Kyaw Moe will also arrange an afternoon boat and airport pickup for those arriving in Sittwe. This avoids the overnight stay in Sittwe to catch the next-morning ferry. Price is a very reasonable; around $25.
3.5 to 4 hour boat trip ride still works for those of us wanting to leave Mrauk U and catch the afternoon flight from Sittwe back to Yangon.
@herbie47, in Kyaw Moe's email he says 'their' boat takes 3 hours. But, I know the tides can really affect the journey time. We experienced quite a difference on our last visit to Mrauk U... 9 hours both ways (January, 2003). It was a boat we hired from the Sittwe dock with a nice French couple and supposed to only take 6 hours. The captain said it was because of a high tide. It wasn't so bad going up, since the scenery is lovely. But, going back seemed to take forever.
For anyone that wants to know:
Kyaw Moe's (Mrauk U Traveller agency) boat runs daily:
Departs Sittwe at 4 pm and costs $25.
Through Mrauk U Traveller one can coordinate flight, pick from airport and transfer to boat to avoid staying the night in Sittwe if wanted.
Departs Mrauk U at 7 am and costs $20
Mrauk U Traveller
Information about Kyaw Moe himself:
Kway Moe: Guide
I think 3 hours maybe possible with the right conditions, I took an ordinary boat and with tide it took about 5 hours. The Govt. boat going back took 6 hours. 9 hours seems excessive.
Departing at 4pm is quite late.
have travelled both ways on a private boat and the large ferry, and both took around 5-6 hours, depending on which way the tide was going...
9 hours - sounds more like they had problems with the boat not performing normal.
@herbie47, I thought 4 pm seemed a bit late too. I can't imagine not arriving until after dark and I bet the journey time will be more like 3.5-4 hours. But still that's good. The LP guide and TA mention a speed boat run by Shwe Pyi Tan and going twice a week ($20) that takes only 2 hours. I found their web site, but it is mostly in Burmese. I sent an email anyway and I'll report back if I get a response. I found this schedule and description on a blog, supposedly taken in Feb. 2014: Boat Schedule
Note: Kyaw Moe listed as taking 4-6 hours, Shwe Pyi Tan as 2-3 hours. The schedule shows Kyaw Moe as leaving only 3 days a week and my email from them just 2 days ago says daily. Of course the picture is 1.5 year old data. They may have new boats etc. Also found another blog from July 2014 saying Kyaw Moe took 5 hours.
If anyone has information on Shwe Pyi Tan, please let me know, especially how to contact them and book their boat.
@rivaltribal, we wondered that too. The captain, who spoke English surprisingly well, said it was due to an unusually high tide and we didn't notice other boats passing us up. But it wouldn't be the first time we got stuck on a boat or bus that well under-performed.
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