River Kwai, Death Railway and Hellfire Pass Day Tour
Highlights
- Hellfire Pass, the deepest cutting on the Burma Railway, and its memorial museum
- One hour on the Death Railway across the Wang Pho viaduct
- The bridge on the River Kwai
- Kanchanaburi War Cemetery and the JEATH War Museum
- Thai lunch included, vegetarian or halal on request
Description
Where the other Kanchanaburi tours pair the bridge with a waterfall, this one gives the whole day to the Burma Railway and the men who built it. There is no waterfall and no swimming on this itinerary. The morning covers the bridge on the River Kwai, the war cemetery where nearly seven thousand prisoners of war are buried, and the JEATH War Museum with its reconstructed bamboo huts. Then you ride the railway itself for the better part of an hour, out along the river and across the wooden viaduct at Wang Pho, on an ordinary service train rather than anything laid on for tourists.
Pricing
This tour requires a minimum of 2 persons per booking
- Step 1
06:15 to 07:00 Hotel pickup
Pickup from your hotel in the central Bangkok area, then on to the meeting point at Khaosan Road.
Leave Khaosan Road and drive west to Kanchanaburi.
The bridge on the River Kwai, the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery and the JEATH War Museum.
About 45 to 60 minutes on the Death Railway, including the Wang Pho viaduct.
Thai lunch at a local restaurant.
The memorial museum and the walk down into the Konyu cutting.
Depart Hellfire Pass for the drive back.
Drop-off at Khaosan Road, or Sam Yot MRT station on request.
Included
- Return trip by air-conditioned minivan
- English-speaking local guide in Kanchanaburi
- River Kwai Bridge
- Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
- JEATH War Museum
- Death Railway train ticket
- Hellfire Pass and Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum
- Thai lunch, with vegetarian or halal food on request
Not included
- Drinking water
- Travel insurance
- Hotel drop-off (150 THB per person, minimum 2 people)
- Sun protection and a hat
- Comfortable walking shoes
- Cash in small notes for drinks and snacks
- Water for the walk down into the cutting
This tour starts at one of these meeting points. Pick the one that suits you when you book. No extra charge.
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Khaosan / Chana Songkhram Police Station
Check-in 07:15
In front of Chana Songkhram Police Station at the end of Khaosan Road, opposite Wat Chana Songkhram.
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Korea Town / Sukhumvit Plaza fountain
Check-in 06:30
At the fountain in front of Sukhumvit Plaza (Korea Town), between Sukhumvit 10 and 12, ~200 m from Asok BTS exit 2.
A driver collects you where you're staying. Your area sets the collection time.
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Your exact pickup time depends on your area and departure time. You'll see it at checkout and we confirm it with your booking.
The walk from the museum down into the cutting and back is a steady climb of about twenty minutes each way in full heat, so take water. If the descent is more than you want, there is a viewing platform that looks into the cutting from above. This is a sombre day rather than a grim one, but the audio guide carries survivor testimony and the cemetery is exactly what it is, so younger children tend to find it long. Families with small kids usually do better on one of the Erawan days, which have the swimming this day trades away for its four historical sites. Either way you are back in Bangkok by 18:00.
FAQs
The Konyu cutting, the deepest excavation on the Burma Railway. Prisoners of war and Asian labourers cut it through rock by hand, largely at night, and named it for the way torchlight fell on the rock face. The memorial museum above it was funded by the Australian government and is one of the best war museums in Thailand.
The walk from the museum down into the cutting and back is a steady climb of around twenty minutes each way, in the open. Take water. You can also see the cutting from the viewing platform if you would rather not do the descent.
Older children who have some interest in the history will get a lot from it. Younger children usually find it a long day, and the memorial museum is sombre. If you are travelling with young children the Erawan waterfall tours are an easier day out.
Yes. Vegetarian food is available on request on every full-day tour, and halal food can be arranged on the Kanchanaburi tours. Tell us when you book so the restaurant can prepare it.
Yes, if your hotel is in the central pickup area. Pickup times are set by area: Khaosan Road and the old town 06:50 to 07:15, Chinatown and Hua Lamphong 06:40 to 06:50, Sukhumvit, Silom, Sathorn and Pratunam 06:30 to 06:40, and Siam 06:30 to 06:45. If you are staying outside that area you make your own way to the meeting point on Khaosan Road, in front of the Chana Songkhram police station, for 07:15, or to Korea Town at Sukhumvit Plaza for 06:30.
Back in Bangkok at Khaosan Road, or at Sam Yot MRT station if you ask the guide on the day. Drop-off at your own hotel can be added for 150 THB per person, with a minimum of two people.
Yes, this tour needs at least two people to run. Group sizes vary with the season, from about two to nine people on a quiet day up to twenty or more in high season.
You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the tour starts and get a full refund. Inside 24 hours the tour is non-refundable, because the seat and the guide are already committed.
