From/ To: BANGKOK
Duration: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Departs: 24th April 2027 - 7:30am
Departure: Guaranteed
Tour type: ‘Join-in’/ Medium Group

Overview:

Join the deeply moving Anzac Day Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass and enjoy the Gunfire Breakfast afterwards. Visit the Kanchanaburi & Chungkai War Cemeteries, the Bridge over the River Kwai, the Wang Pho Viaduct, Sai Yok Waterfalls and the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre (a museum dedicated to the railway). Take a train ride on a section of the railway and ride in a long-tail boat along the River Kwai.

Highlights:

• Anzac Day Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass

• Gunfire Breakfast

• Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre (museum)

• Train ride on original section of the Burma-Thailand Railway

• Wang Pho Viaduct & Krasae Cave

• Kanchanaburi & Chungkai War Cemeteries

• Thailand-Burma Railway Centre (museum)

• Long tail boat ride on the Kwai River

• Bridge over the River Kwai

• Overnight (24th April) in a ‘raft’ room on the River Kwai

• Check your passport:

  Validity: Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date you plan to leave their country. This is a common safeguard to ensure you can legally travel without issues if your passport is close to expiring.
  
  

  Before traveling: It’s essential to verify the requirements for every country you plan to visit. This includes visas, vaccination requirements, and other entry regulations.
  
  

  Use official sources: For Australians, the Smartraveller website provides up-to-date travel advice, including passport and visa requirements, safety alerts, and other critical information.
  

• Registration with the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs, for the Anzac Day Dawn Service, is not compulsory. However, Historic War Tours will pass on your details already provided by you when making your booking. This information will assist the organisers with crowd control and catering for the Gunfire Breakfast. You will be advised when this has been done.

• All customers must have comprehensive travel insurance for the duration of the tour.

• This tour is conducted in accordance with the Terms, Conditions and Policies (Terms) of Historic War Tour Pty Ltd (HWT). By booking a tour with HWT, you acknowledge that you have read and understand these Terms and accept them.

If you find that you are unable to join a tour that has been booked, confirmed and paid in part or in full, the paid amount of that tour less any unrecoverable costs, may be converted to a voucher. The value of that voucher may be used towards the same tour with a later departure date or any other HWT tour.

If a refund is requested, the following cancellation fees may be deducted from the paid amount:

• Greater than 10 days prior to tour start date - 10% of total tour amount + any unrecoverable costs

• 10 Days or less (including 'no show') prior to tour start date - No refund

What level of fitness is required?

Fitness level is very subjective and can vary for everyone. As a guide:

Low:                       Mainly sitting, small amount of walking required

Low-Moderate:   Easy walking, some steps

Moderate:            Walking moderate distances, uneven/unpaved ground, steps

Moderate-High: Walking moderate-long distances, uneven/unpaved ground, steep inclines, steps

High:                     Walking moderate-long distances, uneven/unpaved ground, steep inclines, steps, bush tracks

This tour:

Day 1:

• Kanchanaburi Railway Station - Low

• Train ride - Low

• Wang Pho Viaduct & Krasae Cave - Moderate

• Boutique Raft Resort - Moderate

Day 2:

• Anzac Day Dawn Service – Moderate-High

• Kanchanaburi War Cemetery – Low

• JEATH Museum – Low

• Long tail boat ride - Moderate

• Goodway Floating Restaurant - Low-Moderate

Day 3:

• Chungkai War Cemetery – Low

• Thailand-Burma Railway Centre (museum) – Low-Moderate

• Bridge over the River Kwai - Moderate

• Sai Yok Restaurant - Low

Do you cater for single travellers?

Yes. All our tours welcome single travellers and provide single-occupancy accommodation.

Do you have a schedule of planned tours?

Our Anzac Day tours in Sandakan, Thailand, and Vietnam have set departure dates. All other tours are private and run year-round, with departure dates arranged to suit your travel plans.

What is the maximum number of people on tour?

Most of our tours are private, so only you, your group, the guide, and the driver will be on tour. Group Anzac Day tours range from 4–5 people in a minivan to around 30 people on a 40-seat bus.

Can I customise an advertised tour?

Yes. All tours, except our group Anzac Day tours, can be tailored to suit your preferences. We can adjust itineraries, extend stays, change hotels, and add or swap tours. Changes may require a revised quote, but we’ll work with you to avoid unexpected costs.

What meals are included?

Your tour itinerary shows which meals are included each day. When meals are not included, your guide can recommend suitable places to eat. Meals are usually a mix of local cuisine. Please let your guide know about any dietary requirements.

I have specific dietary needs.

Our tours visit countries known for their diverse and sometimes spicy cuisine. Please advise us of any dietary requirements when booking and inform your guide at the start of your tour. Your guide will do their best to arrange suitable meals throughout your trip.

Do I need to take any medication (e.g. malaria tablets)?

We recommend consulting your doctor about any vaccinations or medications you may need when travelling overseas.

I have prescribed medication.

While pharmacies are becoming more common throughout Southeast Asia, you should bring enough prescribed medication for your entire trip. We also recommend carrying a doctor’s letter listing your medication for customs purposes if required.

How much should I give the Guide and Driver as a tip?

Tipping is not compulsory and is entirely at your discretion. Guides and drivers are paid a salary, but any additional tip for good service is always appreciated. If you choose to tip, give an amount you feel comfortable with. If splitting between guide and driver, please present tips separately.

Saturday, 24th April 2027

Depart Mercure/Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel, Bangkok: 7:30am
Finish: 2:00pm approx.

(Please note: The Mercure/Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel is the only pick-up / departure point in Bangkok)

Gather in the concierge area of the Mercure Bangkok Siam Hotel / Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel (same location), your Bangkok pick-up point, by 7:15am. Meet the other members of the tour before boarding your minivan/bus for the trip to Kanchanaburi, about 2.5 hours after leaving Bangkok.

Board the mid-morning train at Kanchanaburi Railway Station and ride on an original section of the Burma-Thailand Railway passing over the Bridge over the River Kwai, through the Chungkai Cutting (the first cutting on the southern end constructed by the POWs) and over the spectacular Wang Pho Viaduct. Leave the train at Tham Krasae for a closer look at the Wang Pho Viaduct. Here the POWs built a series of bridges with towering cliffs on one side and a steep drop to the River Kwai on the other. Visit Krasae Cave and as you walk to your transport, explore the local market. Proceed to Wang Pho for lunch, about 5 minutes away.

After lunch, continue to your overnight stay arriving about 2:00pm. Your accommodation is uniquely situated on floating rafts out over the River Kwai. This 3 Star Resort provides good quality ensuited and airconditioned rooms that are a tranquil oasis while you watch the river flow by. Join in some of the resort’s water activities such as river rafting*, have a swim in the resort’s pool or just relax in preparation for the early start the next day.

OR

For those keen to know a little more on the history of the railway, join a two hour excursion that will leave the resort about 3:00pm. You will travel a short distance to an area known as Hintok Road, located on the northern end of the Hellfire Pass section of the railway and rarely visited. You will walk (about 250 metres) along the old railway bed, past bomb craters made by allied aircraft, to explore Hintok Cutting (the second largest after Hellfire Pass), the site of the Three Tier Bridge and the Seven Metre Embankment. Be amazed at these engineering feats which almost rival Helllfire Pass itself. Return to the resort to rejoin the other members of the group. The price for this excursion is $35 per person. Bookings are essential and can be made at check-out. Numbers are limited.

Take in the last light of the day as you mingle with other tour members before enjoying a BBQ buffet dinner at the resort’s restaurant.

* charges apply, contact us for bookings before the tour's departure.

Meals included: Lunch, Dinner
Hotel included: Boutique Raft Resort, Sai Yok - River Kwai Suite

Sunday, 25th April 2027

Depart hotel: 2:15am
Finish: 1:00pm approx.

An early start for what will be an emotional and memorable day. Travel to Hellfire Pass (about 15 minutes) for the Anzac Day Dawn Service.

The gates will open about 3:00am and from there, you will be taken to the Hellfire Pass Interpretative Centre. Walk (about 20 minutes) down the stairway to the old railway bed and then onto Hellfire Pass and the Hellfire Pass Memorial where you will join others for the Anzac Day Dawn Service starting at 5:30am. (Note: "Golf" type buggies will be available to get to the Memorial site and back to the Interpretive Centre afterwards, for anyone with mobility issues. Just let your guide know.)

After the Dawn Service, in the light of day, take the opportunity to examine Hellfire Pass and the amazing view of the River Kwai valley. Return to the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre area either by walking up the stairway or using one of the available 'golf' type buggies (you may have to queue for an available seat). Join other travelers at the Gunfire Breakfast.

Visit the museum at the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre before departing about 8:30am for Kanchanaburi and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. This is the largest cemetery on the Burma-Thailand Railway and where nearly 7,000 POWs rest. Gather for a group photo before walking around these beautifully landscaped grounds and begin to understand why the railway became known as the “Death Railway”.

Visit the adjacent Thailand-Burma Railway Centre (TBRC). This world renown museum features dioramas, artefacts (retrieved from various camps and work sites along the railway) and personal stories of POW’s, all combining to give you a great appreciation of the railway story.

To end the day, enjoy a relaxing Thai food lunch at the Sai Yok Restaurant which overlooks the Bridge over the River Kwai, before arriving at your overnight accommodation early afternoon.

The rest of your day is free as you wish. Relax at the hotel after the early start or walk to the nearby bar area and join other Anzac Day travelers.

Meals included: Gunfire Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel included: Natee, The Riverfront Hotel, Kanchanaburi - Jacuzzi Riverfront Room (or similar)

Monday, 26th April 2027

Depart hotel: 9:00am
Arrive Mercure/Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel, Bangkok: 3:30pm approx.

(Please note: The Mercure/Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel is the only arrival / drop-off point in Bangkok)

Take advantage of the cooler part of the day and visit the Bridge over the River Kwai making the return pilgrimage across the river.

Travel, about 15 minutes, to the other side of the River Kwai to the Chungkai War Cemetery, the smaller of the two war cemeteries in the Kanchanaburi area. This was the site of the Chungkai POW railway construction camp, a transit camp as the POWs moved up and down the railway and later, a hospital camp. As a mark of respect to those buried here take a moment of quiet reflection, then see the remnants of the death trenches that fortunately, were never used and the site of the original cemetery.

Return to Kanchanaburi and visit the JEATH Museum, a pictorial display of the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway before boarding a long tail boat for a ride on the River Kwai. You will gain a unique perspective of the Bridge over the River Kwai from the river itself. On a hot day, the boat ride is not only a lot of fun but is also cooling as you speed along the river. (Note: If you do not want to ride on the long-tail boat, please remain on the bus at the JEATH Museum. You will be taken to the Goodway Floating Restaurant where you will rejoin the others.)

Enjoy a Thai food lunch at the Goodway Floating Restaurant with views of the Bridge over the River Kwai.

After lunch, depart for Bangkok and the Mercure/Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel, your Bangkok drop-off point.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
Hotel included: Own arrangement