About Kanchanaburi War Cemetery

Kanchanaburi War Cemetery is the main prisoner of war cemetery located at Saeng Chuto Main Road. It was a war base camp of Japanese imprisonment during the Second World War. Designed by Colin St Clair Oakes, it is a resting place for around 7,000 people and graves of 5,086 Commonwealth members and 1,896 Dutch members. The cemetery is built on the same ground, which was once a ground of the main intake camp of prisoners who worked on the Thai-Burma Railway. The cemetery also has graves of allied prisoners who died while working on the Thai-Burma Railway project. It is believed that almost 50% of prisoners died working for railway track construction. The gravesite is appropriately maintained to bestow respect to them.

It was created by the Army Graves Service and is now maintained by Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The area includes the graves of Australian, British, and Dutch. Each grave has a bronze plaque that includes age, name, and regiment of the soldier. When you walk ahead at the end of the cemetery, there are two graves dedicated to people cremated at Nieke Camp. This includes ashes of 300 prisoners who died in 1943 while stopping the Cholera outbreak spread. Once you are here, you can also make a visit to Kanchanaburi Memorial that stands at the entrance of the building of the cemetery. This enlists the 11 names of men from the Indian army who got buried in Muslim cemeteries, but their graves were not maintained. By visiting the site, you are sure to feel the sadness in the air and you would realize the sentiments of locals attached to their loved ones who lost their lives.

Must See

  • Kanchanaburi Memorial
  • Graves of Australian, British and Dutch
  • Graves with bronze plaques
  • Graves with ashes of 300 prisoners
  • Muslim cemeteries

How to reach

By Air: One can fly to Don Mueang International Airport to visit Kanchanaburi War Cemetery in Kanchanaburi. Take a taxi or shuttle from here to reach the destination. The distance between the airport and the cemetery is 144.5 Kilometers, and it takes around 2 hours 6 minutes to reach the place. The taxi charge is about 3800 Baht to 1944 Baht, and the Shuttle charge is about 1188 Baht to 1648 Baht

By Bus: The nearest bus stop to the cemetery is the Kanchanaburi bus terminal. The distance between the bus stop and Kanchanaburi cemetery 2.9 Kilometers, and it takes around 3 minutes to reach the place by taxi. The charges are around 76 Baht to 93 Baht

By Taxi: One can pick a taxi from Kanchanaburi city to reach the destination. It takes 4 minutes to reach the site and costs around 88 Baht to 105 Baht

Tips

  • Show respect and be silent in the cemetery area
  • Do not throw trash in the premises
  • Keep an eye on kids to make sure they do not wander around alone
  • Wear comfortable clothes to tolerate heat
  • The area is wheelchair accessible hence one can take elders and disables along
  • Keep a water bottle to stay hydrated
  • The site does not charge any entry fee but accepts donations for functioning, hence consider donating any amount you feel like
  • Be polite to locals and co-visiters

Visit Time

Sunday:            8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Monday:            8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday:           8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday:      8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Thursday:          8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Friday:               8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Saturday:           8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Time Icon

Waiting Time

No

 

Entrance Fee Icon

Entrance Fee

No

 

Time you can spend Icon

Time you can spend

30 minutes to 1 hour

 

Weather Icon

Weather

Overcast Clouds 30.75°C

 

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