Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BY BUS
Foreigners were previously banned from taking the road out of Sittwe, due to the large num-
berofmilitarybasesalongtheroute.Theroadwasopenedtoforeignersin2013butmaycon-
ceivably close once more in the event of trouble. Check the situation locally and book tickets
at least a day ahead. Reaching Sittwe by bus remains a hard slog. The closest jumping-off
point is Magwe, although direct buses also run from as far afield as Meiktila and Mandalay.
All these services go via Mrauk U, but it's not generally faster than the boat (except the slow
government ferry), and a lot less enjoyable. The bus station is 4km west of town, around
K3000 by tuk-tuk from the centre.
Destinations
Magwe (1 daily; 15hr); Mandalay (1 daily; 30hr); Meiktila (1 daily; 26hr);
Mrauk U (3-4 daily; 5hr); Yangon (1 nightly; 30hr).
BY BOAT
TO MRAUK U
There is one ferry daily to Mrauk U, run by different operators on different days - all boats
depart at 7am from the jetty at the end of Main Rd, around 2km north of the centre (K2000
by tuk-tuk).
IWT ferry
The slowest option is the government boat (Tues & Fri; 6hr 30min-7hr 30min;
K7000). Tickets for this can be bought at the jetty from 6am on the morning of departure.
The boat can get pretty packed, soarrive ingoodtime. You'll have topayanextra K1000for
a seat - usually a deckchair.
AungKyawMoeboat
Fasteristhethrice-weeklyAungKyawMoeboat(Mon,Thurs&Sat;
K10,000; 4-5hr); either buy your ticket when you turn up or in advance from their office at
the jetty.
ShwePyiTan
Quickest of all is the Shwe Pyi Tan boat (Sun & Wed; K20,000; 2hr 30min) -
twice as fast and twice as expensive. Tickets are available from the Shwe Pyi Tan office (
09 4959 2709) just north of KBZ Bank on Main Rd - there's no English sign, although the
big banner of a boat over the door rather gives it away.
Private boats
You could also arrange a private boat (up to four people; 5-6hr; K150,000 re-
turn)attheairport andleave thesame day,solongasyouarrive byabout2.30pm.Make sure
you agree on how many days they'll wait for you in Mrauk U.
TO TAUNGGOK
The ferry to Taunggok leaves from the jetty at 6.30am on Wed, Sat and Sun, arriving in
Taunggok at around 4pm. Tickets (K35,000) can be bought from the
Shwe Pyi Tan
office.
GETTING AROUND
Central Sittwe is pretty compact, although you'll need transport when travelling to/from the
airport and boat jetty, and out to the View Point. There are plenty of Rakhine-style
tuk-tuks
