Two of the main attractions there are the Bridge on the river Kwai, famous for sad historical reasons during WWII and the Tiger Temple. The Bridge (and related museum) on its own wouldn't be worth the trip in my opinion, unless you have personal reasons to visit it or you're a big fan of the 1957 famous movie.
The Tiger Temple it's a quite controversial topic. What I knew was that the Buddhist Temple looks after tiger cubs that are orphan or rescued from poachers. The tigers grew up in the temple, and thanks to the monks patience and love they are now accustomed to humans, docile and approachable. You pay a small fee to enter, and a not so small fee if you want (and have the courage to) get very close to them for pictures together. The money however it's all for a good cause, as it will allow the tigers' conservation, and will ultimately provide a Forest Monastery where they can be protected and roam free as they should.
Flicking through an old Lonely Planet guide in my accommodation in Bangkok (I don't use them, actually boycott them, but was curious to see what they said) the Tiger Temple is not only not endorsed there, but readers are discouraged to go there. I took it as an excellent sign. Must definitely be a great place.
So I was quite surprised upon arrival at the Temple to see so many buses and mini-vans parked outside, and so many tourists hanging around. The Temple is now a sanctuary for all kind of animals, so as you enter you see wild pigs, deers, chicken, buffaloes, etc all roaming free together (and with people around) in harmony. Nice, like a Buddhist Garden of Eden.
As you approach the Tiger Canyon, the area where the tigers go in the afternoon to sunbath and take their after lunch nap (and as a consequence the best place and time for visitors to approach them), the first thing that strikes you is a gigantic file of people, all queuing to have a sight and a picture of the tigers. Good news is that if you're willing to pay the extra fee you can skip the queue and have a personal photo shoot with your camera getting very close to the tigers, patting them and even having them on your lap. As you can see from the pics I went for that option, considering that the queue was at least one hour long, and the place was closing in 30 minutes, but mainly keeping in mind that the money is all for a good cause.
That's not the end of the story though. My main inspiration to visit the temple was a website created by two guys who volunteered there. The website explains even better than the official Temple website the philosophy behind the temple, the good causes and the hopes for the tigers' bright future.
Checking back on the website just after few days from my visit to the Temple there was an update. It looks like the Temple by now should have the money for the New Home for Tigers, considering also how popular it got lately. It looks like while before tigers would be left alone if they didnt feel like human company and pictures, now they are forced to perform, a consequence I imagine of the long queue of paying tourist who don't want to be disappointed. It also looks like there cannot be a never ending stream of orphaned cubs, so the Temple must have some other way to get the tigers. And there is also an investigation by Care for the Wild.
Based on the latest news I don't feel like recommending the Tiger Temple anymore. It was great to have tigers on your lap, feel their breath, their muscles, weight (!) and power, but at the same time for the whole length of the visit it felt a bit unnatural, and definitely touristy.
The official proof? Checking on the latest version of Lonely Planet the Temple is now highly recommended!! Avoid.
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