border Tachileik, Myanmar/MaeSai, Thailand

Yes, you'll have to cross into Thailand to make this trip. I also believe you'll have to go to Chiang Khong and use the bridge there to cross from Thailand to Laos; there are river crossings from Thailand to Laos around the Golden Triangle and Chiang Saen, but I don't believe foreigners are allowed to use these crossings (and you certainly can't get a Laos visa there!).

From Tachilik to Mae Sai is a very straight-forward crossing. Depending on your nationality, you'll likely get either 15 days or 30 days in Thailand. From Mai Sai to Chiang Khong you have a number of options. The fastest route takes you through Chiang Saen. From Mae Sai, you should find public transport to the Golden Triangle, and from there on to Chiang Saen. The problem is the Chiang Saen-Chiang Khong road. It's very scenic, but there is very little public transport along it. It should be fairly straight-forward to hitch-hike, but that's likely to be your only option, unless you manage to get to Chiang Saen very early in the morning, when at least one or two public trucks make this journey. My first real experience of traveling in Thailand involved hitch-hiking from Chiang Khong to Chiang Saen; it was a wonderful introduction to the country, and if you're the sort of person who's open to hitch-hiking, I'd recommend it.

There's an alternative route from Mae Sai to Chiang Khong which is considerably longer in terms of kilometers covered, but is served by very frequent buses. From Mae Sai's bus station (about 3-4km from the border) catch a bus to Chiang Rai. From Chiang Rai, catch a bus to Chiang Khong; if you're heading straight to Laos, ask to get off the bus at the turn-off to the bridge, a few kilometers before Chiang Khong itself. If you prefer, there are something like 4 buses a day from Chiang Rai direct to Huai Xai (in Laos), and sometimes other direct buses from Chiang Rai to towns further into Laos, like Luang Namtha and Luang Prabang. Chiang Rai has 2 bus stations, and the Laos-bound buses leave from a different bus station than the one serving Mae Sai and Chiang Khong.

I hope that helps, and I hope all the funny Tai names haven't confused you too much.

Thank you so much Giora for all your detailed information. As a female alone I would rather take a bus from Chiang Rai. If I get off that Chiang Rai - Chiang Khong bus at the turn-off to the bridge, would I be able to get a visa for Laos on that border crossing? Or if I take a direct bus to Huai Xai would I be able to get the Laos visa when the bus crosses the border?

Hi,

Whatever transport you use here, you'll end up getting a Laos visa at Laos immigration on the Laos side of the bridge. Canadians (I'm assuming that's your nationality) pay something like 40, or maybe 42 USD for a Laos visa. It helps if you have USD to pay for the visa; if you have to pay in Thai baht, you'll be ripped off on the exchange rate. I think you also need a passport photo or two for the visa.

If you're on one of the direct Chiang Rai-Huai Xai buses, then the bus will cover all your transport along the bridge and beyond. The bus will wait for you, and everyone else on it, to get a Laos visa before leaving. Note that these buses drop you off at a new bus station in Huai Xai, which is still a good 6km or so from the town center itself, which is where all the guesthouses are. A ride in a songtaew from the bus station to the town should cost 10,000 Kip, or about 40 Baht.

If instead, you end up on one of the standard Chiang Rai-Chiang Khong buses, then you should get dropped off at the bridge turn-off, from where it's something like 4km to Thai immigration. You can walk, take a tuk-tuk, or hitch-hike (I ended up hitch-hiking on the back of a motorbike with a female immigration official when I made the trip in reverse). When you get to Thai immigration, you'll get stamped out of Thailand, and will then have to take a special bus to cross the border to Laos immigration. You're not allowed to walk across the bridge. After clearing Laos immigration, you should find songtaew on the other side to take you into central Huai Xai. I've never made the trip personally, but I think it should cost something like 10,000 Kip/40 Baht, though I'm sure over-charging happens.

If I remember correctly, there's an ATM and also a money-exchange booth on the Laos side of the border, where you'll be able to get Kip. But in fact, in Huai Xai, it's possible to pay for absolutely everything in Thai Baht, so you won't actually need Kip until you head further into Laos.