Kanchanaburi and its death rail

The province still remembers its tragic history during the Japanese occupation and the construction of the famous Bridge over the River Kwai. To understand its history, we need to go back to 1941, when the Japanese army invaded Thailand with the aim of taking over Malaysia. A year later, the Japanese army built a railway linking Thailand to Burma. Around 30,000 Western prisoners and 100,000 Asian labourers built the 415 km of track.

The conditions of forced labour and malaria caused thousands of deaths. In order to meet the deadlines, some Japanese soldiers also got involved. During this period, the bridge was bombed by the Allies, and a monument and two museums have been built to commemorate this tragic story.

The Thailand-Burma Railway Museum (inaugurated in March 2003) and the Jeath War Museum tell the story of the bridge.

The Death Railway and an Allied cemetery from the Second World War also bear witness to this historic period.

Today, the Bridge over the River Kwai is not an extraordinary structure, but its dramatic history makes it a war memorial. The best way to see the bridge is to walk carefully on the tracks, or to take the train right over it: the Kanchanaburi-Nam Tok service crosses it three times a day in each direction, stopping briefly at the River Kwai Bridge station.

At the outbreak of the Second World War in December 1941, Japan, fearing an Allied blockade of the Bay of Bengal, began looking for an alternative supply route to link its territories stretching from Singapore to the Burma-India border. Despite the almost impenetrable terrain, the River Kwai basin was chosen as the route for a new Thailand-Burma railway, the aim being to join the existing terminals at Nong Pladuk in Thailand and Thanbuyazat in Burma - a total distance of 415 km.

Around sixty thousand Allied prisoners of war were sent from captured territories in South-East Asia to work on the railway. Work began at both ends in June 1942. By the time the line was completed, fifteen months later, it had more than earned its nickname, the railway of death, as around sixteen thousand prisoners of war and one hundred thousand Asian workers died working on it.

Leaving Kanchanaburi via the bridge over the River Kwai, the train crosses the Kwai Noi valley, stopping frequently at country stations lined with frangipani and jasmine. The first stop is Tha Kilen (1h 15min), where you can visit Prasat Muang Singh. North of Tham Krasae, the train stops at Wang Po station before continuing along a particularly charming stretch of the Kwai Noi, with its framed views of distant tree-lined peaks. Thirty minutes later, the train reaches Nam Tok, a thriving little town at the end of the line.

The parallel valleys of the Kwai Noi and Kwai Yai, to the north-west of Kanchanaburi, are full of walking opportunities, from the exceptionally beautiful Erawan Falls. There are Stone Age artefacts at the Ban Kao Museum, 12th century Khmer temple ruins at Prasat Muang Singh, several caves and Tham Than Lot National Park.

Many of these attractions are served by public transport, with the train an obvious option along the Kwai Noi Valley to its terminus at Nam Tok, with useful buses along both valleys. But train timetables are unreliable and bus connections can take a long time. For the time being, the car may be a practical option.

Considered by many to be the most beautiful waterfall in Thailand, Erawan Waterfall is the star attraction of Erawan National Park. The clear, icy waters gush through the forest, falling in a series of seven levels along a 2km route. At each level, the waterfalls feed a pool shaded by bamboo, rattan and liana, and the whole course follows a riverside path.

The distance between levels, and the climb to each, is clearly marked on signs in the park. The route to the sixth and seventh levels is steep and slippery, with dilapidated bridges and ladders: wear suitable footwear; the hike takes around 90 minutes from the bottom to the top. The best swimming pools are level two and level seven, which offer stunning views of the jungle.