Iolona

Hi folks!
We are heading to Myanmar in a few days. We are currently in Bangkok and are planning to go to Myanmar over land, crossing the border in Phunaron/ Htee Kee.
The tourist agencies have told us it is not really convenient and tried to convince us to book flights. Some of them said it is not possible, some of them said it could be more expensive than the flight itself, but we are not sure if they do it 'cause they want us to buy the flight service from them or what else.
Has anyone been crossing this border recently?
Was it really that expensive to get to the next city in Myanmar from Phunaron? The city should be Dawei, but we read there was a bus for 30.000 kyat, which is pretty expensive for a 5 hour journey. We are wondering if there are other ways and looking for more information about this.
Anyone?
Thanks so much,
Yoli

thursdaysd

There are some posts on this on Lonely Planet's thorntree. Do a search there.

LancasterLad

These links might help...

http://skift.com/2013/09/14/myanmar-...from-thailand/

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntr...order-crossing

There are loads of other links on Google. And as well as looking at LP Thorntree also look at your own government travel advice for Myanmar. Here's what the UK Foreign Office have to say...

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/burma

crellston

Bookmarking

Kathie

Do you have a visa in hand yet?

Crossing overland from Thailand to Burma is not easy, quick or cheap. Policies on overland entry are subject to change without notice, and some entry points allow only entry into the immediate area (for those doing visa runs from Thailand). If you are allowed to enter at that border point, you may be required to get a separate permit to allow you to travel overland farther into the country, depending on whether that area of the country is currently open to foreigners.

The cheapest and easiest way to get to Myanmar from Bangkok is an Air Asia Flight. The tour agencies were trying to be helpful. They weren't trying to scam you.

dannyjacob

I am sure that we could now cross to Myanmar overland. Also, I agree with Kathie that flying from Bangkok to Myanmar is cheaper and more convenient than trying to enter Myanmar overland. However, everything has two sides and if you desire something adventure and off beaten path, then do the hard way. You will be rewarded with your efforts.

Kathie

Hey, danny, have you done this crossing? The last person I read who did this was most disappointed, as they were not allowed to go more than a few kilometers from the border.

dgunbug

Please be sure to write a trip report following your overland adventure. My husband is reluctant to take flights in Myanmar due to aviation safety concerns and has also suggested doing this trip overland.

Kathie

dgunbug, note that the poster above is advertising a travel agency.

All of airlines flying into Myanmar from Bangkok are international airlines: Thai, Bangkok Air, Air Asia and meet all of the international safety standards. Myanmar Air International, the one Myanmar airline, must meet all international standards. Note that it does not fly internally within the country. No reason to hassle with going overland. If your husband doesn't want to fly in-country, you could hire a car and driver to take you from place to place. You will spend a lot of time on bad roads, but you will get to see the countryside.

dgunbug

Kathie - thanks. I am far less worried than he is. He insists that the traffic controllers are not trained efficiently and there has been a poor flight safety record in Myanmar. I figure my odds are better getting injured in a car ride than on a plane. We will continue to disagree and I will do more research, but unfortunately, for the moment we are unable to travel. As you can see, I'm chomping at the bit for more travel adventures.

Kathie

Statistically, you are more likely to be injured in a car than a plane. But your husband is correct that because Myanmar has existed outside of the international community, they have not had to meet international standards. The airlines would say that they do meet those standards, even though they have no inspections, but we know that inspections are important to safety.

Actually, the airlines have had a pretty good record. Yes, there have been a couple of crashes in the last 5 years - one was a bad landing at a small airport (actually, all of the airports are small) and there were no serious injuries. Another was at HeHo, and there was one death (if I remember correctly) and a couple more injuries.

If your husband is willing to fly to Myanmar, you can get around by surface transport. Any of the good agencies can set this up for you.

Here's to more adventures!