Hiking at Hellfire Pass. The infamous pass, or Konyu Cutting to use its original name, is one of the most notorious stretches of the Death Railway, constructed during the 2nd World War by the Japanese army using Allied prisoners of war and conscripted Asian labourers. The site is located in Kanchanaburi Province’s Sai Yok District, some 2 hours or so drive west of Bangkok. The excellent Hellfire Pass Museum (or Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre), established by the Australian Government’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, is a must-visit for any traveller to Kanchanaburi. In addition to visiting the highly moving and informative museum, you can also take a hike along what is today the picturesque route of the railway.
A steep flight of steps leads down from the museum to the old railway bed, where a short walk takes you to the Pass itself. From here, you have the choice of climbing back up the stairs to the car park or walking along the former route of the tracks. Despite it being the site of such a tragedy, the setting is bucolic, with forest on either side and glimpses of the Kwae Noi (Kwai) river through the trees and bamboo to your left across a lush valley. The rails and sleepers are mostly gone but the track now runs over the line’s old gravel bedding. Sturdy footwear is best, whilst you need to bear in mind, of course, that many people died here, so please act respectfully.
Hellfire Pass itself The line, intended to link up Bangkok with Japanese forces in Burma, was constructed through extremely treacherous terrain, entailing the construction of numerous wooden trestle bridges and rock cuttings. The line ended at Thanbuzayat, just south of Moulmein, where it connected to the British-built north-south railway to Rangoon. (Thanbuzayat Town also possesses a museum and even an old Japanese locomotive.) Konyu Cutting got its better-known nickname from the terrible sight of half-starved workers hacking their way through the rock, lit by flickering burning torches.
The wooden trestle bridges are long gone and replaced by steps, so there is a certain amount of clambering up and down, and certain stretches may be closed during the rainy season due to slippery conditions. In good weather, you can do either a short 500-metre or so loop around the Konyu Cutting, while a further 2.5-kilometre hike takes you out near the old Hintok Cutting.
Between the Pass and Hintok, your route includes the Kwae Noi Valley viewpoint with spectacular vistas, the Hammer and Tap Cutting and the site of the Three-Tier Bridge. Just past Hintok, the route crosses a sealed road, which is a popular rendezvous point for those who’ve arranged their own transport.
Another 1.5 kilometres takes you past further famous railway features such as Pack of Cards Bridge and Compressor Cutting, to the end of the walkable section. There’s no access road here, so you’ll have to hike the four kilometres back to the Museum or arrange a pickup at Hin Tok. Taking into account the steps and obligatory stops for views and photos, allow 1.5 hours each way. It can be a challenging hike. Take water and a hat, as while some sections are in the shade, others are not. You’ll see plenty of bird life en route, but be careful, as snakes are also frequent visitors to the railway line.
The Japanese locomotive at Thanbuzayat A visit to the excellent Museum plus hiking at Hellfire Pass are featured in both our Thailand ‘Mountains and Rainforests‘ tour and Thai family tour, ‘Jungles and Islands‘ as well as our 4-day Kanchanaburi mini-tour or extension.
