Cross Country Self Driving Into Myanmar

I would think that there were not many self drive tours through Myanmar last year but maybe more than in previous years, which would have been very few.

I'm assuming you are a tour operator there, so if e want to book you are the person to go to right?

It's just contribution for self-driving tour into Myanmar! Some self-driving references in Myanmar;

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/in-photos-classic-cars-tour-myanmar-in-road-to-mandalay-rally/article23201703/

https://www.dvb.no/news/classic-car-enthusiasts-hit-burma-roads-myanmar/33959

Sounds interesting.

However, I don't think many tourists are normally travelling across the Mu-se-Ruili crossing. Since that crossing also requires an additional permit to cross and secondly because if you are heading into China, normally the Chinese authorities make it difficult to drive a foreign registered vehicle in their country. Actually even a Burmese registered vehicle (except if driven within 1km of the border) would find itself subject to the same restrictions: need an itinerary, guide and advance arrangements made through a travel agency. Plus it's very pricey. And because it's difficult to get permission to cross by car into Myanmar there, even Chinese or expat residents driving Chinese cars rarely travel into Myanmar there. I was just at Mu-se a little over a month ago and only near the border will one see locally registered Ruili cars, but not many. Beyond that it's only Burmese registered vehicles.

Most drivers tend to enter via Mae Sot/Myawady. The VAST majority in fact. Most of the rest probably go through Ban Phu Nam Ron/Thee Khee while a trickle also head through Ranong/Kawthoung, although that requires first putting your car on a ferry. I have heard of a few drivers heading over to India as well as mentioned. Apparently you are free to drive independently once in India.

There is a rumour going around that Myanmar may permit entry to Thai registered vehicles (and possibly other foreign registered vehicles too) to freely travel around Myanmar, by entering at the Mae Sot/Myawady crossing and possibly the Ban Phu Nam Ron/Thee Khee crossing in the second half of this year after the mountain bypass road between Myawady and Kawkareik is finished and opened to traffic. This will be done in time for AEC 2015 apparently. I would expect that if this eventuates as planned, then travel will be permitted to all non-restricted areas of the country.

@dogeatinghotchips, actually last year there were car or motorcycle tours practically every 2 weeks or so. Nearly all of them entered and left the country through Mae Sot/Myawady. The majority of vehicles on such tours are Thai registered, along with some Malaysian and Singaporean registered ones regularly joining too.

Since 2013 I've seen Thai, Singaporean, Malaysian and Russian registered vehicles traveling inside Myanmar on tours. The 2 Russian vehicles I saw in November 2013 were the only ones not traveling in a convoy and they had entered the country via Kawthoung, leaving via Myawady. All the others entered and left through Mae Sot/Myawady. Another vehicle I saw in Chonburi had a reference in the form of a sticker to a tour via Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee.

January 2013 was also the first time I entered Myanmar at Myawady and prior to this there wouldn't have been very many overland tours due to the border there being closed for like a year and security issues prior to that, but now that the borders are open and security has vastly improved, overland tours by car or motorcycle are becoming very common.

Thats cool, I hope to enter on my bike at some point in the not too distant future. you've provided some good info there. I must say I didn't realise there were tours going every two weeks, its still not exactly a common trip though. I suspect most of those tours are high paying customers.

Regular cultural tours are bored. Cultural plus sport tours are these days very common. Last Nov I had freshly done a cycling tour across the border Muse-Jiegao. Truly it is not an int'l gate yet, apply a prearranged permission consequently. Update policy for the ministry is anyone with machinery vehicles (Motorbike, car and others) shall need special permission. Two kinds of permissions, area permission, vehicle permission have to applied in advance for. Nontheless, without anyone specialized in these processes and advocacy, you will be surely not achieved that. OK, the area is safe, I mean AH14. Road section are good condition and wavy though. I surely thumb up to it vistas and landscapes enroute. Petrol stations are ubiquitous at road sides, accommodations are mostly modest, restaurants are local and chinese cuisine while you are in or near the towns. While down from the PyinOoLwin, it starts introduce the central plain and its features and characteristics, Mandalay; the all-the-road junction to exits to India, Thai and out. Four int'l out-gateways at the border to Thai.

Hi! Do you have any information about the IMT highway? (India-Myanmar-Thailand)

Many thanks!

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