History…there are victories, there are loses, there is heartbreak and then there are places like Hellfire Pass Kanchanaburi Thailand that defy all logic, all human comprehension and yet they happened.
Hellfire Pass was one place in Thailand I wanted to see. I wanted to see it with my own eyes, to try to understand the logic behind such a place, to try to understand the stories I had been told growing up.
I would wonder how men survived in conditions my Dad would tell me about and be amazed at their courage. It wasn’t until we got there ourselves that we realised how tough, determined and miraculous these men were.
As I said it was a tour we wanted to do to try and understand what these men went through but also the toll it had on the Thai people as well. I had no idea what to expect when we got there but as an important Australian War Site I knew there would be some sort of place of remembrance.
Where is Hellfire pass?
Hellfire Pass is located just outside the small town of Kanchanaburi in Thailand. You can visit Hellfire Pass after you go through the museum and visitor centre located just above the cutting.
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What is Hellfire Pass Kanchanaburi Thailand?
Hellfire Pass or Konyu Cutting as it was known by the Japanese was a section of the Thai-Burma Railway also known as the Death Railway. It is a pass-through solid rock that was dug mainly with hand tools by Allied prisoners of war in the Second World War.
How do I get to Hellfire Pass in Thailand?
As this was a place we wanted to go and a pace we wanted to understand we decided to do a guided tour of Hellfire Pass and some sections of the Death Railway with a tour company. We went on our Hellfire Pass tour with Chain from Take me tour Thailand. This is one of the best Thailand day tours
We were picked up at our hotel in Bangkok at 5.30 am for our death railway day trip from Bangkok and we were driven to Kanchanaburi by Chain.
How do you get from Kanchanburi to Hellfire Pass?
Chain drove us to a meeting point and from Kanchanaburi we took a tuk-tuk out to there. Originally we were going to catch the train back to Kanchanaburi but as we had spent much longer at the museum than we thought we would we actually missed that train and had to catch the tuk-tuk back to Kanchanaburi.
On our way back we were able to see two other sections of the Death Railway and take out time there walking along it.
Chain was absolutely invaluable in these areas. He was able to help me answer all the kids questions and mine as well. He was also able to occupy the kids while I was looking at something or talking to some one about the railway.
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The Hell Fire Pass Museum
This small Hellfire Pass and Death Railway museum were built and run by the Australian Government together with the Thai Government to protect the area for future generations. The museum is where you can enter the walkway that will take you down to see Hellfire Pass.
The museum may be small but there is so much information in there about the building of the Death Railway, not only Hellfire Pass. Most heartbreaking is there are so many personal accounts from survivors of the Death Railway that you can see on your death railway day trip from Bangkok
How much is entry to the Hellfire Pass Museum?
I think in such a respectful way entry to the museum is FREE.
What is in the Thai-Burma Railway (Death Railway) Museum?
The museum is full of personal accounts from survivors of the Death Railway. It has a theatre in it where you can watch survivors talk of their experiences and see pictures of some of the construction going on.
You can buy some postcards, t-shirts and cold drinks from a small shop downstairs, as well as store your bag in lockers if you need to.
How much time do I need at the Museum?
Even though the museum is small we spent nearly an hour walking around it and re-looking at the exhibits. we then found ourselves going back to a display with each other to discuss it.
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The walk to Hell Fire Pass
The walk to Hellfire pass is not for anyone that has any type of walking issues. You take around 160 steps down the rocky walkway to the carved pass. The steps are well built and spaced well but if you have issues you must take your time.
What do I need with me on the walk?
You will need:
Water . There are bottles for sale at the exit for 10 Baht per bottle and a re-filling station just out of the door for when you get back