Now you can drive from India to Thailand

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Now you can drive from India to Thailand

pic: Google Maps

Now you can pack your bag to head for those scenic tourist spots and take a 3000 km road journey to Thailand from India’s North East, through a four laned highway passing through Myanmar.

Sure you will need to take a visa from Myanmar.

The India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) trilateral highway, which entails linking India to Myanmar and then further to Southeast Asia is now operational.

Source: http://www.newsmobile.in/articles/2015/09/02/now-you-can-drive-from-india-to-thailand/

[MrBrilliant]

Probably a lot easier than the Oxford and Cambridge 'First Overland' crews had it......I recall from the book that stage took them more than 6 weeks on the old Stillwell (Ledo) road at a time when many parts of it had been recently used by the Japanese and Allies in WWII

[h90]

tourists can come with the bus....3-4 day is not that bad.

[KNJ]

Great news, shame it is not through Bangladesh also

[Kerryd]

The article notes it is a 4,500 km trip and takes 14 days !!!!!

Holy Dark Nebulas Starman ! We go to Chiang Mai and back every year (2,400 kms) and that takes a week, with short routes each way and a free day in Chiang Mai. (In Canada I've gone from Vancouver to Kingston, Ontario (just over 4,600 kms) in 4.5 days, but that is in Canada and basically going 100 km/hr (average) for 10 hours a day.)

It also notes you need a visa for Myanmar. Depending on your nationality you may need one for India as well (I did the couple times I went through there). Hmmm, what to pack and when would be the best time of year to go ?

(Is India's monsoon season the same as Thailand's ? I thought when I was in Afghanistan that I read something about them being during a different time of the year.)

[mortenaa]

Two different routes. The one in the source looks like its going up to Loey and through Laos, then back to Thailand, before crossing into Myanmar in the north... The one from Google Maps, crossing into Myanmar from Mae Sot seems like the most sensible choice..

[lee b]

Why would people want to unless they have time to waste, for me I would not have the time to do this so I would rather get there in a matter of hours by plane

[MrBrilliant]

Hmmm, what to pack and when would be the best time of year to go ?

It is an excellent point. Is the road properly tarmacked or just 'packed' dirt a la Cambodian 'highways' in the 90s?

Will sections of it wash away in monsoon rains or 'melt' in the hotter months? Will the road get ripped apart by ludicrously overloaded/knackered trucks pounding the route daily...?

I think I'll wait a few years before giving this a pop as fantastic a trip as it sounds.....

[h90]

The article notes it is a 4,500 km trip and takes 14 days !!!!!

Holy Dark Nebulas Starman ! We go to Chiang Mai and back every year (2,400 kms) and that takes a week, with short routes each way and a free day in Chiang Mai. (In Canada I've gone from Vancouver to Kingston, Ontario (just over 4,600 kms) in 4.5 days, but that is in Canada and basically going 100 km/hr (average) for 10 hours a day.)

It also notes you need a visa for Myanmar. Depending on your nationality you may need one for India as well (I did the couple times I went through there). Hmmm, what to pack and when would be the best time of year to go ?

(Is India's monsoon season the same as Thailand's ? I thought when I was in Afghanistan that I read something about them being during a different time of the year.)

14 days? Even on bad streets you can drive 50 km/h. Which is at least a 1000 km/day.

320 km per day is even for off road a bit low.

[mortenaa]

tourists can come with the bus....3-4 day is not that bad.

If you drive non-stop 24 hours a day... In reality I doubt that is possible.

[KNJ]

Drive?

Plane?

I am thinking bicycle - 2 months should be enough, plus a detour into Bangladesh for a week ( best kept cycling secret for those in the know)

Myanmar - Visa needed

Bangladesh- Visa needed

India - Visa needed

Now, what other countries between India and ol Blighty? Which route?

Edited September 3, 2015 by KNJ

[MrBrilliant]

Why would people want to unless they have time to waste, for me I would not have the time to do this so I would rather get there in a matter of hours by plane

For the experience Lee.

To travel what was long considered one of the last 'unassailable' overland routes of the last 100 years or so. There is a feel of 'do it now before it's too late' about this route though before it gets clogged with inter regional commercial traffic/tourist traffic or you'll find your way continually blocked by over loaded trucks on their sides or broken down abandoned tourist buses which weren't fit for the trip in the first place.

The last recorded passage of this route was the Oxford/Cambridge 'Far eastern expedition' trip in the 1950s which was immortalised in Tim Slessor's account of the trip in 'First Overland' and the subsequent, rarely seen BBC film of the trip.

[phuketrichard]

why would u travel into Thailand and than cross over to Laos only to return to Thailand

Unless of course u wanted to see parts of Laos

so knock off 800 or so kms

There have been posts before ( forget where but within the past 2 years) about people doing it from india but lots of advance planning,

2016

http://www.livemint.com/Politics/lXLGGeFzlUmlc3p5hIuKMP/Highway-linking-India-to-Myanmar-Thailand-likely-by-2016-V.html

Edited September 3, 2015 by phuketrichard

[andre47]

Is it possible to use a in Thailand registrated car for this trip?

[Pompey50]

Why would people want to unless they have time to waste, for me I would not have the time to do this so I would rather get there in a matter of hours by plane

For the experience Lee.

To travel what was long considered one of the last 'unassailable' overland routes of the last 100 years or so. There is a feel of 'do it now before it's too late' about this route though before it gets clogged with inter regional commercial traffic/tourist traffic or you'll find your way continually blocked by over loaded trucks on their sides or broken down abandoned tourist buses which weren't fit for the trip in the first place.

The last recorded passage of this route was the Oxford/Cambridge 'Far eastern expedition' trip in the 1950s which was immortalised in Tim Slessor's account of the trip in 'First Overland' and the subsequent, rarely seen BBC film of the trip.

Really interesting. Many thanks for posting this!

[MrBrilliant]

This documentary the trip about is even more interesting. You'll hardly recognise Bangkok or Singapore.

Since I first read the book years ago this trip has fascinated me.

It is a tragedy that politically we have screwed up our world so much that this trip in it's entirety from London to Singapore will probably never be made again. At least this, the 'holy grail' of overland routes if you will, is open.

[Pompey50]

Drive?

Plane?

I am thinking bicycle - 2 months should be enough, plus a detour into Bangladesh for a week ( best kept cycling secret for those in the know)

Myanmar - Visa needed

Bangladesh- Visa needed

India - Visa needed

Now, what other countries between India and ol Blighty? Which route?

Your options are a bit limited. To the north of course you have a small problem called the Himalayas. Or you could go Pakistan, Iran north to the Iranian/ Turkish boarder then it is pretty much plain sailing, through Turkey, Bulgaria etc.

A neighbour of mine, drove from the UK to Istanbul and back, as a heavy goods driver, up until he retired about 10 years ago. The trip used to take him there and back 2-3 weeks, depending on delays etc. It is something I would love to do, but I think the political situation in some of those country's could make the journey far more dangerous and problomatic in some ways than it would have been in the 1950's

[Pompey50]

This documentary the trip about is even more interesting. You'll hardly recognise Bangkok or Singapore.

Since I first read the book years ago this trip has fascinated me.

It is a tragedy that politically we have screwed up our world so much that this trip in it's entirety from London to Singapore will probably never be made again. At least this, the 'holy grail' of overland routes if you will, is open.

Brilliant! a fascinating view of the world from the 50's!

[ignis]

so can we expect a load of Tours Buses ??

If there coming from India wonder what the buses will be like ?

or maybe the all new ones

[craigt3365]

Pretty cool! I'd love to do this, but know the roads are super dangerous. I did a 25 day road trip with driver 10 years ago in India. The driver never was on the road after dark. In the morning, we'd see all these burned out hulks that was all that was left of trucks and buses. Incredible.

Great highway in Myanmar:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangon%E2%80%93Mandalay_Expressway

The highway, which does not meet international design, construction and safety standards has seen a spate of accidents since its opening, and has been therefore dubbed the "Death Highway" by exile-run news agencies

[craigt3365]

My hero! I'm too old to do anything like this now...but what a time these guys must have had. Impressive.

http://www.outsideonline.com/1912491/worlds-greatest-traveler-1988-mercedes-has-been-172-countries

[Deli]

Does Burma let you travel with a Thai car or motorbike freely in their country ? I doubt...

India basically no problem, just a lot of paperwork and some tea money.

[Doc46]

That is all good and well but we don't live in India,,,,Can one drive from Thailand to India ? What for ?

[MrBrilliant]

That is all good and well but we don't live in India,,,,Can one drive from Thailand to India ? What for ?

One would assume the road is open to two way traffic.

What for? because it's there....a road route that few people have travelled in the last hundred years.

[off road pat]

This documentary the trip about is even more interesting. You'll hardly recognise Bangkok or Singapore.

Since I first read the book years ago this trip has fascinated me.

It is a tragedy that politically we have screwed up our world so much that this trip in it's entirety from London to Singapore will probably never be made again. At least this, the 'holy grail' of overland routes if you will, is open.

I have at least 2 friends that did Europe to to Singapore years ago, One from Scotland another from Germany.

And I'm not even talking about people I met that did it.....there must be a few hundreds by now....!

I agree with your statement that we screwed up our world....!

Best regards

[off road pat]

The article notes it is a 4,500 km trip and takes 14 days !!!!!

Holy Dark Nebulas Starman ! We go to Chiang Mai and back every year (2,400 kms) and that takes a week, with short routes each way and a free day in Chiang Mai. (In Canada I've gone from Vancouver to Kingston, Ontario (just over 4,600 kms) in 4.5 days, but that is in Canada and basically going 100 km/hr (average) for 10 hours a day.)

It also notes you need a visa for Myanmar. Depending on your nationality you may need one for India as well (I did the couple times I went through there). Hmmm, what to pack and when would be the best time of year to go ?

(Is India's monsoon season the same as Thailand's ? I thought when I was in Afghanistan that I read something about them being during a different time of the year.)

14 days? Even on bad streets you can drive 50 km/h. Which is at least a 1000 km/day.

320 km per day is even for off road a bit low.

320 km a day, is a easy flat dirt track. I did off roads of 50,75 and 150 km in a day....there is no limit in distance in off road, it all depends of the state of the road and the state of the 4x4 vehicle...and that's without any mechanical problems....! or bad weather,....????

Best regards...

[Jim walker]

Our next door neighbour in Scotland who owned an Indian restaurant used to load up a new car and drive to India stay a few weeks then fly back and buy another car and do the same thing a few months later.

[off road pat]

I sincerely doubt that anybody can do it the other way around with a Thai registered car ?!?!?!?

I drove throe Burmese Shan state up to the Chinese border at Mong La, several times. and You can not do this anymore. the Burmese authority's won't let you in with a car anymore, unless you take a guide (Spy) and pay he's salary, food and hotel costs...

Best regards.

[h90]

tourists can come with the bus....3-4 day is not that bad.

If you drive non-stop 24 hours a day... In reality I doubt that is possible.

Why not possible, with 2 or even 3 driver? Means if the streets are good enough to drive at night.

[fgmr]

Has a fuller account of this journey been penned anywhere? For instance:-

What type of vehicle? Was it petrol or diesel. Octane levels can vary as can availability?

What travel documents were necessary, Visas, vehicle insurance etc.?

What time of year was the journey made?

How many stops, where?

Travel overnight or only during daylight hours?

Was camping equipment necessary?

If the vehicle was registered in India how long can it remain in Thailand before it has to return before Import Duty etc has to be undertaken in Thailand.

I am wondering if it would be worth bringing a Range Rover via this route?