Kawthaung Travel

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Kawthaung is between November and March, as with much of the rest of Myanmar this marks the dry season where the weather is typically warm and sunny much of the time.

With its location at Myanmar’s southernmost point and as it’s situated near the coast, the impact of monsoon season is felt strongly here. Expect many days of torrential rain in the months of May to September in particular, which may not be a great time to visit the area.

Check the below table for the general idea of Kawthaung weather throughout the year.

Kawthaung’s current weather and 7-day forecast

KAWTHAUNG WEATHER

Known as Victoria Point in colonial times, Kawthaung, is Myanmar’s southernmost town where many people make the 20-minute trip across the water from the Thai border town of Ranong for a visa run or a bit of sightseeing and shopping. Kawthaung is also the starting point for all Myanmar-based cruises to the vast Myeik Archipelago; it's now possible to do day trips from here.

Pyi Daw Aye Pagoda

As is customary for Myanmar towns of this size, Kawthaung is home to hilltop pagodas offering good views of the sea and surrounding area; the Pyi Daw Aye Pagoda is close to the centre of town and has market stalls at it entrances. You can see the golden chedi, rising on a hilltop just north of the centre. With south and west vistas Pyi Daw Aye is a top sunset spot too.

Mey Paw Kyan

Just in front of Kawthaung’s waterfront is a small, tree-covered rocky outcrop with a small pagoda atop. It is called Upper Mey Paw Kyan, and for great views back across town you can take a short boat trip here. A flight of steps leads up the low hill from a jetty to a small chedi surrounded by several nat shrines.

Palane Tone Tone Island

A great way to 'cheat' in getting out to the Myeik Archipelago is to visit Palane Tone Tone island, five kilometres to the north of Kawthaung. Attached to the mainland by an impressively long wooden bridge, the east side of the island is made up of mangroves and vast sand banks and on the west side you will find a pleasant sandy beach, lined with a number of simple seafood restaurants.

Maliwun Waterfall

Further north, Maliwun waterfall is located 40 kilometres from Kawthaung, to the south of Maliwun village. It is a lovely spot which is worth a visit, with a swimming area and a small water park with slides. It sometimes gets busy at the main waterfall, so if you are looking for more seclusion then there are a number of quieter waterfalls further upstream.

Boat trips to Mergui Archipelago

With the southern reaches of the Mergui Archipelago just offshore, there’s huge potential for island visits and boat trips from Kawthaung. With tourism so new to this region, no one seems sure as to what they can and can’t offer. For now though the only relatively organised – and safe – excursions were offered by the upmarket Victoria Cliff, at correspondingly upmarket prices.

They do have good speedboats, English-speaking staff and equipment, and offer occasional day trips taking in Nyaung Oo Phee Island, where they are opening their new beach resort. Their trip includes buffet lunch at the resort, plus morning and afternoon snorkeling sessions. The snorkeling ought to be good, equipment should be okay and lunch will certainly be excellent. Trips depend upon good weather and getting together enough people.

Despite its waterside setting, Kawthaung itself is not a particularly beautiful town, however, it's an interesting and culturally varied place to wander around.

There are a lot of restaurants around town. In the cheaper ones it is 400 kyat for a bowl of noodles.

There are so many street food and thai food around the city. If you are a lover of seafood, you should try to eat a delicious fresh seafood in a Kawthaung riverside restaurant. You can also enjoy bbq and hotpot (Muyan in local) with cheap price along the riverside.

As a fairly small and less developed area of Myanmar, whilst different accommodation and food options are available there’s not a huge amount of choice. It does vary from budget backpacker hostels to high quality hotels so you should be able to find something that suits your travel budget. If travelling in high season it’s worth booking in advance, and all accommodation providers can help you with travel advice in and around the area as well as onward travel.

Penguin Hotel

Add: Sabal street, Kawthaung City Center, Kawthaung / Victoria Point, Tanintharyi, Myanmar, Kawthaung, Kawthaung, Myanmar

Well-positioned in Kawthoung City Center, Penguin Hotel is the ideal point of departure for your excursions in Kawthoung / Victoria Point. Only 13 Km away, this 1-star hotel can be easily accessed from the airport. With its convenient location, the hotel offers easy access to the city's must-see destinations.

Take advantage of a wealth of unrivaled services and amenities at this Kawthoung / Victoria Point hotel. For the comfort and convenience of guests, the hotel offers free Wi-Fi in all rooms, taxi service, ticket service, Wi-Fi in public areas, car park.

Penguin Hotel is home to 20 bedrooms. All are tastefully furnished and many even provide such comforts as television LCD/plasma screen, linens, mirror, slippers, towels. The hotel's recreational facilities, which include golf course (within 3 km) are designed for escape and relaxation. 

Mingalar 

Add: 129, 555 Hill Street, 555 Hill, 95000 Kawthaung, Myanmar

Featuring a restaurant, a bar, and a garden, Mingalar provides accommodation in Kawthaung with free WiFi and garden views. This apartment offers free private parking and a 24-hour front desk.

This apartment with river views features parquet floors, 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom with a bidet, shower and a hairdryer.

A flat-screen TV with satellite channels is provided.

Guests at the apartment can enjoy a à la carte or an Asian breakfast.

Mingalar offers a terrace. A car rental service is available at the accommodation.

Victoria Cliff Hotel & Resort 

Add: No.1, Bogyoke Rd., Shwe Pyae Soe Qtr.,, 11101 Kawthaung, Myanmar

Offering an outdoor pool and terrace, Victoria Cliff Hotel & Resort is set in Kawthoung. The hotel has a sun terrace and views of the sea, and guests can enjoy a meal at the restaurant. Free private parking is available on site.

The rooms are fitted with a flat-screen TV. Some rooms have a seating area for your convenience. The rooms include a private bathroom equipped with a shower. For your comfort, you will find bath robes, slippers and free toiletries. Victoria Cliff Hotel & Resort features free WiFi .

You will find a 24-hour front desk at the property.

A number of activities are offered in the area, such as snorkeling and fishing.

Get in

Charter boat from the docks at Ranong is a common way to enter Kawthoung and has been used by travellers in Thailand looking for to extend their visa-free stays in Thailand. Travel agents in Ranong can arrange this for around 400 baht per person including transport to the dock but not including visa fees, which should be paid in pristine, unmarked Thai baht or US dollars as even a slight mark or tear will cause them to be rejected. Note, change is not usually given at the immigration office.

If you are travelling further into the country, you need to obtain Myanmar visa beforehand. It needs to be an ordinary visa which you can get in Thailand from the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, or an e-Visa (as of September 1, 2016).

When arriving to Kawthaung from Thailand, make sure you get an entry stamp on your passport from the immigration office which is located next to the main pier before proceeding with your travels. The checkpoint where the boats stop before arriving to town do not stamp passports.

If you come with a longtail boat and tell the personnel that you are making only an oneway journey, they will drop you off at same place with the locals a couple of hundreds meters off the pier. The immigration office is easy to miss when you are dropped off elsewhere as there is only a couple of small signs in English which can hardly be seen from the town-side, almost like it would tried to be disguised from onward travellers.

Get around

The most common way to get around town are motorcycle taxis. They cost 200 kyat per person for short distances, and about 2,000 kyat to the airport which is about 11 kilometres away.

Contact us to get more information