Tachileik understand · Tachileik tourist information
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Tachileik tourist information
Tachileik tourist information
Although just 5m across the river from Mae Sai, the most northern town in Thailand, Tachileik is in a whole different world. The happy outgoing atmosphere that you have been used to in 'the land of smiles' in Thailand evaporates instantly and is replaced by a slightly uptight one. This is not to say that the Burmese people are not welcoming, indeed they love tourists and are very keen to sit down and talk (when they think they are not being watched), but do not expect to feel at ease here, and do not be surprised if you are followed by government people throughout the town. As long as your purposes are legitimate, you follow local rules and customs and you don't go around making a spectacle of yourself, you will have a great time in Tachileik and the boarder area of Burma.
The town is a typical border trading town with a twist.
The majority of people crossing over to Myanmar are Thais shopping for bootlegged Chinese goods in the market. Alternatively some Thais cross to play golf on the only course in the region so expect to see the very surreal site of large groups of people crossing the border carrying a set of clubs. There is also a small casino in Tachileik catering even to 'low' rollers. You may even find a 10 baht roulette table.
If you are expecting to see 'the real Myanmar' this is not the place to do it. If you are 'Stamp collecting' in your passport, want to see something a bit more visceral than what you find in Thailand or are at a loose end in Chiang Rai for the day then this is a good place to go. The great thing about visiting here is the ease of entry to the boarder area, getting another stamp in your passport and getting a flavor of life in Myanmar.
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Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Tachileik - updated Apr 2024
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Tachileik Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.