From/ To: BANGKOK
Duration: 2 Days / 1 Nights
Departs: 24th April 2026 - 7:30am
Departure: Guaranteed
Tour type: ‘Join-in’/ Small Group

Overview:

Attend the solemn Anzac Day Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass followed by the Gunfire Breakfast. Visit the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery, 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). Relax on the River Kwai in a ‘raft’ room and enjoy some of the water activities on offer.

Why Anzac Day at Hellfire Pass?

In February 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese and over 85,000 allied military personnel became POWs. Within months, the Japanese started sending the POWs to Burma and Thailand to be used as slave labour in the construction of the Burma-Thailand Railway. Of the 61,000 allied and Dutch POWs to work on the railway, about 12,000 died including about 2,700 Australians. 

Hellfire Pass, the largest cutting on the railway, was a site of immense physical and psychological torment. POWs, underfed, sick, and often brutalized by their captors, were forced to carve through solid rock using basic tools, often working by hand. Yet, amidst the suffering, Hellfire Pass stands as a powerful symbol of human endurance, resilience, and the will to survive under unimaginable circumstances.

Join the deeply moving Anzac Day Dawn Service at Hellfire Pass. Learn the story of the Burma-Thailand Railway and delight in the Thai cuisine, culture and magnificent scenery on this 2-day tour.

Highlights:

• Anzac Day Dawn Service & Gunfire Breakfast at Hellfire Pass

• Thailand-Burma Railway Centre (museum)

• Wang Pho Viaduct & Krasae Cave

• Sai Yok Noi Waterfall

• Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

• Bridge over the River Kwai

• Overnight in a ‘raft’ room on the River Kwai

f 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

Day 1:

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

• Wang Pho Viaduct & Krasae Cave - Moderate

• Sai Yok Noi Waterfalls - Moderate

Day 2:

• Anzac Day Dawn Service – Moderate-High

• Kanchanaburi War Cemetery – Low

• Bridge over the River Kwai –Moderate

• Floating Restaurant - Low-Moderate

There is no compulsory tipping on the tour and any tip is discretionary by you. Your guide and driver are paid a good salary for the hard work they do but if you do choose to give a tip, this supplementary amount is always appreciated. If you believe you were treated well and received excellent service during your tour by the guide and driver, then feel free to tip an amount that you are comfortable with. If you distribute a tip between the guide and driver, please present it to them separately to avoid confusion.

• Registration with the Australian Department of Veteran Affairs, for the Anzac Day Dawn Service, is NOT required.

• 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.

Day 1: Friday, 24th April 2026

Depart Mercure Bangkok Siam Hotel / Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel (same location), Bangkok: 7:30am

Finish: 3:00pm approx.

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 3 hours after leaving Bangkok with a brief ‘comfort’ stop enroute.

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

Leave Kanchanaburi and travel north to meet the still working section of the Burma-Thailand Railway, at Wang Pho. Have lunch and then a few minutes away, visit Tham Krasae, the site of the Wang Pho Viaduct. Here the POWs built a series of railway bridges with towering cliffs on one side and a steep drop to the River Kwai on the other. Walk along the viaduct for a closer look and take photos of this naturally beautiful area. Visit Krasae Cave and explore the local market before continuing with your tour.

Stop at the Sai Yok Noi Waterfalls in Namtok. This is also the end of the current working section of the railway and above the falls, the Tonchan South POW Camp was located. Nothing remains of the this camp today which was ravaged by cholera during the railway’s construction. Examine an original Japanese steam engine on display before taking the short walk along a section of the original track bed, to the waterfalls.

When ready, proceed to your overnight stay about 5 minutes away to arrive about 3:00pm. 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*, kayaking*, elephant bathing*, swimming in the resort’s pool or just relaxing in preparation for the early start the next day.

Tonight, enjoy Thai food at its best at the resort’s restaurant.

* charges apply

Meals included: Lunch, Dinner

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

Saturday, 25th April 2026

Depart hotel: 2:15am

Arrive Mercure Bangkok Siam Hotel / Ibis Bangkok Siam Hotel (same location), Bangkok: 4:00pm 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 at the Hellfire Pass Memorial. Afterwards, in the light of day, examine Hellfire Pass and take in the amazing views of the River Kwai valley below, from the old track bed.

Mingle with other travelers at the Gunfire Breakfast before exploring the exhibits at the Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre.

Depart Hellfire Pass about 9:00am for Kanchanaburi and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. This is the largest cemetery on the Burma-Thailand Railway and where nearly 7,000 POWs rest. Take part in a private wreath laying service at the cemetery’s Cross of Sacrifice. Then walk around the beautifully landscaped grounds and begin to understand why the railway became known as the “Death Railway”.

Visit the Bridge over the River Kwai and make the return walk across this famous icon. Enjoy a relaxing lunch at the Floating Restaurant with views of the bridge.

After lunch, return to Bangkok with a ‘comfort’ stop along the way.

Meals included: Gunfire Breakfast, Lunch

Hotel: Own arrangement