Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [647]
The only land crossing open to foreigners is from Chong Mek into the Laos town of Vangtao. On the Thai side, the border is best accessed via bus from Ubon Ratchathani; Lao visas are available upon arrival. Click here for more information.
Another crossing is via little-visited Loei Province; a bridge links the Thai town of Thai Li to the Lao town of Nam Hoeng. We’ve heard conflicting reports about issuances of Lao visas on arrival here, and only private or chartered transport is available. Expats who live in the area have used this as a hassle-free visa run.
Malaysia
The train line heading into Malaysia from Bangkok splits at Hat Yai. One spur heads west through Padang Besar to Butterworth, which is the transfer point to Penang or other destinations along the west coast of Malaysia. Another spur heads east to the border town of Sungai Kolok, which was once a popular traveller migration point through Malaysia’s Kota Bahru and on to the Perhentian Islands. Due to unrest in the far southern provinces of Thailand, it is not advisable to take the train east; stick to the western side of the peninsula.
Buses and minibuses also cross the border into the Malaysian towns of Padang Besar and Dan Nawk (south of Thailand’s Sadao). By boat you can cross to several points along the Malaysian west coast, including Pulau Langkawi, from the mainland town of Satun or from Ko Lipe. Click here for more details. There are also a few lesser-used land crossings, but those mentioned here are the easiest to reach with public transport.
Myanmar
Most of the land crossings into Myanmar have restrictions that don’t allow full access to the country. These border points are also subject to unannounced closures, which can last anywhere from a day to years.
The crossing at Mae Sai–Tachileik is the only land point through which foreigners can travel into portions of Myanmar. From the border you can continue to Kengtung, as far as Mong La on the Thai–China border (Click here). Prior to 2005, foreigners could continue on to China as long as they had the appropriate visas beforehand, but this is no longer an option. Interestingly, the bridge that spans the two border towns is Lo Hsing-han’s former ‘Golden Triangle’ passageway for the opium and heroin trade. Many travellers use this border as a way to renew their Thai visas, especially if they are based in or have just visited Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.
The Mae Sot–Myawadi border crossing is open to foreigners only as a day trip into a Burmese border market, even though the road continues to Mawlamyaing (Moulmein) via Kawkareik. This border is also a busy crossing for renewing Thai visas. For more information, Click here.
Once a gateway for various invading armies and an important smuggling route, Three Pagodas Pass (Click here) has been closed to foreigners since 2006. Prior to its closure, the border was open for day-pass trips to the Burmese border market only and no visa extensions/renewals were issued.
In the southern part of Thailand, you can legally enter Myanmar by boat from Ranong to the island of Kawthoung, but you can’t travel onward from here into mainland Myanmar. Many people use this crossing only as a day trip in order to renew their Thai visas; see the boxed text, Click here, for more information.
GETTING AROUND
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AIR
Hopping around the country by air is becoming more and more affordable thanks to airline deregulation. Most routes originate from Bangkok, but Chiang Mai, Ko Samui and Phuket all have routes to other Thai towns. See the Thai Airfares and Rail Lines map (Click here) for routes and estimated costs; for airline contact information, see the respective city sections.
THAI operates many domestic air routes from Bangkok to provincial capitals. Bangkok