Kawthoung Travel Guide

  Kawthaung Town
by aerynchow
 
  • Kawthaung Town
      Kawthaung Town
    by aerynchow
  • Heading to Myanmar via longtail boat from Ranong
      Heading to Myanmar via longtail boat...
    by BorderHopper
  •   Things to Do
    by deeper_blue
  • Welcome
      Welcome
    by DSwede
  • A watch repairman in Kawthoung, Myanmar
      A watch repairman in Kawthoung, Myanmar
    by BorderHopper
 

Pro

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 Great. Unique and authentic. Great surrounding Islands. 


Con

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 Nothing to Offer 


In a nutshell

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 Sarong clad men with beatle nut stained teeth & yellow powdered cheeks of smiling Burmese women await you in gritty Kawthoung. 

 

Explore Kawthoung

Things to Do  

King Bayintnaung

King Bayintnaung, Kawthoung

 deeper_blue Says:  Go to the statue of Burmese King Bayintnaung. He is stood on a rock with his sword facing Siam (modern day Thailand).A good photo opportunity and the walk there is interesting, through the park. 

The hill temple

The hill temple, Kawthoung

 deeper_blue Says:  I wasn't expecting anything special as I climbed the hill but all of a sudden the temple appeared. One word... Magnificent! pure white and golden shades adorn the walls and floor, with buddha after buddha on show. Take lots of pics and take off your shoes. 

Get your Thai visa

Get your Thai visa, Kawthoung

 traceyspacey Says:  We crossed over into Burma to get our Thai visa. It was our intention to come back to Burma in a month or so and spend more time there. Due to events taking place this was not possible as visa's were only being issued from your home country. This brief visit gave us a brief... 

Bird's eye view of Kawthoung

Bird's eye view of Kawthoung, Kawthoung

 DSwede Says:  On the hillside there is a small Buddhist temple. The temple itself is not that inspiring compared to the others in South Asia, but it does give a good birds eye view of the ocean and village. 

Walking Kawthoung (Kawthaung)

Walking Kawthoung (Kawthaung), Kawthoung

 DSwede Says:  Basically in this small town, there are two things to do. Walk around and witness the daily life of the market and wait for your papers to be processed if you are entering Burma by boat for diving. 

The Bronze Statue of King Bayinnaung.

The Bronze Statue of King Bayinnaung., Kawthoung

 Hmmmm Says:  This statue Immortifies one of Burmas most famous and respected Kings: King Bayinnaung. The local guys who were showing me around proudly told me his story.The Guff: King Bayinnaung inherited the throne in 1550 and re-established Burman control over Lower Burma. Between... 

The 3rd Mile Temple Buddha.

The 3rd Mile Temple Buddha., Kawthoung

 Hmmmm Says:  This Lovely Buddha is Housed in the Third Mile Temple. Its craftsmanship is very different to those Buddha found in nearby Thailand. Notice that there are more Indian Style facets to its look. Although its features are undoubtedly South East Asian. Also look and the strange... 

The 3rd Mile Temple

The 3rd Mile Temple, Kawthoung

 Hmmmm Says:  This is an old temple with a new face. It was almost completely rebuilt in the 1950s. Even so it was construction in the Burmese style.This temple heralds a main stupa that is gilded with an octagonal base containing eight inches each filled with a seated Buddha. On the... 

Inside the Buddhist Temple

Inside the Buddhist Temple, Kawthoung

 dabuwan Says:  The Buddhist temple on top of Kawthaung hill was really a wonder to me. The interiors were amazingly decorated with small glittering plaques on the walls and brightly coloured Buddha statues. Everything was perfectly clean and very well kept. 

The sitting Buddha

The sitting Buddha, Kawthoung

 dabuwan Says:  There are several Buddha statues in the Kawthaung hill temple; some of them are quite big. They are all painted in bright colours, that is much different from the Thai style. 

The Buddhist Temple

The Buddhist Temple, Kawthoung

 dabuwan Says:  On top of a hill overlooking the town, there is a large traditional buddhist temple. Its colours are really beautiful and it is definitely worth a visit. No admission fee, no tourists. 

Nightlife  

Street Venders and Holes in the Wall.: Kawthoung Nightlife.
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4 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

Hmmmm 305 reviews
Hmmmm Nightlife? Pic: Aaron irving

Night life is pretty much non existant, well nightlife as I know it anyway. Well, lets just say, that you can sit down and eat noodles, a Hot Yellow Fish Curry, or any other seafood fancy, at any establishment that strikes you as appertising. Then order some beers, Mandalay Beer is a nice beer. Much better than Singer or Beer Chand in Thailand. And its soo cheap, I think about $3 for a 2 litre pitcher.

I had a few beers with my guides. Which was good. Because I didn't get annoyed by the local working girls. I heard from the guides that Kawthaung has a somewhat skanky nightlife, with third rate kareoke bars and working girls. Mainly frequented by burmese fishermen. I didn't see any of these establishments.

Dress Code: Ummmm, Hmmmm! Well I reckon go as you are, as you will only be visiting a hole in the wall, or family owned eating establishment.

Updated Nov 30, 2003

Address: All over the place.

Related to:
 Budget Travel
 Backpacking
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Transportation  

Boat from Ranong

Boat from Ranong, Kawthoung

 deeper_blue Says:  Kawthoung is accessable from Ranong in Thailand. Many people only use the boat to exit and reenter Thailand, thereby allowing them to stay another 15 days. If you want to stay you have to pay $10 in crisp bills. If you come back in a small group you'll have to negotiate with... 

Longtail boat to Myanmar from Thailand

Longtail boat to Myanmar from Thailand, Kawthoung

 BorderHopper Says:  Transport to Kawthoung (Victoria Point) is probably easiest from Ranong, Thailand which is located about 30 to 40 minutes by long tail boat just across a wide estuary that empties out into the Adaman Sea. It is possible t fly into Kawthoung from the capital of Yangon,... 

Getting to Kawthoung From Ranong, Thailand

Getting to Kawthoung From Ranong, Thailand, Kawthoung

 Hmmmm Says:  A wonderful way to enter Burma/Myanmar is to go by boat across the Estuary from the Thai City of Ranong. Itself a nice destination.Go to the docks in Ranong and negotiate a passage to Burma with some of the local boat drivers. You'll have to go on a Motobike taxi, just say I... 

Shopping  

Holes in the Walls: Souvineers and Local Crafts.

Holes in the Walls: Souvineers and Local Crafts., Kawthoung

 Hmmmm Says:  Kawthoung is definately not a shoppers Paradise. But there is some shopping to be done there.There are no real shopping streets, or shopping areas because not only is Kawthoung only really a fishing town, it is also quite a small town too.The best way to shop is to just... 

Burmese cigars

Burmese cigars, Kawthoung

 dabuwan Says:   These burmese cigars look like a jumbo version of the indian "bidis". A rolled leave with crushed leaves inside and a carton filter; I guess it is tobacco, but I'm not so sure about it (it is no drug, anyway).They are greenish in colour and they are quite strong. They are... 

Local shops

Local shops, Kawthoung

 dabuwan Says:  There are a few local shops on the main street going from the port to the hill. You can buy very nice sarongs and other tissues at very good prices. Many Burmese sarongs have a blue/cyan squares design, that is much different from the Thai or Indonesian ones. Most other... 

Warnings and Dangers  

Avoid government run business
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deeper_blue 1110 reviews

There is a lot of controversy as to whether tourists should even visit the country. Mainly because as visiting tourists your money is funding the repressive government, steer clear of official sounding business. Also avoid the diving centre, better to go with Thai companies.

Written Feb 29, 2012

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Tourist Traps  

Cigarettes that are not like Marlboro light
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2.5 out of 5 starsHelpfulness

traceyspacey 460 reviews

Well, not sure if this is quite a tourist trap. As we arrived on land in Myanmar, we were asked if we wanted any cigarettes or alcohol. We had already said no to the guy's on our boat. My boyfriend then decided yes, we were asked what we smoked. We were told that they could sell us a similar type of cigarette to Marlboro light. We agreed, we were told off by the guy's on the boat as they said that we had overpaid and should have gone through them. We thought it sounded cheap. When we got back to Thailand we tried a cigarette, it was pretty foul and we could not finish it. I think that they were called Golden Elephant? We left most of the carton in our room where we were staying and kept a packet or two as a souvenir.

Unique Suggestions: If you want a souvenir that fine, if you a cigarette that is similar then don't bother.

Written May 30, 2008

Related to:
 Budget Travel
 Backpacking

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Map of Kawthoung