Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre

The two walks, from the center's own FAQ

Museum

The story of the railway and the men who built it, with the free audio guide in Thai, English or Dutch, handed out until 15:00 against an ID card.

Blue Walk · about 500 m

Down to the memorial at Hellfire Pass itself, 45 minutes to an hour.

Green Walk · 2.6 km one way

On along the railbed past smaller cuttings and an embankment to Hintok Road, about 1.5 hours each way. No pick-up at the end, and you must carry the free two-way radio from the counter.

Konyu Cutting

Google's separate listing for the cutting itself, at the end of the Blue Walk.

Most people arrive knowing very little about the Thailand-Burma Railway and leave shaken. The museum, run by Australia's Department of Veterans' Affairs, tells the story of the prisoners of war and forced laborers who cut this pass through rock by hand in 1943, working through the night by torchlight, with photographs, personal accounts and a free audio guide that follows you out onto the old railbed. Entry is free, and the staff speak excellent English.

The walk is what turns it from a museum visit into something else. The short Blue Walk runs about 500 m from the center down to the memorial at Hellfire Pass itself and takes 45 minutes to an hour. The long Green Walk carries on along the railbed past smaller cuttings and an embankment to Hintok Road, 2.6 km one way, about an hour and a half each way or three hours there and back. There's no pick-up at the far end, so either walk back or have a driver wait at Hintok Road, and you must carry the free two-way radio from the counter. Wear proper shoes, the ground is uneven, and use the toilets by the entrance first, because there are none on either walk.

If you're doing Kanchanaburi with a day to spare, I'd put this above the bridge. It asks more of you and gives back more.

The center is open daily from 09:00 to 16:00 and the trail opens at 09:00. The audio guide, in Thai, English or Dutch, is handed out until 15:00 against an ID card, and older visitors can ask for the free golf buggy. It's closed on 1 January, 13 to 15 April, 5 December, 24 to 27 and 31 December, and for about three weeks of maintenance in May. It's about 80 km northwest of Kanchanaburi, an hour by car or 1.5 to 2 hours on the hourly bus toward Thong Pha Phum or Sangkhlaburi, about ฿60. Buses back stop on Highway 323 opposite the entrance, roughly hourly until 17:00. On 25 April the Anzac Day dawn service starts here at 05:30, and the site opens at 03:00 for it.