Death Railway | Hellfire Pass

This tour is especially designed for those who have an interest in the construction of the railway connecting Thailand with Burma. This was undertaken by the Japanese during World War II using a combination of POW forced-labour and Asian paid-labour.

Fellow Kiwis and Australians will find this a memorable experience and one which will count as a major highlight of your trip to Thailand.

Pick-up from your hotel will be around 07:00 and first stop will be at the War Cemetery on the outskirts of Kanchanaburi. Take time to walk around this beautifully kept cemetery, stopping to read the plaques on the way.

From here you'll go directly to Hellfire Pass and on arrival you'll enter first to the Hellfire Pass Museum. This museum is co-sponsored by the Thai and Australian governments to commemorate the suffering of those involved in the construction of the railway.

In the museum you'll have time to watch the video (7 mins) which backgrounds Hellfire Pass and the construction of the 'Death Railway' before walking down into Konyu Cutting where the memorial lies.

Konyu cutting was a particularly difficult section of the line to build, not only because it was the largest rock cutting on the railway, but also because of its remoteness and the lack of proper construction tools during building. It's estimated that 68 men were beaten to death in the six weeks it took to complete, although many more died from cholera, dysentery, starvation, and exhaustion.

Every year a Dawn Parade is held here on ANZAC Day to commemorate those who died. Hailing from NZ, we have special ANZAC Day Tours for those kiwis & aussies wanting to attend this Dawn Service.

After Hellfire Pass you'll go to Nam Tok Station where the train leaves from for the long journey back to Bangkok. Lunch will be provided here and as the train is frequently late it will provide you a comfortable place to relax while your waiting.

Fortunately for you, your experience of this trip only includes riding the rails over the amazing trestle bridge built against the cliff and alongside the river at Wang Pho.

When you disembark from the train, your driver will be ready to take you back to your hotel in Bangkok.