197KENGTUNG & BORDER AREAS8EASTERN MYANMAR8EASTERN MYANMARTACHILEIK Air
Air Bagan (%22790; http://www.airbagan.com),,) owned
by Ta Za (p 21 ), and Asian Wings (%22300; http://www.
asianwingsairlines.com) have offi ces in town and
operate three fl ights a week between Kengtung
and Heho ($85, one hour). If you’re bound for
Yangon ($130, three hours), you’ll have to fl y via
Heho and Mandalay ($95, 1½ hours).
Taxis charge K5000 and trishaws K2000 for
the 2-mile trip to/from the airport.
Bus & Pick-Up Truck
Foreigners can travel by road to Tachileik but
the 280-mile road between Kengtung and
Taunggyi is completely off -limits. Offi cials blame
banditry and fi ghting between the government
and Shan and Wa rebel groups, but the ban
probably has more to do with the suspected
smuggling of opium and methamphetamines
through the Golden Triangle.
If you want to visit Tachileik by bus from
Kengtung, you must fi rst visit the immigration
offi ce in order to get written permission that will
allow you to pass the route’s numerous security
checkpoints. The same procedure must be car-
ried out at the Tachileik immigration offi ce to
return to Kengtung. In practice, it usually helps
to get someone from your hotel to help with
these arrangements.
Shwe Mya Taw Express (%23145; Tachileik
Rd) and Thet Nay Wun (%23291; Kyain Nyan
Rd) each run buses to Tachileik at 8am and noon
(K10,000, fi ve hours). Share taxis, which depart
from 6am to noon from Kengtung’s bus station,
charge K10,000 to K15,000 per seat or about
2500 Thai baht, about US$75 for the entire car.8 Getting Around
Drivers of motorcycle taxis and trishaws wear
coloured bibs. The going rate for a downtown
trip is K1000. A trishaw from the airport to town
costs K2000.
Taxis can be arranged at Harry’s Trekking
House and Princess Hotel; rates are cheapest at
the former and start at K36,000 for a full day.Tachileik
tCxYIlit'
%084 / POP C10,000
Facing the town of Mae Sai across the Thai-
Myanmar border, this nondescript town is
like border towns all over Asia – it’s a border
post and a magnet for black-market goods,
and sports a handful of hotels catering to
travellers en route to somewhere else. Thai
baht is the accepted currency here.BORDER CROSSING: THAILANDTachileik is a legal crossing point for foreign tourists. But, as with all of Myanmar’s land
crossings, there are several caveats and the following information is liable to change, so
check the situation locally before you travel.
At the time of research, we’d received reports of a few travellers who had been per-
mitted to cross into Thailand at Tachileik with advance permission from MTT in Yangon.
Permits are issued in around two weeks and cost at least $50, but you may be required
to book your fl ights and a taxi to the border through MTT. If you do obtain permission to
cross into Thailand, the Thai authorities will issue you a 14-day Thai visa on arrival, or you
can enter with a Thai visa obtained overseas.
If you’re starting from Mae Sai, in Thailand, it’s very straightforward to cross to Tachil-
eik for the day and slightly more complicated to get a two-week visa and permission to
visit Kengtung.
The Thai immigration offi ce is open from 6.30am to 6.30pm. After taking care of the
usual formalities, cross the bridge and head to the Myanmar immigration offi ce. Here
you pay 500B and your picture is taken for a temporary ID card that allows you to stay in
town for the day; your passport will be kept at the offi ce.
If you’d like to stay longer or visit Kengtung, you’ll be directed to the adjacent Tour-
ist Information offi ce. There you’ll need three photos, $10 and 50B to process a border
pass valid for 15 days; your passport will be kept at the border. It’s also obligatory to hire
a guide for the duration of your stay. Guides cost 1000B per day (400B of this goes to
MTT), and if you haven’t already arranged for a Kengtung-based guide to meet you at
border, you’ll be assigned one by MTT and will also have to pay for your guide’s food and
accommodation during your stay. See p 193 for some recommended Kengtung-based
guides and p 198 for details on getting to Kengtung.
For further information, head to shop.lonelyplanet.com to purchase a downloadable
PDF of the Northern Thailand chapter from Lonely Planet’s Thailand guide.