🚌 Tachileik – Mae Sai

Terrestrial · Burma

Tachileik sits in the Golden Triangle where Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar converge, facing the Thai town of Mae Sai across the Sai River. Before 2021 it was one of Southeast Asia's most colourful border markets, popular for day trips from Chiang Rai: duty-free goods, jade jewellery, cheap tailoring, and the novelty of stepping into Myanmar for a few hours without a visa. The road to Kengtung (110 km) offered a genuine off-the-beaten-path adventure through Shan hill tribe country. SAFETY NOTE: since the 2021 coup, Shan State has become one of Myanmar's most contested regions. Multiple armed groups — including the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), the Shan State Army-North, and the Brotherhood Alliance — have been fighting the military with varying intensity throughout the state. The region has also become notorious for scam compounds operated by criminal syndicates that have effectively taken over some border areas and coerce or traffic victims into online fraud operations. While the Tachileik town centre has been calmer than some other border zones, the broader security environment is deeply unreliable. Check the latest situation carefully before considering this crossing.