Thailand land crossings
A rundown on the Thailand land border crossings which feature on our Thailand and Laos small group tours and our Thailand and Cambodia family tour.
Thailand has a common border with Malaysia in its far south and a long, mainly mountainous, land border with Myanmar to the west and northwest. In the north and northeast, the border with Laos runs along – or close to – the Mekong River, while the Dandrek Mountains to the east mark the border with Cambodia.
At present, Thailand-Malaysia crossings do not feature on any of our regular Malaysia tours, (tailor-made itineraries only), while, regrettably, the Myanmar crossing points at Mae Sai – Tachileik, Mae Sot – Myawaddy, 3 Pagodas Pass and Ranong – Kawthaung are off the menu for the immediate future, for obvious reasons.
The old bridge at Mae Sai linking Thailand and Myanmar Thailand and Laos
The lengthy (1,850 km), border between Thailand and Laos stretches from the Golden Triangle region in far northern Chiang Rai Province to Ubon Ratchathani in the far eastern reaches of the kingdom. At present, there are five crossing points regularly accessed by foreign tourists, four of which feature a series of bridges across the Mekong known as ‘Friendship Bridges’. These are situated at Chiang Khong – Huay Xai, Nongkhai – Vientiane, Nakhon Phanom – Tha Kaek and Mukdahan – Savannakhet. The fifth – strictly speaking, the only actual dry land crossing – between Chong Mek and Vang Tao – links the Thai province of Ubon with Pakse Town in Lao’s Champassak Province.
The former and latter Thai crossings are the ones which are relevant to our tours. Our Thailand and Laos, Golden Triangle and Thailand, Laos and Vietnam tours both use the Friendship Bridge at Chiang Khong, as does our Mekong cruise extension, while the Thailand, Laos and Cambodia tour crosses at Chong Mek. (Note that Lao e-visas are only valid for the former crossing point and not at Chong Mek – Vang Tao where you will have to apply for a visa on arrival.)
Chiang Khong looking towards Huay Xai. Before the bridge’s construction, these long-tail boats took you across the border. Chiang Khong – Huay Xai
The Friendship Bridge is located some 10 kms east of Chiang Khong Town with Thai immigration sitting at the southern end of the bridge and Lao at the northern end. A 20 baht shuttle bus avoids the long walk across the Mekong. (This can vary a bit and may increase at weekends and bank holidays, while you may also be obliged to pay another 10 baht per piece of luggage.) If you’re embarking on the 2-day Mekong River cruise to Luang Prabang, then representatives of the boat company will be waiting at Lao immigration. If you’re on our Northern Laos and the Golden Triangle tour, then our Thai guide will wave you off at Thai immigration and your Lao tour leader and driver will be waiting at the far end of the bridge. As mentioned, Lao e-visas are accepted at this border post and will speed up the process. for
Chong Mek – Vang Tao
Our Thailand and Laos Emerald Triangle tour features two nights’ accommodation at the small riverside town of Khong Jiam, prior to a transfer to Chong Mek, some 30 kms south. E-visas are not at present accepted at this crossing so you will have to go through the relatively painless visa on arrival procedure. The town of Pakse and your hotel lie some 40 kms east of Vang Tao.
The Mekong forms the Thai-Lao border at Ubon’s Khong Jiam Town Thailand and Cambodia
Principal Thailand land crossings with Cambodia are, from east to west, Chong Jom – O Smach, Aranyaprathet – Poipet, Ban Pakard – Phsa Prum and Hat Lek – Koh Kong. The relatively remote O Smach border post provides a shortcut to Siem Reap if you happen to be in northeastern Thailand’s Surin Province, while the notorious Aran to Poipet post, unfortunately, forms the primary link for anyone travelling between Bangkok and Siem Reap. (Notorious due to scams, queues and general hassle.) Hat Lek is another remote crossing and only really useful if you’re travelling from Cambodia’s south coast (Koh Kong or Sihanoukville for example), to Koh Chang or Bangkok or vice versa. The relevant crossing for our tours is Ban Pakkard – Phsa Prum which links Battambang (via Pailin), with Chanthaburi’s Pong Nam Ron District and Trat Province. (Update: Note that all land crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain closed since the 2025 Thai-Cambodian conflict.)
Koh Chang – a 2-hour drive and ferry crossing away from the Cambodian border at Pailin Ban Pakkard – Phsa Prum
If you were on our Cambodia and Thailand family tour then you would actually be travelling in the opposite direction, (from Phsa Prum to Ban Pakkard), as the tour takes you by boat from Siem Reap to Battambang and on by road via the border near Pailin to the the ferry ports for the Thai islands of Koh Chang and Koh Mak.
The border post is situated approximately 1 and 1/2 hours southwest of Battambang while travel time from the Thai border town of Pong Nam Ron to the Koh Mak or Koh Chang ferry is 2 hours give or take. If you’re travelling under your own steam and the taxi drops you off at Cambodian immigration then you’ll be left with a 500m or so walk with your luggage to reach Thai immigration so you’re best to ask your driver to wait while you obtain your Cambodian exit stamp. As the border post is somewhat remote, we’ve found officials can get a bit bored and fussy on a quiet day so make sure you have all necessary paperwork, including proof of exit, photos etc.
We have on occasion used all the above Thailand land crossings on more off-the-beaten-track tailor-made tours but, for our scheduled tours the Chiang Khong, Chong Mek and Ban Pakkard points are the only ones that need concern you.
