Mae Sot Border Crossing

[Gazza]

Can I cross from Mae Sot to Myawadi and back again? It's stated that a visa for Burma is needed but that sometimes they allow day trips. Are these 'day trips' like at Three Pagodas Pass whereby you can cross but don't actually get stamped? I've got a double entry imm and the first visa is due to finish.

Thanks in advance.

[sabaijai]

Very easy, I've done it myself. You can cross into Myawadi for the day, ie between official border opening hours, 8am-5pm. You get stamped out by Thai immigration on the Thai end of the bridge in Mae Sot. Then you walk across and pay a US$10 fee to Myanmar immigration on the Myawadi side of the bridge.

No Myanmar visa is needed. Just the day entry permit you get on payment of the fee.

When you've had enough of Myawadi, get stamped out on the Myanmar side, walk back to the Thai side and get stamped back into Thailand.

[cm boy]

Sounds pretty much the same as the Mae Sai/Tachileik crossing. This costs THB 250 for the day/shopping visa. How does Myawadi compare with Tachileik for shopping/sightseeing etc? Is it worth travelling the extra kms from Chiang Mai for the experience?

CM Boy

[Thetyim]

Tachileik is not worth the effort.

Been there four times, shopping is better on the Thai side.

Also you have to stay wide awake all the time.

The street vendors are up to all sorts of tricks.

[francois]

Tachileik is not worth the effort.

exept for dvd and cd's ...

nowhere cheaper (quality is ok)

I do agree that for the rest, it's a bit better on the Thai side and cleaner too

francois

[sabaijai]

cm boy

Myawadi is a lot smaller than Tachileik. There's less shopping and less sightseeing, too. But it feels a lot more like Myanmar - or a lot less Thai, you might say - than Tachileik.

One huge difference is that from Tachileik - if you want - you have onward travel options. You can:

1) Continue on to Kyaingtong (Kengtung in Thai Kheun language, Chiang Tung in Thai), about three to four hours north. Fascinating town with lots of temples, decent hotels and decent Shan, Thai Kheun, Burmese, Chinese, Indian and Thai food. For this trip you need to apply for a two-week regional travel permit, available on arrival at the Tachileik border crossing.

2) Fly to Heho or Mandalay from either Tachileik or Kyaingtong. This requires a regular 28-day Myanmar tourist visa in advance.

3) Spend as little as 15 minutes or the whole day there, for the 250B entry fee.

In Myawadi you can only stay for the day and onward travel into Myanmar is forbidden. This may change in a few years, there's talk of opening the road all the way to Mawlamyaing (Moulmein).

I'd say the choice comes down to which is more convenient for you, if all you care about is a quick turnaround for visa purposes.

[cm boy]

Thanks guys...good info. Sabaijai, Mae Sai is closer it's just that I want a change and see somewhere new, I realise that Myawadi isn't going to set my world on fire but not too much does these days....ahhhh!

I agree about the DVD's' and CD's etc from Tachileik, I'm putting together a good collection of music DVD's, pop and opera and at 150 Baht each with top quality it is well worth the occassional trip.

BTW I was a liitle concerned after reading a post from Doitao:

"I went 30 days ago to Mae Sot and where told to leave the country either to the north or to the south to make a new tourist visa, They told me they will not issue any 30 days stamps to me anymore"

This happend early November, anyone know if the situation has changed?

Again many thanks for the assist.

CM Boy