Chungkai War Cemetery
📍 Kanchanaburi, Mueang Kanchanaburi
The quieter, lovelier of Kanchanaburi's two war cemeteries — built by the prisoners themselves on the west bank of the Kwai Noi, on the site of a POW base camp and hospital, and almost always blissfully empty.
Across the river from the busy town, on the site of a former prisoner-of-war base camp, lies Chungkai (Chong Kai) War Cemetery — the resting place of 1,426 British and 313 Dutch prisoners who died building the railway, many of them in the camp’s own hospital.
Why It’s Interesting
This is the cemetery the prisoners began themselves, and it has a gentler, more intimate feel than the great lawns of Don Rak in town. Set among trees on the west bank of the Kwai Noi, immaculately kept and rarely crowded, it’s a place where you can stand alone among the plaques and feel the weight of the place without a tour bus in sight.
Getting There
It’s about 5 km south-west of the centre, reached by crossing the river and following the west bank — easily folded into a loop that also takes in the Wat Tham Khao Pun cave temple just up the road.
Where it is
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Kanchanaburi War Cemetery (Don Rak)
Wat Tham Khao Pun
JEATH War Museum
Wat Tham Mangkon Thong (Dragon Cave Temple)
Nearby discoveries
The Death Railway Train Ride (Nam Tok Line)
Stand-Up Paddleboarding on the River Kwai
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Thailand–Burma Railway Centre
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