FULL-DAY KANCHANABURI TOUR FROM BANGKOK

Enjoy a full-day guided tour to Kanchanaburi from Bangkok. The town of Kanchanaburi is located in the west of Thailand near to the Burmese border. For many years, the town was an important outpost for the Thai army to defend against the Burmese army. In the 1940s, Kanchanaburi came under Japanese occupation and was the location of the infamous Death Railway, a railway construction project to connect Thailand in to neighbouring Burma as a means of accessing India, during World War II. The Death Railway was constructed by captured prisoners of war, primarily from Australia, the UK, the Netherlands and the USA, as well as many local Asian people, and became known as the Death Railway due to the appalling conditions and treatment of prisoners, leading to many deaths.
Begin your tour today with a visit to the Kanchanaburi Skywalk, opened in 2022. The Skywalk is a 12-metre high skywalk which snakes alongside the banks of the Khwae Yai River. Take a lift to the top of the skywalk and enjoy walks up and down its glass floor. The skywalk offers great views of where the Khwae Yai and Khwae Noi rivers meet, as well as panoramic views over the town of Kanchanaburi.
Next, we will transfer further in to the town to visit the Khwae Yai Bridge, known globally as the ‘Bridge over the River Kwai’, made famous by the novel and film-adaption of the same name. The bridge has become synonymous with the Death Railway and is a railway bridge which made up part of the rail link. Take a reflective walk over the Bridge as you admire the river scenery and soak up the history.
End your tour with a visit to The Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, home to the Death Railway Museum, a privately funded museum funded and run by Rod Beattie, an Australian expert in the history of the Death Railway. Here, you will visit nine exhibitions which document the history and context of the Death Railway construction, as well as the conditions and life of the prisoners of war, as well as a history of Japanese colonialism in South East Asia. The museum is housed in the former headquarters of the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. After your visit, cross over the road to visit the neighbouring Allied War Cemetery. The cemetery is home to 6,982 graves of former prisoners of war under Japanese occupation, including British, Dutch and American graves. This is the ideal place to take a light walk and reflect on what you have learnt and seen today.
Notes:
• You will be asked to wear covers for your shoes on the Kanachanaburi Skywalk
• The Death Railway Museum can be quite upsetting for visitors