Tachilek Border Crossing
Published by admin May 24th, 2007 in Myanmar/Burma, Thailand, Travel Tips, Border Crossing Tags: border cross, border info, myanmar, tachilek, thailand.
Myanmar carves up border with China, Thailand, India, Bangladesh and Lao, border-crossing are permitted with China and Thailand at present.
There are a couple of border check points between Myanmar and Thailand but Tachilek and Measia are the only active points. No more than a dreadfully squat bridge of three minutes walks situated between the two border towns. Past bridge crossing, travelers may proceed by few hours drive to Kyaing Tong, the hill tribes astonishing corner. The flight is also a possibility. The times are: about a hour to Inle Lake and two hours to Yangon or by direct flight which might be not available so you may take the transit one and it will take gory five hours to go.
Even though it’s a miniature border township, Tachilek is exceptionally urbanized due to the border trade traffic. There are few reasonably good hotels for comfort lovers so it is possible for worried ones to put your feet up safely and comfortably in Tachilek.
Average backpacker accommodations range from U$3 to U$10, and all include an eggs/bread/coffee breakfast.
Visas can be obtained at the border check point for $5. Don’t’ forget to bring exact five dollar banknote and make sure to take the new one therefore used and grubby banknote could be refused by border stuff.
More on Tachilek later on Myanmar Mike. Don’t forget to check the updated forum.
Share This12 Responses to “Tachilek Border Crossing”
- 1 Trackback on Nov 30th, 2007 at 8:27 am
- 2 Trackback on Feb 5th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Planning to head down to Tachilek in a couple of weeks, either via Kengtung or direct frm Heho. Do you need to obtain permission to exit first (eg from MTT) or can you just pitch up at the border and hop across to Thailand? Any further advice besides the above very welcome - cheers /simon
Hi Simon
IMHO you can pitch up, I knew people done this before … bit still I mean you know Burma, try to figure out the right way for the particular round by asking the locals involved in tourism business …
Cheers.
Mike
Hi, Mike,
This Border is always open for tourists?
regards,
thomas
Hi Myke, hi Simon and Thomas,
Im planning to enter Myanmar from Thai at Mae Sai/Tachilek border. I already got the 28-day visa: is if feasable around early August?
Thanx all
Riccardo
HI Thomas,
Yep, always as far as I know.
Hi Riccardo,
Yep, it should be feasable. Please, mate, write some Myanmar reports for all the people around, it should be assume!!! Please contact me to get username/password for main blog section or you might use forum, whatever you like, myanmarmike<>gmail,.com
Cheers.
Mike.
Hi Myke, I finally made my way back home from SE Asia.
As far as entering Burma via Tachilek, here’s what I experienced:
- you can obtained a 10US$ 2-week visa right at the border. Have 3 passport copies and 3 photo with you ready. I didnt have the 3 photo with me, so they allowed me to enter, go to the polaroid place at the end of the border street, turning right at the round square -open from 8am- take pics and go back to the border. I also had the 28-day visa from Myanamr embassy in Italy with me, but they didnt consider it. I think only if you enter via Yangoon you’ll need that.
- I took a bus to KengTung from the bust station (catch a taxi-scooter from the round square at the border to the station): its expensive, around 350 thai bath and it takes 5-6 hours. And its government managed… private taxis are 500 thai bath per person, but you can lower the price. I didnt take the taxi since they look like regular cars and I was concerned about safety and problems with the junta at checkpoints. All these things I realized the opposite after I spent few hours in Burma: awesome people, honest, sweet…acceptable taxis, no problems at all!
- keep in mind every time you travel by bus or taxi they keep your visa with them, so always bring id photocopies with you.
- travelling by air from KengTung to Mandalay is not possibile since you dont have your passport with you. Travelling by air from Mandalay to KengTung is possible, since you have your passport if entering via Yangoon. In this case Im not sure if you can exit at Tachilek. I met a couple that flew from Mandalay to KengTung round way on Air Mandalay with no problems. Check flight schedule well in advance since there are few fligts a week.
- I stayed at Harry’s trekking house. Book in advance to be sure you got a good spot, many big thai tours go there. Harry’s sadly passed away, but his wife is doing a great job, assisting you for anything needed. Trakking is awesome, the animist hilltribes and the views are incredible. Our trekking guide was David (Sai Tint Zaw Tun, or simply Sai Tun) good english and pleasant time. Bring him our for a beer or dinner at night, you’ll have a great time with him!
- KengTung seems to have a 10pm total corefew, I didnt get if it was imposed by the junta, or if it’s, quote “because there’s no money to spend for entertainment”.
Finally, I loved Buma, hope what I have been watching on TV these days will end in favour of burmese people and finally bring democracy, or at least the freedom to talk about whatever they wanna talk about at restaurants (right now they might tell you to shut up if there is anyone around…).
Please write me for any information,
Mingla-baa!
Hi, Riccardo
cool! I’ll publish this stiff as a post!
keep updating us!!!
Mingla-baa!
I was planning to go from Mae Sai in Thailand to Tachilek, get a 2 week visa, go to Kyaing Tong (is that KengTong?) by bus or taxi, stay there for maybe 3-4 days and then go back the same way to Thailand. Reading Riccardo inout helped in someways but I cant understand this:
“- keep in mind every time you travel by bus or taxi they keep your visa with them, so always bring id photocopies with you. - travelling by air from KengTung to Mandalay is not possibile since you dont have your passport with you.”
I would like to ask: isnt the visa inside the passport as a stamp, and if you dont have your passport with you, who has it?
At the Tachilek bridge crossing the Myanmar authorities keep your passport and instead issue you with a “two week pass”. This pass is a sort of ID card (with a photo) which you can use whenever you are asked for your passport. BUT, I was told that you could not (legally) travel outside of the local province using this ID card - if you want to do that then you have to get your visa in advance so that your passport is not kept at the bridge. This also means that you have to re-enter Thailand across the bridge - and hand back the pass in exchange for your passport. It struck me as a strange system, but it means that foreigners don’t get their passports stolen…