Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum and Walking Trail

By Paula Parker

Hellfire Pass and the Memorial Museum is a must see historical attraction for anyone visiting Kanchanaburi or as a day trip from Bangkok.

Hellfire Pass also known as Konyu Cutting, is an historic site and is one of the most well-known sections of the Thai Burma railway.

The Memorial Museum is dedicated to both Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers.

Inside the museum you are welcome to walk around and look at the artifacts and the model of the Pass that are on display along with many photographs.

The Memorial Museum was officially opened on the 25th April 1998 and is maintained by the Office of Australian War Graves in a joint venture between both the Australian and Thailand Governments.

While in the museum make time to watch the very informative short video that shows the conditions that the POWS were forced to endure; this alone is somewhat of a touching experience.

Before you start your walk along the trail, ensure that you pick up one of the audio players that are available at the museum.

A small refundable deposit is required as well as identification.

Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum at Kanchanaburi

The headsets allows you to listen to what happened and to hear POW 's tell of their experiences at certain points along the trail.

The audio recordings are fantastic and add to the whole experience.

The audio players have to be returned to the museum by 3.50 pm or a late fee of 500 Baht will be charged.

If you are planning on walking the entire 4 km trail and you don’t have a mobile phone, the museum will also give you a two-way radio for safety reasons.

The walk down to the pass from the museum is by wooden walkways and stairs, of which there are quite a few.

Hellfire Pass is part of a commemorative walking trail, which is very well maintained.

The walk from the bottom of the stairs into the Pass is only around 10 minutes.

The scenery along the trail is spectacular bearing in mind the horrible atrocities that were carried out during the building of the railway line in World War 2.

From the Pass, the 4km walking trail along the rail bed will take you to Kwai Noi lookout, Hintok Station and all the way to Compressor Cutting.

The walk will take around 3 hours, including the return walk, back to the museum to return your audio player.

We found our walk through the Pass very educational, moving and a memorable experience for both us and our kids.

Unfortunately due to a sudden onset of high temperatures, and feeling rather unwell along the trail, I was unable to walk the entire length of the trail and we had to turn back.

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Hopefully one day, our travels in Thailand will take us back to Kanchanaburi, and we will revisit the Memorial Museum to finish our walk through the Pass and continue where we left off.

Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum is located about 80 kilometres from Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

When to go & How to get to Hellfire Pass

The Memorial Museum is open from 9.00am – 4pm daily except for the following dates.

Hellfire Pass is closed on the following annual dates:

13th to 15th April - Songkran Festival
5th December - King's Birthday
24th to 27th December - Christmas
31st December - New Year's Eve
1st January - New Year's Day

Admission is free into the Memorial Museum.

There is a donation box located at the entrance to the museum, of which most people are happy to put in a donation.

If you are staying in Bangkok and would like to do a day trip to Kanchanaburi, there are some really good tours available, that include a visit to Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum.

To fully explore the area, without feeling rushed, it is best to stay in Kanchanaburi for 3 to 4 days.

What to Bring to Hellfire Pass

When visiting Hellfire Pass Memorial Museum, its advisable to bring:

Water
Sunblock
Mosquito repellent
Good walking shoes

Map of Hellfire Pass Walking Trail

If your planning you're visit to Hellfire Pass during the month of May, I urge you to check on the Australian Government Department of Veteran Affairs Website, for any closure dates. They tend to close for 3 weeks during the month of May for annual maintenance.

By visiting the website, you can also download audio guides and maps, including a lot of educational information about Hellfire Pass, the Memorial Museum Interpretive Centre.

If you would like to learn about the history of the Thai-Burma Railway and Hellfire Pass, you should visit the Australian Government Anzac Portal.