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Voykit pocket guide · Myanmar
Three Pagodas Pass
Half-day from Sangkhlaburi: three chedis, a border market and a hilltop temple view. One day is enough; no night at the pass.
Three Pagodas Pass sits on the Thai-Myanmar border between Sangkhlaburi in Thailand and Payathonzu in Myanmar, and foreigners can reach it only from the Thai side. The Thai side has three small chedis, shrines, a market selling Burmese wood, gems and textiles, and the border gate; the Myanmar side has a few temples and a market, plus one hilltop temple with a view across the border. The crossing is a same-day, passport-held arrangement with no stamps, so a half-day trip from Sangkhlaburi covers it.
- Country
- Myanmar
- Best months
- Nov–Feb (dry, cooler)
- Avoid
- May–Oct (monsoon, possible road closures)
- Stay
- 0 (same-day visit only) nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- MMK
- Money
- Payment and banking conditions are not assessed here; check with your bank and your government advice.
- Daily spend
- Budget US$10–15 excl. transport (estimate; check)
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance / Fire 199
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Meal at a roadside restaurant past the concrete bridge | about 50 baht per plate |
| Pick-up truck from Sangkhlaburi to the pass | check |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BKK · Suvarnabhumi (Bangkok)
- Long-haul gateway; onward bus to Kanchanaburi, then Sangkhlaburi and the pass. check
- DMK · Don Mueang (Bangkok)
- Main domestic hub for onward travel to Kanchanaburi. check
Typical fares
- Kanchanaburi → Sangkhlaburi bus
- 4–5 h (fare check)
- Sangkhlaburi → Three Pagodas Pass pick-up
- 30–40 min, hourly departures (fare check)
- Myanmar entry permit at the checkpoint
- US$10 or 500 baht
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
From Kanchanaburi, bus 4–5 h to Sangkhlaburi, then a pick-up truck 30–40 min to the pass, hourly departures. At the final songthaew stop, walk (head for the three pagodas, then turn right) or take a motorbike to the border; without a motorbike you can see very little.
See and do
Known for
- Three small chedis
- Border market with Burmese goods
- Hilltop temple with border view
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Sangkhlaburi | Pick-up truck from the pass, 30–40 min, hourly | About 40 min |
| Kanchanaburi | Bus from Sangkhlaburi, 4–5 h | About 5 h |
| Payathonzu | Cross the border gate on foot from the Thai checkpoint | Under 30 min |
Sleep
- Sangkhlaburi (Thailand)
- Nearest town with beds and the last bank (Siam Commercial Bank); pick-ups to the pass leave hourly, 30–40 min.
- Kanchanaburi (Thailand)
- Bigger base 4–5 h by bus from Sangkhlaburi; use it if you are coming from Bangkok.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| How much does this cost? | เท่าไหร่thâo-rài |
| I would like to buy this | ขอซื้ออันนี้khǎw sʉ́ʉ ʔan-ní |
| Where is the border gate? | ประตูเขตราชการอยู่ที่ไหนprà-dtū khèt-ráat-gaa yù tîi năi |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Scams and watch-outs
- Foreigners can enter only from the Thai side; the crossing was open to Thai citizens but not foreigners as of Jan 2012, so confirm status before you go.
- At the Thai checkpoint your passport is held and you must return the same day; bring a photocopy of your passport and 2 passport photos.
- The Myanmar checkpoint costs US$10 or 500 baht; change baht to dollars in Kanchanaburi first. No banks at the pass.
- No passport stamps are issued on either side, so this crossing cannot be used for a visa run.
- The pass closes during skirmishes between the army and Karen or Mon groups; check before travel.
The pass closes whenever there is fighting between the army and Karen or Mon groups, so risk to visitors is low in normal times; the real friction is the same-day passport rule and the cash-only Myanmar checkpoint.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Three Pagodas Pass yet. Suggested stay: 0 (same-day visit only) nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Three small chedis
- Border market with Burmese goods
- Hilltop temple with border view
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Three Pagodas Pass, revision 4437115 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4437115
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Three Pagodas Pass
ไปที่นี่ด้วย
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassy at the pass; the nearest bank is Siam Commercial Bank in Sangkhlaburi. For consular help, use your embassy in Yangon or Bangkok (check).
Bring a passport photocopy and 2 passport photos; your passport stays at the Thai checkpoint and you must return the same day.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/three-pagodas-pass). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.