BruceBayliss

I glad to hear you had a good trip, I have always found them to be good too, although I am always traveling straight through to Myanmar and have done the trip many times.

info for public transport are highlighted below

http://www.southernmyanmar.com/transportation/phu-nam-ron-border-crossing-blog/

for those heading through to the beaches in Myanmar good news is the mini van into Dawei is getting more reasonable about 20,000 kyat Circa USD $20. but keep bartering hard.

http://www.irrawaddy.org/all/burma/magazine-lifestyle/gateway-getaway.html

Interesting article on the reach of Thai Tourist Development into Tanintharyi, Some of the Best Beaches on the Thai peninsula are accessable just 200 km from Kanchanaburi through the Phu Nam Ron border pass. Kanchanaburi could get a big boost in tourist in the years to come as this becomes more famous.

Basically the Beaches there are completely empty, like Phuket 30 years ago. The Mid Miscos islands are amazing!

Hi naugastyle

The trip from Phu Nam Ron to Dawei takes 4:30 hours through some amazing jungle and mountain rivers. for more info on the drive you can read the link on the very first posting of this thread.

unfortunately the border pass only lets you stay in the dawei district, you cannot venture to Myeik in the south or Mawlamyine in the north - if you wish to do this you would need a proper tourist visa available at myanmar embassy in bangkok.

safe travels

Hi Mike, yes its certainly possible, a 4 lane dirt road leads into Dawei on the myanmar coast. there are minivans on the myanmar side which run throughout the day. the beach in the attached photo is only 150km from the boarder, empty and beautiful. the south of myanmar is like thailand was 30 years ago. its an awesome place.

I did the trip last month, really good trip. for info on times the bus leaves Kanchanaburi to Phu Nam Ron and how to get by on the myanmar side checkout the following

www.southernmyanmar.com/.../phu-nam-ron-border-crossing-blog/

enjoy your travels

it is very possible to come over the DAWei bangkok Road plus heaps to see in the south of Myanmar. some of Dawei's beaches are truely undiscovered beauties checkout the following for info www.southernmyanmar.com

Awesome road trip,

The jungle on the Myanmar side is massive the road follows the upper reaches of the tanintharyi river for large stretches and you see the occasional elephant. lines at customs are stil modest. As eveyone's been saying the beaches around Dawei are worth a visit.

i have done it a couple of times; the following is my blog also has info on what to do in Dawei and Maung ma kan

<link to commercial site removed - contact the member by PM if you want the link>

As of late August 2013 it is now all open, good trip amazing jungle!

First you need your Myanmar visa

go to Kanchanaburi bus station and catch to bus to Phu Nam Ron - Thee Khee border cost 70 bhat.

then jump on one of the minivans into Dawei, its an amazing town and very unexplored.

for further info on how to get over the border please see link <commercial link removed>

Trip report from Phu Nam Ron, closest border to Bangkok for Visa extensions being only 200km via Kanchanaburi.

I left Bangkok in the morning taking the shuttle from Victory Monument which leaves throughout the day at 20-40 minute intervals. The minibus cost $110 Bhat, but equally I could have bused or took the train. The mini van dropped me at the Kanchanaburi bus station.

From there we then caught the 11:30am (also 10:30 & 12:30) bus from Kanchanaburi to Phu Nam Ron, note this is the blue bus which costs 70 Bhat, not the red one which goes to a similar named town. The bus arrived a little after 1pm. For those driving you need to take the AH 123 / 3512 which is a new road all the way. In Phu Nam Ron there is a cosy café right next to the immigration office which does good coffee and lunches.

The Thai immigration is small but well setup and to stamp and process, being a new border gate the crowds are still minimal. You travel into Myanmar at which point the Visa runner’s return to Thailand. While we got our Myanmar Visa’s stamped by Myanmar immigration and continued through to Dawei and Maung Ma Kan Beach approximately 150km on the Myanmar side of the border. Amazing place much more like Thailand’s beaches 20 odd years ago.

The full blog and info on the Myanmar side can be found on my blog http://www.southernmyanmar.com/transportation/phu-nam-ron-border-crossing-blog/

this crossing is the closest point to Bangkok where you can get an extension, it its only 200km by car. or you can bus to kanchanaburi and then catch the morning bus to Phu Nam Ron 67km cost 70 bhat.

i have done it twice now and one time went all the way into myanmar (interesting place). full travel blog with prices aand times on the link below.

http://www.southernmyanmar.com/transportation/phu-nam-ron-border-crossing-blog/

hope its useful