Bangkok to Dawei
Before we start this is the only Thailand land border, which is open for foreigners, where you cannot enter with an E-Visa. There is no problem leaving the country with an E-Visa at all. Also you will not need to show an onward flight ticket, when arriving in Myanmar by airplane and planning to leave by land border.
You can make your Burmese Visa in one day at the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, the thre day version will be a bit cheaper. If you don't want the hassle the agents at Khao San Road or anywhere can make the Visa for you also in one day.
How to get an visa you will find here: https://myanmarvisa.com/bangkok.htm (The visa price are old. currently a visa will cost you 50 USD).
So back to the actual travel: Little has changed on this road for the past 4 years (Open since 28. August 2013) the only thing it got worst on the Myanmar site. Let’s start with the departure from Bangkok. You will need to get to Kanchanaburi first, more or less 3 hours (around 100 Baht per person). I have to say the main gateway to Kanchanaburi was Victory Monument in the heart of Bangkok. Please believe me it is no longer possible to get a minivan there.You will be able to a minivan from:
Minivan from Morchit Bus Station (Metro Station)
Minivan from Pinklao (Old Southern Bus Terminal)
Minivan from Sai Tai Kao minivan station (Southern Bus Terminal)
Minivan from the Burana Sat Road, near to the Khao San Road (not 100% sure)
Minivan from the Chakkapong Road, near to the Khao San Road (not 100% sure)
For more details on Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, please visit this website. Very accurate in terms of time and location times. Prices vary.
http://www.thailandlife.info/how-to-get-from-bangkok-to-kanchanaburi/
You might consider a night in Kanchanaburi if you arrive after 12:30 PM. There are good guesthouse and upper range hotels. Feel free to ask me for recommendation.
For those who are eager to continue to Myanmar there will be a bus for 50 Baht leaving every hour from the bus terminal (gate B6) for the border. The Kanchanaburi Bus Station is about 10 min by motorbike side cars from the main tourist strip of the town.
The van will drop you at the Thai border of Phu Nam Ron. Just walk straight ahead on the left hand site and you will see Thai Immigration. Fill in the Thai departure card if you haven’t and say good bye to Thailand.
Now the interesting part, the No-Mans-Land, there is a van service for 100 Baht a person. Well you will say I just payed 80 Baht for one and a half hours from Kanchanaburi and now a 100 Baht. Please remember it is a border and things are different here. The full service solution is the office behind the Thai Immigration called Three Dawei where you can buy a ticket straight to Dawei for 800 Baht. An option is to flag any car down, which is passing to get to the other site. Don’t consider walking an option it is around 4 kilometers and they won’t let you. Cycling might be possible tough. So you arrive on the Burmese site of the No-Mans-Land and yes they drive on the right hand site. Surprise. It is quite a strange change in the middle of the road. The van or whatever transport will drop you at the Myanmar Immigration. Please don’t forget to stamp. This is not fun. Some travelers did let me know they had to go all the way back from a check point half the way. So if you are lucky you get a car with leg space, I mean some leg space, because if you are over 180 cm it is not considered leg space. I advise you to choose the fullest car, because this will be leaving the soonest, but it also can be cramped. For those who got a ride to the Myanmar site without buying the 800 Baht solution. It will be still something around 500 Baht – 600 Baht to go to Dawei. So this sounds complicated, but it is actually pretty easy. It will work out somehow.
Time to fill you in what has changed the past four years on this road. First of all the road is being built not for tourism purposes. The road is connected to what should become South East Asia’s biggest Deep Sea Port, about 30 KM north of Dawei.
The lovely jungle road how I got to know it has been constructed by a Thai company. The escalation work has been carried out by heavy machinery rather than by hand (normal way in Myanmar back then). So they made a pretty good dirt road. Simple, but functional. I remember my record without a break back in March 2015 was 3.5 hours. My latest run mid-September 17 was with one stop 6 hours. So what has happened? The construction company left the project in early 2015. I might be a bit wrong with that date, but the project was lacking foreign investment and the stake they were getting out of the project seemed to be not enough. - Update Feb 18 - The road has been repaired and we are looking into a driving time of 4-5 hours now again.
Furthermore a huge opposition came from the Dawei people. The same scheme as everywhere: Land compensation was promised, but never paid and so on. There is a bit of coverage from the Bangkok Post and other sources you could read through if you like to know more about the Dawei Deep Sea Port Project.
The road is also frequently used by small fish trucks to carry fish to Bangkok and as there is no maintenance in place it got very bumpy. Only the last 1.25 hours it is a relieve on Burmese paved roads from Myitta.
Your car, light truck or minivan will drop you at the hotel of your choice, but only in Dawei down town.
Check out our recommended hotels in Dawei here: -->
If you would like to have a private transfer from Bangkok Airport or Bangkok Down Town to Dawei, please don't hesitate to contact us. --->
I made a little video back in 2015, but the information is outdated. I just wanted to give you an impression of it.
Dawei to Bangkok
After you enjoyed Myanmar you might consider taking the overland crossing back to Thailand and yes you can depart with an E-Visa from the Htee Khee / Phu Nam Ron Border.
The minivan will pick you up from your hotel between 7:30 AM and 8:00 AM. Make sure you bought a ticket for around 23.000 Kyats, which will bring you to the Thai Site of the border. The most cars are most likely Toyota Pro Box’s taking 5.5-6 hours for the trip. If you want to know why it takes longer these days as any other information I will copy the text from above. The lovely jungle road how I got to know it has been constructed by a Thai company. The escalation work has been carried out by heavy machinery rather than by hand (normal way in Myanmar back then). So they made a pretty good dirt road. Simple, but functional. I remember my record without a break back in March 2015 was 3.5 hours. My latest run mid-September 17 was with one stop 6 hours. So what has happened? The construction company left the project in early 2015. I might be a bit wrong with that date, but the reason is that the project was lacking foreign investment and the stake they were getting out of the project seemed to be not enough. Update Feb 18 - The road has been repaired and we are looking into a driving time of 4-5 hours now again.
Furthermore a huge opposition came from the Dawei people. The same scheme as everywhere: Land compensation was promised, but never paid and so on. There is a bit of coverage from the Bangkok Post and other sources you could read through if you like to know more about the Dawei Deep Sea Port Project.
The road is also frequently used by small fish trucks to carry fish to Bangkok and as there is no maintenance in place it is very bumpy. The first 1.25 hours are on normal paved road after this it will become quiet bumpy.
Once you arrive at the Myanmar Immigration get stamped. The car will wait for you as you paid to cross the No-Mans-Land. On the Thai site the driver will drop you right in front of immigration. Fill in the arrival card, get stamped and welcome to Thailand (depending on your Nationality 15 or 30 days, remember only 2 arrivals per calendar year without a visa to Thailand).
About 150 meters down the road on the left you will see a bigger bus parked up or not, which takes you to Kanchanaburi for 50 Baht. The last bus will depart around 4 PM. There should be a bus departing every 30 min to one hour until 4 PM. Remember the time difference between the two countries is half an hour, actually half an hour more if you enter Thailand.
If you don’t want to wait, just ask cars if they are going to Kanchanaburi. It will be a quick 1.25 hours ride to Kanchanaburi Bus Station. From the bus station in Kanchanaburi you will have plenty of offers to go to Bangkok. The minivan to Bangkok should cost around 100-120 Baht (3 hours). Depending on where you stay choose your final destination. Only Morchit Bus Station in the north will have a metro station attached. The other places you are most likely to grab a cab again. Morchit Bus Station would be the best to proceed to the Bangkok Airport.
I advise to stay the night in Kanchanaburi, but if you have to make a flight around midnight from Bangkok you can make it in one day and arrive around 8 PM in the city and have to make your way to the airport.
If any of those information seems to change or is in accurate, please help other travelers and let me know so I can update the blog.
If you would like to have a private transfer from Dawei to Bangkok Airport or Bangkok Down Town. please don't hesitate to contact us. --->