Overland Myanmar Travel

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Visiting Myanmar

For a long time it was impossible to drive into or across Myanmar (also called Burma) with a foreign vehicle. As of 2013, that seems to be changing.

Entering Myanmar with a Car or Motorbike

Correct as of: Aug 2018

Required Paperwork

To enter in Myanmar from Thailand you can use the Myanmar E-visa (see their Official website) at the followed Overland Borders:

  • Tachileik Land Border Checkpoint
  • Myawaddy Land Border Checkpoint
  • Kawthaung Land Border Checkpoint

But if you enter from India at Moreh/Tamu border you will need to apply in advance for a regular tourist visa at any Myanmar Embassy. When you book any Overland Border Crossing Tour from any agency, they must provide you an Invitation letter to get your visa.

In order to get the Myanmar Overland Permit you need the followed documents (info update on August'18 from a Myanmar Overland Agency):

  • International driving license
  • Pictures of the vehicle (front/back/sides)
  • Chassis plate picture
  • Vehicle registration card
  • Passport copy
  • A Carnet de Passage is NOT mandatory to enter enter Myanmar.

Process at border

There are few agencies for the crossing Myanmar with own vehicles and bikes, one of the pioneer is Osuga Myanmar Travels which was the local company who run the tours of Asia Senses Travel http://www.asiasenses.com/ (or Burma Senses as their division http://www.burmasenses.com/) as they are an agency from Vietnam and they were not allowed to offer those services. You can see the full report of that in a thread of the forum Horizons Unlimited.

As they got bad reputation for this (and for using the name of Burma, which has a negative connotation in Myanmar for being the name imposed on them by the British colonizers), they decided to create a new trademark called Myanmar Sense Family. But it is still the same company from Vietnam, as you can see their quotations and itineraries, because they only bothered to change the logo, but in the text specifies that they are Burma Sense

Here is a detailed blog post from a crossing in April 2015: http://rightbeyondthehorizon.com/autoreise-myanmar/

A couple drove across from India to Thailand in early 2014 - their blog has lots of details http://epicycles.com/Truck%20Blog/2014-02-21/2014-02-21.php

Information about the first group of Overlanders to cross Myanmar from India to Thailand in Feb 2013 can be found here: (in German - use Google Translate) http://www.steffenkunze.de/.

A trip report from people in that crossing can be found here: (also in German) Welcome to Bhutan

They have said "Our trip trough Myanmar was organized by BrightView travel from Tin (tin.apex@gmail.com). He did all the paperwork and guided us trough Myanmar in 9 days and that was to short, if you go with more than 1 vehicle I suggest at least 2 weeks."

A discussion thread at Expedition Portal has details also Myanmar

Even if you don't have any vehicle you can cross Myanmar Overland joining any group of travelers with their own vehicle as this traveler report on his blog:https://www.meanderingwanderers.com/crossing-the-indianmyanmar-border-overland/

Please update the information here if you know anything further.

Cost of entry

The price of the Myanmar Overland Tours vary according to the number of travelers and duration, but not with the number of vehicle. The prices seems to have been drop in the last few years, and you can cross the country in only 3-4 days, which is the cheapest option. As reference, a 5 days tour for group of 6 travelers cost 460USD per person

You can find an update (2018) price list of one of the agencies here: (Download PDF price list), so you can calculate approximately your expenses.

The following was posted to a discussion on expedition portal, and it gives a great idea on costs:
Myanmar Itinerary 2015
We are planning to cross into Myanmar from Thailand in April or May 2015.
I have a proposal for an itinerary for a 14 day tour and also some costs.
Anyone interested to join our group? At the moment we have one 4x4 truck and one motorbike.

  • Day. 1 - ( Thailand ) Maesot - Myawaddy ( Myanmar ) - Hpaan. 160Km. ( Thanlwin Hotel )
  • Day. 2 - Hpaan - Golden rock. 120Km. ( Sae sar )
  • Day. 3 - Hpaan - Taungoo. 280Km. ( Mother's House )
  • Day. 4 - Taungoo - Kalaw. 356Km. ( Pine Breeze )
  • Day. 5 - Kalaw - Pindaya cave - Inle. 100Km.( Aungmingalar )
  • Day. 6 - Boat Excursion on Inle lake. ( Aungmingalar )
  • Day. 7 - Inle - Bagan. 320Km. ( New wave )
  • Day. 8 - Visit Bagan temple. ( New wave )
  • Day. 9 - Bagan - Amarapura - Mandalay. 256Km. ( Mann Myanmar )
  • Day.10 - Mandalay city tour. ( Mann Myanmar )
  • Day.11 - Manday - Sagai - Monywa. 160Km. ( Monywa Hotel )
  • Day.12 - Monywa - Kalay. 200Km. ( Shin hone )
  • Day.13 - Kalay - Tamu. 125Km. ( Shwe Oakar )
  • Day.14 - Tamu ( Myanmar ) - Moreh ( India )

Tour cost - $7,980.00 USD
MTRD charges - Vehicle - $200.00 USD ( for One Vehicle )
Bike - $300.00 USD ( for 3 Bike )

Total $8,480.00 USD

Including in tour cost - Special Permission fees / Entrance fees / Hotel ( 3 Twin Room ) / Lassen officer fees / All kind of Tax / Insurance / Escort Vehicle And English speaking guide.
Exclude - Your Fuel / Meals and Personal Expense.

Permitted length of stay

The Myanmar visa allow you to stay a maximum of 28 Days

Extension of stay

Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.

Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country

If the for any important reason (like health problems) the owner of the vehicle need to leave the country during an Overland Border Crossing Tour, the Myanmar Agency who made your overland permit will be able to storage your vehicle for a maximum of 6 months.

Exiting with a vehicle

Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.

Driving in Myanmar

Recommended books for Overlanding in Myanmar

Lonely Planet Myanmar (burma) (travel Guide)
Lonely Planet Myanmar (burma) (travel Guide)
by Lonely Planet
From $14.49 on Amazon
Work Less To Live Your Dreams: A Practical Guide To Sa...
Work Less To Live Your Dreams: A Practical Guide To Sa...
by Dan Grec
From $click on Amazon
Overlanders' Handbook: Worldwide Route And Planning Gu...
Overlanders' Handbook: Worldwide Route And Planning Gu...
by Chris Scott
From $22.49 on Amazon
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: A Route & Planning Gu...
Adventure Motorcycling Handbook: A Route & Planning Gu...
by Chris Scott
From $click on Amazon
Footprint Myanmar (burma) (footprint Myanmar Handbook)
Footprint Myanmar (burma) (footprint Myanmar Handbook)
by Joshua Eliot
From $86.37 on Amazon

Travel insurance for Myanmar

World Nomads offer the most flexible Travel Insurance at the best prices for multi-country / multi-year trips. You can buy, extend and claim online, even after you've left home.

Vehicle insurance requirements

Yes or No if insurance is mandatory, and what kind is acceptable.

Cost of vehicle insurance

State the price of insurance and a time period.

Where to purchase vehicle insurance

Describe where insurance can be purchased.

Driving license

State the kind of driving licenses required. i.e. International Driving Permit.

Driving side of road

Myanmar has driven on the right since 1970, when it changed sides for unknown reasons; military dictator Ne Win's tendency to superstition has been suggested, as has the desire to shake off a perceived vestige of British colonial heritage. However, because many of the country's cars are very old and newer ones are often sourced second-hand from Japan, the great majority are still right-hand drive as in neighbouring Bangladesh, India and Thailand. As such, there should not be any issue with the legality of foreign vehicles on the basis of drive side.

Mandatory items in vehicle

State any mandatory items that must be carried in the vehicle. (i.e. safety triangle, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, etc.)

Roads

General Road quality

Give a brief description of the general road quality. Mention if one way streets are common.

Road signs

Briefly describe the overall quality & existence of road signs for directions and hazards.

Toll roads

There are a lot of toll roads, but as you will need to travel with a Guide and you paid for it, they should pay all the road fees. For reference, from Myawaddy to Yangon, the cost of the toll roads are around 15.000 Myanmar Kyats

Bribery in Myanmar

Briefly describe how common bribery is and whether it should be expected, and the best way to deal with it.

Checkpoints

describe the frequency of checkpoints (police or military and what to expect.

Traveling with pets

Travel to Myanmar with your pets is very easy, you will not be asked for any document for your dog/cat at the land border. A couple of overlanders from Spain and France traveled in 2014 with their dog (Golden Retriever) without any problems. You can read more about their experience traveling with a dog in Myanmar

Gas price in Myanmar and Diesel price in Myanmar

Last updated: (last updated date)

Currency and unit to display:

Gasoline Grade Price
Unleaded $0.00 USD per Gallon (US)
Diesel $0.00 USD per Gallon (US)

Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency

Briefly describe if gas shortages are known to occur.
Also state the approximate average distance between gas stations. This is a very rough estimate.

Gas and Diesel Quality

Discuss if gasoline / diesel considered "clean" or "dirty", and generally high or low quality.
State the sulfur content of diesel, if known.

Safety and Security Considerations

Driving at night

Discuss driving at night and if it should it be avoided. Mention why.

Vehicle parking

Discuss if vehicles can be parked on the street, if they are considered "safe" at night. If vehicles can not be parked on the street, list the other options that exist.

Special driving considerations

A List of special things to be careful of (i.e. Unsigned speed bumps, abnormal road rules, people or animals on the road, etc.).
List any roads that are not recommended to drive for safety or other security reasons.

Security advisories and information

Camping in Myanmar

Describe if organized "pay" camping is common. List the facilities commonly found at these campsites.
List the approximate average price range of camping in organized campgrounds.
Also discuss the possibility of "wild" or "roadside" camping. How common is it? Is it considered safe, or a bad idea.

Camping guide books

List and link to books specifically for camping.

Drinking water

Describe if the regular tap water is safe to drink. If not, describe where safe water can be purchased and the approximate average price range.

Navigation

Paper maps

Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in Myanmar

Myanmar
Myanmar
by Reise Know-How Verlag
From $8.53 on Amazon
Myanmar (burma) (national Geographic Adventure Map)
Myanmar (burma) (national Geographic Adventure Map)
by National Geographic Maps - Adventure
From $11.79 on Amazon
Myanmar Travel Map Fourth Edition (periplus Travel Maps)
Myanmar Travel Map Fourth Edition (periplus Travel Maps)
From $5.06 on Amazon
Fodor's Thailand: With Myanmar (burma), Cambodia & Lao...
Fodor's Thailand: With Myanmar (burma), Cambodia & Lao...
by Fodor's Travel Guides
From $11.07 on Amazon

GPS Maps of Myanmar

Review different GPS companies, quality and coverage (Tomtom, Garmin, OSM, Tracks4Africa). (with links to each).

GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Myanmar

  • iOverlander is a website and iPhone application designed by Overlanders, for Overlanders. It contains GPS co-ordinates and reviews for camping, hotels, propane, water, mechanics, borders and much more.

Link to sites that have a list of GPS co-ordinates (or directions) for camping locations (including "wild" campsites), propane filling, gas stations, repair shops, places of interest, etc.

Special Overland Travel interests

List any special items / places that are popular with Overlanders

Vehicle Maintenance

Dealers

4x4s / Trucks

Motorbikes

Local Garages

Add known good mechanics here.

Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Myanmar

Buy
Describe how a foreigner can buy a vehicle. List any difficulties or limitations on where the vehicle can be driven.

Sell
Describe how a foreigner can sell a foreign-plated vehicle, or list not possible.'

References

Links to the source of any information - blogs or discussion forums, etc.


Helpful External links

Add any helpful external links here.