It’s the end of our travels around Myanmar and we have loved the country and the people. Our travels have taken in bicycles, trekking, buses, cars and oh, the trains. We’ve travelled just as far from side to side on the trains as we have forward (and backwards!). We’ll be taking a shared taxi (there’s no appropriate buses here) from Mawlamyine to the Thai border town of Mae Sot. And then from Mae Sot there’s a bus to Sukhothai. This is our journey from Mawlamyine to Sukthothai.
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This is an easy trip, albeit a long day. You (still) can’t book all of it online, you’ll need to get to the Thai border town of Mae Sot to get the bus to Sukthothai, but here are the details.
Going from Mawlamyine to Sukhothai
The journey splits into three main parts. The first is going from Mawlamyine to the border. Then its about crossing the border and finally there’s a bus from Mae Sot (the border town in Thailand) to Sukhothai. Ready?
Mawlamyine to Myawaddy (aka the Border with Thailand)
We start from Mawlamyine, where a 15,000 kyat each shared taxi (there’s one other person and he gets the front seat) picks us up at 07:35 and we head east. The road is pretty, but our driver isn’t stopping for photos.
We get a 10 minute break that turns into 20 at 10:25, when our driver and our Burmese travel mate have an early lunch, or a late breakfast at what passes for a truck stop here, and then we’re off again.
After that the roads become increasingly pot holed and bumpy and definitely not wide enough for the trucks that hurtle towards us.
Suddenly the back seat seems like a much better if not particularly comfortable option. Mind you at least we’re not walking or on a bike, but they seem fearless, so good on them.
There used to be a single track road here to cross the “mountain” and depending on the day (even or odd) you could only go in one direction, so you had to plan your border crossing carefully! Now there’s a marvelous new road that opened and traffic can flow in both directions every day.
Arriving in Myawaddy, Myanmar
We arrive in Myawaddy, the Burmese border town just before noon and change all our remaining kyat into dollars – as the only options are Singaporean dollars or Euros, not Thai Baht.
Myawaddy to Mae Sot
We walk across another border and another Friendship Bridge, clearing immigration easily into Thailand.
Then, after crossing into Thailand we find the songthaews that will take us to the bus station here in Mae Sot. It’s 20 THB in the songthaew which fills quickly, or 60 THB each to take a motorbike taxi. There’s more on transport in Thailand in my guide here. There’s food here and bottled water, although our filter water bottles allow us to drink tap water too.
Mae Sot Bus Station
Our transport stops on a dual carriageway and points to the bus station on the other side, and so we arrive in time to miss the 13:30 bus, which is already full, but we can still catch the last bus to Sukhothai, so have time for some spicy Thai food, which we’ve missed. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve enjoyed the Burmese food, but there’s just something about Thai food!
You can book this bus, to be sure of a seat. It’s bookable via 12goAsia and details are here.
It’s good to be back!
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- Get Travel Insurance: Civitatis includes medical expenses, repatriation, theft, luggage delays. No deductibles or upfront payments. Get a quote here.
- Get online immediately with an eSIM for Thailand
- Read our Thailand Transport Guide here.
- Download and install a VPN BEFORE you travel to Thailand > discount coupon here
- Arriving by air? Book your airport transfer with Welcome Pickups.
- Book the best Thailand tours and guides on Klook or Get YourGuide
- Save money in Thailand with a Wise debit card
- Book Ferries, and Buses in Thailand with 12goAsia
- Book accommodation in Thailand with Booking
Final Words on Going from Mawlamyine to Sukhothai
This is a pretty easy journey. You’ll need to take a shared or private transfer to the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy, then you walk across the border. Don’t forget to change any left over Burmese currency before you leave the country. Once you’re across the border you’ll need to catch a songthaew to the town of Mae Sot, then you can take the bus to Sukhothai. Easy!
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