Activated carbon was synthesized from bamboo charcoal by KOH activation at various temperatures for electrochemical double layer capacitor applications. The micro-structural and surface properties of all the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and N2 adsorption/desorption isotherm method. The electrochemical properties of the activated bamboo charcoal were examined by cyclic voltammetry in the potential window of -1.0 to 0.2 V in 6 M KOH electrolyte at different scan rates. An electrode made from the sample activated with 7.5 M KOH and heat treated at 750℃ for 3 h gave a maximum capacitance of 553 F/g at 1 mV/s and 450 F/g at 10mV/s.