River Kwai Day Tour from Bangkok – History, Scenery & Culture
Description
The trip includes a visit to the infamous bridge on the River Kwai, built by Allied prisoners of war (POW) during World War II. It includes a visit to a war cemetery containing the graves of an estimated 9,000 Allied soldiers who died while building the bridge and constructing the notorious -Death Railway-. At the JEATH Museum, guests will see a replica of a Japanese POW camp, followed by a train journey along a stunning stretch of the -Death Railway-. A buffet lunch is served upon arrival at Wang Po station, close to the Burmese border. - JEATH Museum - Visit Japanese POW camp - Exciting train journey at Death Railway - Buffet lunch at Wang Po station - Round Trip Transfer
Tour Options
Itinerary
Itinerary: - Pick up from various hotels in Bangkok. - Depart Bangkok for Kanchanaburi by minibus.Arrival at Kanchanaburi and visit the War Cemetery of the allied prisoners of World War II.
- Jeath Museum (the museum of World War II)
Walk along the bridge over the river kwai
- Arrival at Wang-Po railway station. Lunch will be provided. Depart from the restaurant to Bangkok. - Arrive in Bangkok and transfer to your hotels. Child Policy: - Child over than 120 cms we will charge as adult rate
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
For Private Tour:- Free of charge Door to Door Pick up for CITY CENTER BANGKOK DISTRICT AREA (3 KM radius area) with namely Sukhumvit Soi (Lane) -1 to 33, Sukhumvit area Soi 1 to 33 (odd) and Soi 2 to 24 (even), Pratunam, Silom, Langsuan, Wireless Road, Sathorn, Surawongse, Siam, MBK, Yawarat (China Town), Khao San Road (Excluded City Tour) can pick up only in our meeting Royal Rattanakosin Hotel You can also join our tours at BANGKOK MEETING POINTS - Our office, Sun Leisure World Corporation, 23rd Floor, Athenee Tower 63 Witthayu Rd, Lumphini, Pathum Wan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand An additional surcharge for hotel pickup outside 3 miles (5 km) radius from the city center is applicable and payable on the day of your activity.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We are SHA Plus certified. A certificate awarded to an organisation proving that they have approved Covid-19 health and preventative protocols in place and that 70% or more of all employees have been fully vaccinated.
- Please wait at Hotel Lobby 15 minutes before the time specified on this voucher to start.
- Any late from your side may be re-allocated to a later time if available, Otherwise this will be auto canceled with charge 100%.
- Driver can be late up to 15- 45 Minutes due to Traffic or any unwanted clauses.
- Please note the activity time can be affected by several factors including weather, equipment maintenance or safety protocols.
- Delicious Thai-style lunch at a local restaurant
- Please note height for child is below 110 cm, if over 110 cm please use price for adult
Reviews(208)
I was charged for a tour that never took place. I booked the tour the morning of the day before the trip. That evening it was cancelled for no unknown reason. My credit card was charge and not refunded. I filed a claim to dispute the charge wiht me credit card company to reimburse my $180+ for two people. This tour group has not responded to my messages. They accepted the booking and less than 12 hours later cancelled it and then charged my credit card and will not reimburse me - or at least have the politeness to reimburse me.
The tour guide collected ‘the train upgrade fee’ , 300 THB each from myself and my friend during the trip, he claimed if you don’t pay the upgrade fee, you won’t get a seat , you need to stand during the 1.5 hour train ride. This is a rip off. The tour guide OOM also said the first half of the train ride, you sit on one side of the train , halfway he will ask everyone to switch the side, so you get to see the ‘mountain side’ of the view , you will also get to see the ‘riverside’ of the view . It did not happen, he offered something he failed to deliver.
We made the death train as a family. It’s a nice experience but surely a little overrated. At the beginning the view is not very pretty, only on the end you pass over the bridge with a nice landscape. When we arrive at our terminal we walk back on the tracks, with our teenagers no worries, but with young children it can be complicated and dangerous. However, the panorama is pretty.
Well organised. Delivers what it advertises. Guide Rach was informative & spoke good English. Options available on the day to upgrade train seat(apparently only hard benches in Economy class & not guaranteed one of those either). Also option to add boat on day to see bridge from river. Lunch buffet style with plenty of options.
Great tour that takes you back in time to see the Bridge over the river Kuai and ride the actual train that the POW'S and other citizens rode in. The stop at the cemetery was very moving.
After reluctantly agreeing to collect us from our hotel our "guide"arrived 20 minutes late in a clapped out bomb of a car with no seat belts and apparently only one gear. After a slow but hair raising half hour drive we pulled in to a petrol station where our van and driver were waiting. I opened the door to get in and alarmed the driver who was asleep in the front seat. He glared at me and uttered not a single word for the rest of the day. Our guide, Oom, told us that the other couple who had booked to come had cancelled so it would be just us. The van was tired, rattly and the air con didn't work. Oom spent the next 1/2 hour holding up his ipad showing us movie trailers from The Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Railwayman, ignoring the fact we'd seen both movies. The coffee stop was good. The visit to the immaculately kept WWII Memorial Cemetery in Kanchanaburi was very moving but too rushed and he was not very informative. Next stop was the JEATH Museum (which we thought was the main museum. Only afterwards did we realise that the main museum is by the cemetery and he didn't take us there or even mention it! ) It was very run down and hugely disappointing. We were rushed through a replica POW bamboo hut which had faded, dirty pictures scruffily hung around and then bundled into a longboat for the ride up the river to the bridge. We enjoyed the boat ride. We walked over the bridge and then caught the train, crossing the bridge and travelling for 1/2 hour up into the hills through beautiful scenery. Sobering thinking of the thousands of lives that were lost along the way. Our lunch stop was good with a great view. We were disappointed not to see Hellfire Pass but you need 2 days to do that. Oom slept the whole 2 hours back to Bangkok and the driver was silent. We pulled up and Oom said "I get out here, the driver will take you back." And that was that. The driver silently and I felt begrudgingly dropped us off at the hotel and we were left thinking we'd been had.
Great experience and knowledge guide (Thank you Oom). The train experience was fantastic and lunch had options for each of us.
Really great trip. Knowledgeable and interesting guide. Good value. Full day. Historically interesting. awesome being on the bridge over the river Kwai
Great trip, covers WWII history in Kanchanaburi. Rach, the tour guide, was charming and had extensive knowledge. He was very concerned with the guests and the quality of the tour. The driver did a great job.
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for sharing your experience! 🙏 We’re delighted to hear you enjoyed the trip and the rich WWII history in Kanchanaburi — it’s a truly meaningful and educational destination. We're especially pleased that Rach, your guide, made a strong impression with his charm, deep knowledge, and care for each guest. 💬🌿 We’ll also pass along your kind words to our driver for the great job behind the wheel! We hope to welcome you back again soon for more memorable journeys with us. Warm regards, Team Sun Leisure World
Our tour started with an on time pick up. Van drove our tour of 6 people comfortably to cemetary. Guide Rach was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He looked up some graves that we wanted to see and took us directly. What was especially nice is that he took many photos and shared. The tour exceeded our expectations as tribute to men who worked on railway. If you are interested in history, and respect the efforts and honor those, this trip is well worth. Our grandfathsr was a POW in Dutch KNIL who worked on the railroad. It was uncredible for son and I to see the actual locations of the many harrowing stories he shared with us. A bucket list tour for us in respect to my grandfather and his experiences as POW here
