Tachileik

Located in Eastern Myanmar on the border with Mae Sai, Thailand it is also known as the famous golden triangle. For many years it was the only land border crossing between Thailand and Burma. Today it’s a hectic and modern town with round-the-clock electricity. Tachileik is much more prosperous than most Burmese towns of an equal size. Due to its location on the Myanmar–Thai border and the trade. The town is a transit point only.

Shwedagon Paya is the main pagoda in town, it is large and gilded.

Visitors are drawn to the vast labyrinth-like border market bustling with vendors and hawkers. As well as couple of temples of moderate interest there are also plenty of eateries and hotels within a short walk of the bridge. The local market sells a large quantity of cheap counterfeit items. However you may be in trouble with customs if you take these items home.

Where to Stay

As with many border towns there is a range of accommodation options, although many of these cater to international visitors staying for just one night.

Currency

Thai baht is the main currency used although Myanmar and US dollars are also accepted. Everyone can speak Thai and Thai telephones services work everywhere.

Where to eat
Tachileik is not a culinary destination in Myanmar but you can still find a range of restaurants serving decent food here and there is a heavy influence of Thai flavours as well as Chinese style meals.

As well as the actual restaurants and cafes you will also find a range of street stalls selling fried snacks and simple noodle dishes for around USD 1.

How to get to and from Tachileik
Most visitors will arrive in Tachileik from the neighbouring town of Mae Sai in Thailand. If you want to continue to travel onwards in Myanmar from Tachileik then the only real option is to go to neighbouring Kengtung if you have a tourist visa which allows over ground travel in that direction.