Three Pagoda Pass

[Nordlys]

Has anyone ever been to Three Pagoda Pass at Thai/Burmese border?

I'm thinking of a road trip there and hoping some of you might be able to share some info/thoughts to my plan before deciding to actually hit the road. So here are my questions.

1. Is it safe to go there?

2. Is there a border check-point there? And if so, do I need a visa just to take a few steps beyond the border?

3. I see on a map that Route 323 leads all the way to Three Pagoda Pass. Is this a paved road all the way to the border?

4. How many hours drive from Hëll Fire Pass in Saiyoke? And at what Km marker is Hëll Fire Pass at?

5. Any accomodations around Three Pagoda Pass?

Any other thought/inputs would be appreciated

Edited May 24, 2005 by Nordlys

[Khutan]

Has anyone ever been to Three Pagoda Pass at Thai/Burmese border? 

I'm thinking of a road trip to this place and looking for some informations before deciding to go there. 

1. Is it safe to go there? 

2. Is there a border check-point there?  And if so, do I need a visa just to take a few steps beyond the border? 

3. I see on a map that Route 323 leads all the way to Three Pagoda Pass.  Is this a paved road all the way to the border? 

4. How many hours drive from Hëll Fire Pass in Saiyoke?  And at what Km marker is Hëll Fire Pass at? 

5. Any accomodations around Three Pagoda Pass? 

Any other thought/inputs would be appreciated 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sure have, many times.

1. Yes

2. Yes - sort of, you need to ask when you get there, sometimes its the 300 baht deal, othertimes its the stamp etc.

3. Yes, but be careful, the last 23km re a bit slow due to the curves.

4. Forget, maybe 2 1/2

5. There is, ans some nice places that have been featured in travel magazines.

Lots of furniture that is of high quality and cheap.

I look at it as a "poor Man's Chaing Mai", I really like going there. Mind you the 3 pagoda's are only about 2m tall. And the road signs change from 3 pagoda pass to Sam-chedi-ong which is 3 pagoda.

Enjoy yourself. Its a nice place. The last time I went there I ws stopped by the police and asked to take 4 ladies about 120 km down the road in the back of the truck. Its that sort of place

[Nordlys]

Thanks mattnich, that was a quick response

What is it about the three pagoda pass that brought you there so many times? Is it that scenic?

Also, can you still see remains of railway tracks there?

[Ajarn]

5. There is, ans some nice places that have been featured in travel magazines.

Got a name of one? I couldn't find anything even close to Three Pagodas Pass on a google search. None of the tourist guides I read online make any mention of lodging around there, either. The closest I saw was nearer to Kanchanaburi town...

Edited May 25, 2005 by Ajarn

[donna]

Try looking at Sangkhlaburi. That is where the accommodation is in that area.

P Guesthouse is OK. There is also another place just down to the left of that but I forget the name of it.

[taxexile]

i went there about three years ago and it was a great disappointment.

it was the name that attracted me , its such a romantic and evocative sounding name , like mandalay , luang prabang and angkor wat , they are names that just draw me to them and i have to go.

but 3pp was just a roundabout with three dwarf concrete things on , and after a long drive along a difficult road it was a bit of a letdown. there is a border post but i wasnt allowed to cross , some good scenery along the way , but dont take your eyes off the road if you are driving or biking it.

sangklaburi had a bit of a frontier town feel to it , but there is nothing much there.

the road south down from mae hong son along the burmese border was much more worthwhile.

if you are one who like ticking off places on a map then go for it , but for me it was a let down.

[Kan Win]

sangklaburi had a bit of a frontier town feel to it , but there is nothing much there.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sangklaburi, but there is nothing much there

Sit back and enjoy these then

H*ll Fire Pass

Going up to there is :- Kroengkrawia Waterfall

Etc, Etc, Etc,

My Webpage

Yours truly,

Kan Win

Edited May 25, 2005 by Kan Win

[taxexile]

sangklaburi had a bit of a frontier town feel to it , but there is nothing much there.

................ apart from a lake and an old (long) wooden bridge

[samran]

True that 3PP is a bit of a let down, but Sanklaburi is a nice place to go and chill out for a couple of days. Nice to drive about and explore the hills. The air is a bit cooler and it is generally a more relaxing place.

Have been to the border myself. With a Thai ID you can pop over to the burmese town. I think its 50baht or something that they want for Thai's.

If you are a foreigner they charge you US$10. Not much on the other side but worth a look over to get a small feel for Burma. There is also a biggish Wat worth seeing apparently, but I didn't go.

Right from the bumese side of the border stretching for about 100m into the burmese jungle is a small stretch of track. You can get a picture of yourself by the track next to a sign saying 'Welcome to Mynamar'.

[Khutan]

Thanks mattnich, that was a quick response   

What is it about the three pagoda pass that brought you there so many times?  Is it that scenic? 

Also, can you still see remains of railway tracks there?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Scenary and the cheap but high quality furniture is what keeps me going back. I am trying to furnish my guesthouse and the furniture there is great, and cheaper than Cambodia - after you add tax and including Transport. So I buy the furniture and ship it nearly 600km and its better and cheaper.

Yes you can see the tracks (or the remains), just near the roundabout.

As Kanwin has shared his images (thanks) it is a very scenic place. Of course people will enjoy many other places, but for me its easy and a nice day either from Suphan or Bangkok.

[Nordlys]

Thanks all for all the inputs.

I'm a bit surprised quite a few of you have been there.

it was the name that attracted me , its such a romantic and evocative sounding name , like mandalay , luang prabang and angkor wat , they are names that just draw me to them and i have to go.

Same here

The name, and the fact it's as far away as I can get to see what remains of the death railway without going into the Burma attracted me.

Have been to the border myself. With a Thai ID you can pop over to the burmese town. I think its 50baht or something that they want for Thai's.

So Thai ID + B50 is all I need to cross the border? (I haven't got a Thai PP issued yet). And how far beyond the border can you go?

Right from the bumese side of the border stretching for about 100m into the burmese jungle is a small stretch of track. You can get a picture of yourself by the track next to a sign saying 'Welcome to Mynamar'.

Good, that's what I was hoping to do

So I buy the furniture and ship it nearly 600km and its better and cheaper.

Order-made furniture? Do they make any order-made furniture out of teak around there?

[samran]

So Thai ID + B50 is all I need to cross the border?  (I haven't got a Thai PP issued yet).  And how far beyond the border can you go? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

something like that. You can only go as far as the town, about 1km from the border. Pretty disappointing market town to be honest, but has a different vibe to Thailand which is why you go there I guess.

I went to the Thai immigration 'hut' and asked about walking over. The nice guy there walked me over to his burmese colleague and they let me through. He seemed very concerned about my well being!

Seemed that the traffic which did cross was mainly local, known to the border guards, and who did not even need to stop. For outsiders (including Thai's) its best to check what the story is with the immigration people.

Its not an official 'open' international border crossing per se, but the do let foreigners cross for the day, as its pretty well impossible to go further than the town anyway (for anyone apart from Burmese). No stamping of the passports as far as I could tell....bit like crossing from San Diego to Tijuanan in mexico for the afternoon!