Myanmar Travel Islands

Kawthaung is a typical small harbor city where not much has changed since British colonial times. A partly rotten environment where everyone try to make some money with the people coming in from the seaside, smuggling and fisheries.

The daily trips from Ranong to Kawthaung are also attractive for Thai people since Kawthaung somehow functions as a duty free area.

That means beside the Kawthaung - Ranong "Visa Run" out of southern Thailand -about 200 people per day- paying each 10 dollars to the Myanmar immigration in Kawthaung a continues stream of Thai coming in to buy cheap cigarettes, cheap whisky and other stuff. The Myanmar's earn two times the visa money now than before since Thailand only issues 2 week visas at border crossing.

Kawthaung somehow convey the old nostalgic colonial times when the place was still called Victoria point after the British Queen Victoria. Kawthaung offers great insight into a small Asian ocean harbor  with exotic pictures and views. You can find a Kawthaung map further down. If you want to do some coral diving or just snorkel around better book the visa run tour via the casino hotel, only they have the possibility to do trips to the islands around with the visa they issue. See great  Kawthaung photo and videos from travel trips to Kawthaung. Below is also a Kawthaung photo gallery.

In resent years Kawthaung become also known for the nice girls from all of southern Myanmar who travel to Kawthaung for some business. They have very pretty girls and the prices are quite low. So Kawthaung is somehow a heaven for guys who want to have fun -yes not only girls want to have fun- as Cindy Lauper wanted to tell us !

Kawthaung pagoda
Kawthaung Boat Landing
                                                                   

The owner of the casino, Thai businessmen made a deal with the Myanmar authorities to get the island on long term lease, built a excellent beach resort with a casino and make a lot of money.

They also offer sightseeing and scuba dive trips into southern Myanmar and the Myanmar islands around. But there is a big difference compared to Thailand Islands.

On Thailand Islands there is almost always some kind of infrastructure, on Myanmar Islands there is usually no infrastructure.

This is the main reason why all scuba diving trips via liveaboard are done out of Phuket which is just 300 km to the south.

Here you can see the Kawthaung water front other Kawthaung Photo show boats, the

Kawthaung Harbor
Kawthaung Water Front

small harbor and the the small Pagoda Island 100 m off Kawthaung town.

The problem with the Kawthaung and Ranong area is, climate is very wet. Actual one of the most wettest areas on planet earth because the clouds coming in from the Indian Ocean or here the Andaman Sea, stall on the hilly coast and empty the water.

Kawthaung is also the destination for the very popular  - visa run - from Phuket, Samui, Phang Nga and around one can easily get a bus to go to Ranong and exit Thailand.

Take a long tail boat for Baht 300,- and have a short sea travel to Kawthaung for an hour. After back to Thailand for a new entry visa.

Since the Thai government only issue entry visa to Thailand via road or sea for 2 weeks now, business is brisk.

Kawthaung is a real rotten city in terms of infrastructure like most other cities in Myanmar.

It looks like not much has changed since the departure of the English colonialists who called the area Victoria Point, the southernmost tip of Myanmar or Burma.

Victoria Point under English colonial rules is today the Myanmar city of Kawthaung.

Nothing left of Myanmar golden Myanmar, if you ask one of the younger guys if know Victoria Point they smile I say "mate ou" this means I don't know in Myanmar language.

A few Myanmar hotels are around very close to the waterfront as you can see at the Myanmar picture here.

Myanmar tours are very seldom to Kawthaung or Victoria Point. The only Myanmar tour over here is for a Myanmar visa. Traveling between
Thailand and Myanmar.