Burma/Myanmar
 

Is this still out of the question for overland bikers? I am in Delhi and really want to ride through to Thailand. Anyone tried recently? I am thinking of going to the embassy to ask.

Hi,

Unfortunatly.
A few months ago there was news about a road from India through Myanmar to Thailand. So I send a mail to two contacts I have (travel agents in Myanmar) and they checked it out for me.
It's true, they agreed to build this road, but... a few months after this there was (again) a border-dispuit and the border between thailand and myanmar closed tightly and plans whent into the fridge.

They think maybe in a few month's... but not sooner. The road itself is planned for 2004.

Sorry
Maarten

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- www.maartensworld.tmfweb.nl -

There is a bridge that is a bit like the bridge to nowhere at the moment. New and state of the art, it crosses the river from Mae Sot in Thailand to Myawaddy in Burma, ready for when the day eventually comes and the 'overland highway' is built. You can cross for a day from thailand into Burma but that is all at this crossing. we tried to get our bikes in with us just for the day but that was way too hard. Then it seemed if we did get them into Burma and someone took a fancy for them there was no gaurantee we would get them out of Burma so it was not worth the risk. A Sydney couple tried in the last few weeks so look them up on www.weride4ms.org and they should be able to tell you more.

Cheers for your replies guys. It looks as though I shall have to go the same route as others and fly from Kathmandu. Still there is plenty of info about that and 'GS George' who's there at the momemet confirms the ease of crating up the bikes and flying.. shame though!! would be a superb route when Thailand and Myanmar become friends one day.. and India too of course!!

Hi! I too have read the same news. The Thai-Myanmar crossing is at Mae Sot, while the Mynmar-India crossing is at Tamu, heading into the Indian state of Manipur whose capital is Imphal. Unfortunately, no sooner had the border posts opened up, than security problems in both Manipur and the areas around Mae Sot forced the authorities to put the shutters up again.

This news at least has given overlanders a glimmer of hope that one day soon they may ride all the way from Europe to Southeast Asia without hitting a stonewall in the form of closed borders and the need to fly over and miss a very alluring section.

Hi: I'm back to fine tune the info.

The India-Myanmar crossing is at Moreh-Kalewa on a new road between Imphal and Mandalay. The road was built by the Indian army, completed in January 2002, promisingly named India-Myanmar Friendship Highway.

For onward journey to China from Myanmar, there is also an all-weather road all the way from Mandalay to Kunming in southeast China, crossing the great Salween at some point.

Now if only red tape will turn green ...