To Myanmar Overland
Some of our customers are very interested and eager to travel Myanmar by land. It is not an impossible operation. Quite a few rules and regulations are changing since a few years back. Hence below are the possible options for foreigners to visit Myanmar over land.
From India
The easiset way to reach Myanmar from India is to use the Moreh(Moray)-Tamu border. The furthest you can travel is till Tamu. Locals can freely travel between the countires on day time. Foreigners will need to check with a Myanmar embassy to obtain a speciall permission to pass the checkpoints.
From China
From China to Myanmar we have Ruili – Muse border crossing. Foreigner must be accompanied by a guide to use this crossing. They will also need to apply a special permit to go to Muse since it is a restricted area. Foreigners can arrange a special tour package offered by various travel agents to cross the land border at Ruili (China Yunnan Province) and Muse (Myanmar Shan State). The permission to cross from Myanmar to China can be difficult to obtain. It is quite easy and simple to get from China to Myanmar permission although you will need to apply visa at least one month in advance of your travel date. For more details about requirments and during of permit application, please click here.
From Thailand
There are daily direct flights and frequent buses from Bangkok and Chiang Mai to Mae Sot. Then at Mae Sot, Travellers can find a songthaew (shared pickup) to Friendship Bridge. You can enjoy some spectacular mountain scenery along the way but it is not really convenient for travellers since they will have limited options after corssing the border. Much of the Myanmar region outside of the main towns is still off limits. Myawaddy has a dull but large market. It has roads to Hpa-An andMawlamyine (where the famous Golden Rock is located). The Mae Sot – Myawaddy border crossing can become the main overland crossing of choice for foreigners and currently it is suitable for people visiting KhlongLan National Park in Thailand.
This route is popular for people visiting Thailand and interested in visiting Golden Triangle area on the Myanmar side of the border. Travellers can easily stay for short terms (up to 15 days) at Tachileik – Keng Tung region. (T: to confirm, some said they need pass, some said don’t need pass… idont know) Tachileik economy is based on cross-border trading and tourism and main currency is Thai baht. Tachilekhas flights to Mandalay and Heho. Tachilek to Keng Tung is about 3 hours drive. Tourists will love the awesome trekking potential and the surrounding hill tribe villages. A proper permission is required to travel further than Keng Tung.
This border is between Phunaron (Phu Nam Ron) and HteeKee. Kanchanaburi is the nearest town to Phunaron and the transportation fares between them only costs like 70 Baht. Travellers are only allowed to cross the land between the borders with a vehicle. From Myanmar side of border HteeKee to nearest town Dawei takes 4 to 5 hours drive. The cars and minibuses usually cost around Kyats 30,000 per pax. This route is most convenient for people who travel to Myanmar directly from Bangkok (Kanchanaburi) province and are interested in seeing Dawei, Myeik, Mergui Archipelago and nearby virgin beaches.
This is the most convenient path for people travelling from Phuket, Krabi and SuratThani areas to Myanmar. This is also the only border crossing between Myanmar and Thailand with no road connection. The corssing is done by boat which can be hired by any side of the border. The regular longtail boats cost around 100 Bhat and takes about 20 minutes to cross the border. Kawthaung is a popular based town to explore Mergui Archipelago, Macleod Island and Andaman Resort. Those interested can try their luck at the Andaman Club Casino. This crossing between Ranong and Kawthaung gives options for further travel into Myanmar mainland using curises or public boats. Travellers can reach Yangon either by air or by car.
Note It is strongly advised to have a valid passport and Myanmar Visa in hand before using any of the above crossings. The permission to travel (visa) is also subjected to change depends on both Myanmar and Thailand authorities. Also be extra careful if you are planning to use any of the above routes to Myanmar during Rainy season. Most of the roads cannot be used due to flood.
