the temple takes in. There is also a selection of moon bears, peacocks, water buffalo, cows, goats, horses, porcupines, boars, civet cats, lions, and various species of birds.

Taking a Package Tour

Most people will opt for taking a package tour when visiting the park. Normally these will just include the basic entrance fee that allows you to walk with the animals and take photographs, but not get up close and personal with the tiger, which is extra.

Because the park is quite small and due to its distance from most popular tourist destinations the majority of visitors decide to double up the experience by combining their trip with one to the River Kwai bridge and war cemetery which is in the same area.

What not to Wear

Because you’ll be in close proximity to these immense animals it’s recommended not to wear bright colored clothing, such as red and orange, or items with tassels attached, all of which may aggravate the wild cats.

Being a temple there are some restrictions on the length of your clothing as well. Ladies should have minimum 3/4 length sleeves and shorts to the knee.

Fees

The entrance fee to the park is 600 baht per person. This includes walking around the park and standing close to the tigers but no petting.

Pay extra, around 1000 baht, and you can have the opportunity to hand feed the tiger cubs.

Because these tigers are still wild animals and considered dangerous you’ll asked to sign a waiver before entering the sanctuary.