Bus Yangon to Mawlamyine

I arrive in Yangon on Thai Airways at 2 pm from Bangkok and I want to get to Aung Mingalar bus station to catch a bus for Mawl without sleeping in Yangon. I checked Mandalar Minn Express schedule and they have a few buses leaving in between 5 and 10 Pm. With the 5 or 6 pm, I make it in time for a full night at the hotel in Mawl. With the later ones, I arrive in the middle of the night. Its a planed six hours trip.

If my flight in is not too late, can I make it no problem for the 5 or 6 pm?
I guess a taxi is the best transport between airport and bus station?
If i decide to play it safe and take a late bus, is there anything to do or see around the bus station?
What do you do when you arrive in a place like Mawl still sleepy at 3 or 4 in the morning If tou have not bookeed the night at the hotel?
As anyone book online with Mandalar Minn Express?

Thanks,
Charles

Nothing to do or see around the bus station , it is just full of buses and its a disaster of a bus station..
There are a couple of eateries but dont know what time they may close
Bus station in Maw is much much smaller and not that far from the center

Will be no problem making it to the bus station even with peak traffic and really , taxi is the only option
'I would just go to the hotel of your choice and park yourself outside when you get to Maw and if you have not booked a place , curl up at the bus station
Cheers

Nothing at bus station, just a few places to eat, the station is massive and confusing. You should make 5 or 6pm bus. No never used that bus company. There are several more online agents.

You don't have to book the bus in advance. You can just turn up at the bus station and buy a ticket on the spot for the next available bus. There is plenty of different bus companies going to moulemein regularly . As soon as you enter the bus station you will get pounced on by touts, so at least you will get lead to the correct part of the station for your Bus!

Charles...If your flight is on time, or even an hour late, you could make it for a 5 or 6pm bus...taxi from the airport to bus station is best bet. You seem to have a strange idea of 'full night' and 'middle of the night'..?
Ie. taking a 6pm bus will arrive Mawlamyine around midnight, and the later bus will arrive early hours of the morning, 3 or 4am...so even if you get the early bus you still don't get a 'full' night in Mawlamyine.

Whatever time bus you take, it would be best to pre-book your room in Mawlamyine as even if you got down there at midnight don't expect anyone behind a front desk for checking in.

If you want to go straight to Mawlamyine then why even fly to Yangon first...???...why not fly from Bangkok to Mae Sot, cross the border to Myawaddy then take a bus or share taxi to Mawlamyine. Could easily do that in 1 day.

Rival tribe has it right. Fly to Mae Sot, and go overland to Moulmein or Hpa an.

Thanks,

Regarding the flight, to make a long story short, I got my ticket (earn it) with my frequent flyier program point (Star Alliance), so very limited, if not no, option for local connexion with domestic airlines. Not to brag, but I leave Montreal and have a five days stay over in Istanbul and then one stay over of ten days in Katmandu and then Myanmar for twenty days on the same ticket. Not a bad journey you will all agree. I have to stay on main airline affiliated to Star Alliance, hence Thai Airways to get into Myanmar.

Yes for the prebooking of room in advance. My question regarding the "full night" is partially answered. Am I better to arrive around midnight having not slept or around four in the morning with a short night on the bus. From the comment of rivaltribal, it seem that, in my situation, if I want to sleep a bit, I am better to take a late bus since they will be no one at hotel reception around midnight. Do I get it right?

It seems that in my situation, If I book a room in Mawl on the the of the day of my arrival in RGN, I could not get into it before early morning. Better then wait for the next day and hope for an early check in. Paying a day to get a room in between 7 am and noon if I take the late bus (10 pm) not seem a food deal?

Charles

second paragraph first...no, that is not what I meant...you would likely get more sleep if you take a 5/6pm bus...then if you get to Mawlamyine bus station by midnight, then take a motorbike/3-wheeler to your hotel, and check-in....you will probably get to sleep, in a proper bed, by around 1am..
I was saying that arriving at that time of night/early am don't expect to find someone awake waiting for possible quests...there would be someone around, but likely asleep....if you pre-book then there will be someone awake waiting for you when you get to the hotel.
Cinderella Hotel is a good hotel in Mawlamyine....they have a website and you can easily pre-book the room.

The town may be still sleepy but the bus station is always busy.Easy to find the touk touk(3 wheels) even in midnight or very early in morning.I usually stay in Mawlamyine at Strand road(Ngwe Moe Hotel),easy to walk for restaurant and nice view. And usually take Mandalar Min Bus, much more comfort.

any concern is not really about whether the bus station will be active...it was about arriving at a hotel at midnight or later...

I would take the 5pm bus if you can, arrive around 11pm, in bed by midnight is much better than arriving at 3am or 4am. If Hotel/guesthouse closed then knock them up, staff often sleep in reception area.

Thanks to all. The Aung Mingalar bus station issue is resolved. The two hotel recommendations where my two top choices.

One last question. While checking bus schedule, I notice that for this route, the same compagny offer regular journey for 6500 kyat and VIP for 10,500 kyat. The duration seem to be the same. What is the difference? The type of bus, spacing of seat, water, blanket, snack, etc.?

VIP bus is better quality, newer, more space only 3 seats across, blanket. Most buses give you water.

depends on the bus line.....not all VIP buses are 3 seats across (2+1)...some are 2+2...

If you want to go straight to Mawlamyine then why even fly to Yangon first...???...why not fly from Bangkok to Mae Sot, cross the border to Myawaddy then take a bus or share taxi to Mawlamyine. Could easily do that in 1 day.<

Rivaltribal, I might just take your recommendation. I checked the Thailand forum and effectivily the Mae Sot option might be a better one for me. I have also read account of the travel from the border to Mawlamyine, quite straightforward. I land in Bangkok at 18:00 and would then have the choice of a night bus or a next morning very cheap flight to Mae Sot. I would then arrive in Mawl much earlier than by going through RGN. Since I just got my visa at the Myanmar embassy in Canada, I think I can enter the country by air or land as oppose to an evisa? I just have to properly advise my airline that I will not do the BBK-RGN portion. I will also contact the embassy in Canada because since this year they now ask that we provide them with a copy of our flight in and out. I thaught that the country was getting less paranoid...

Charlot...with an embassy Visa in your passport you can enter at any of the 4 open land borders between Thailand and Myanmar, but note also, with E-visa you can now enter by 3 of the 4 land borders with Thailand....including the Mae Sot-Myawaddy one (since start of Sept).
So you have your Myanmar Visa in your passport.
You don't need to show any return ticket out of Myanmar when you get to border Immigration, the only problem you may have is when you first check in at your end, depending on the airline, if they ask to see a outbound ticket..?
Road travel onward from Myawaddy is easier than a year ago now there is a new road open and traffic both directions every day (previously it was alternating days)

Thanks. I do have an outbound plane ticket from RGN. I am therefore all set.

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