A couple of months ago, the Moomikins hatched an ambitious plan for our family trip: to drive from Malaysia to Thailand. Her colleagues had told her about Betong, a Thai border town where bird’s nest and petai (stink beans) aplenty, and it was apparently accessible by car from Pengkalan Hulu in Perak – about a five hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
Cue me arguing in disbelief: “You sure or not? No way Perak borders Thailand! Isn’t it only Kelantan, Kedah and Perlis?”
Mum:
….. okay, I rest my case.
Took the necessarily leaves, booked hotels, bundled into the car early morning on a Friday, and off we went!
CHECKLIST: Documents To Bring if Driving through the Malaysian-Thailand Border
- Original vehicle registration card. If you’re bringing a photocopy, ensure it has been verified by a Malaysian police station. If you are not the owner, prepare a letter from the owner authorising you to use the vehicle.
- Passport. Same as when you’re traveling by plane, needs to be valid for at least 6 months.
- Driving license. If you’re Malaysian, there is no need to register for an international license (btw Thailand’s driver seat is also on the right)
- Insurance. If you’re just traveling around Betong there is no need but to go beyond (like to Hatyai, etc) you will need Thai car insurance. This can be bought before or after crossing immigration. More on this later.
MALAYSIAN BORDER
From Ipoh, follow the North-South highway in the direction of Taiping-Gerik-Pengkalan Hulu. Once at PH, proceed to the immigration checkpoint in your car and get your passports ready. You don’t have to get down from the car – just drive through the window. The officer stamped our passports and we were through in less than 10 minutes. Further along was a police checkpoint, where the police also checked our passports. Once through, we headed for the Betong Immigration Checkpoint.
THAI BORDER
Unlike the Malaysian checkpoint, you can’t just drive straight through the Betong one, so park your car at the compound and get down. On the right is a counter where you can get the country’s Arrival/Departure forms: Name, passport number, etc. (like the ones they usually give out when you’re on the airplane) You can either fill that in yourself, or have the counter staff do so for RM2.
Once that’s done, bring it inside this building. The immigration officer will check your passport and clip the earlier form inside the passport. Don’t lose the form! You’ll need it when you’re coming back to Malaysia.
Here they asked for RM3. Idk what that is, processing fee maybe?
Once that’s done, visitors can take one of the tuktuks (they look like Filipino jeepneys, not the small ones you see in Bangkok) into Betong, or if you’re driving like us, then walk down to the drive through point, where there is another counter. Here is where you’ll get the ‘import’ form to bring your car in. This is very important so don’t lose it ! Otherwise your car will be left in Thailand when you come back 😛
The form was an additional RM16, but I think this varies because there were many blogposts with different prices.
Once that has been stamped and signed, walk back to your car and now you can drive through. Welcome to Thailand!
The whole process took less than an hour. But then again it was a Friday and not peak season. Heard it’s crazy on festivals like Songkran.
Since we didn’t buy insurance before the border, we stopped at some shops by the road. There are many signboards with ‘insurance’ on them so you won’t miss it.
Can’t remember the exact price of the insurance, but I think it was around RM20 (?) Not that expensive. They have free drinks for travelers at the shop. 🙂
Finally arrived in Betong town! Feels almost like a small Malaysian town, except for the the tangled-looking electrical wires. The town is about 10 minutes drive from the checkpoint.
Extra notes:
Internet
Most hotels will probably have Wifi, but if you’re driving and need to use Waze to find spots, I’d recommend getting a data plan. Digi was supposed to have the Roaming Pass for Thailand but I couldn’t activate it for some reason. 😦 Ended up buying Simcards in town for 150 baht (about Rm20)
Language
No need to learn Thai just yet. There are many ethnic Malays and Chinese living in Betong, so most of them speak either Malay or some Chinese dialects, like Mandarin or Cantonese.
Getting Around
You can hire tuktuks to take you to tourist spots, if not driving. We didn’t see any conventional taxis.
Accommodation
The highest starred hotel in town is 3 stars. They do business with (mostly) Malaysian tourists. Even so, most places are well equipped with facilities and there’s the usual Wifi, coffee making facilities, etc.
Places to Eat
The three main ethnic groups in Betong are Thai, Malay and Chinese so food is a reflection of these three. You can get really cheap dimsum in town for 20baht per plate, and the 7-11 has lots of cheap and convenient meals to go. Halal options are available from the Malay shops. Chinese restaurants are similar to the dai chows you find in KL, but prices are about average/on par with Malaysia. There are also street food stalls at night.
More of Betong to come soon. Happy travels! 🙂
Eris Goes To 
Hi Luna,
Nice guide here! Do you mind if i ask; what if we have a friend that hasnt pay a single cents of PTPTN, can she still go across the boarders?
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Hey La Vie, thanks for reading! I’m not sure if she will be able to as it still involves crossing immigration, which would probably have records when they scan your passports into the system. Perhaps its best to check the blacklist (sspi2.imi.gov.my/) to see if your friend has been barred. Cheers!
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Alright thank you 🙂
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Hi, can I bring my own taxi to betong.
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Hey Gopi! I’m not sure what you mean – is the taxi owned by you, or you’d like to hire one to cross the border?
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My own permit under my name 1 malaysia taxi.
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If the taxi is owned by you and registered under your name, I think the same rules should apply, same as a commercial car. I am not 100% sure though as I did not see any Malaysian taxis crossing.
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Thanks for your information.
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Thanks for the info Luna.
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You are amazing. Thanks for the information.
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how is the food in bentong and is it costlty because its first time for me
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The food in Betong is quite reasonably priced, and they have a nice variety of Malay, Chinese and Thai.
You can refer to this blog post: https://erisgoesto.com/2017/10/25/travel-guide-top-things-to-do-in-betong-attractions-famous-food-and-more/
Happy travels!
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do i have to change my ringgit ot baht
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Hi! I suggest you change baht. Not all the places accept ringgit 🙂
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I am holding China passport, Can Betong Immigration do arrival Visa?
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I am holding China passport. Can Betong Immigration do arrival Visa?
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Hi Wei XingBo, I am unsure of this as my experience was for my own Malaysian passport only. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
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Hi Eris,
Just out of curiosity, is it possible to go past the border and just park and leave your car at the immigration compound? Then take a tuk-tuk into town? Are there any fees involved in this?
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Hi Sam! I think you can park the car at a designated area near the immigration checkpoint for RM10 (overnight). This is before the Thai border control.
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Hi Luna
My grandma stays in Baling, around an hour or so to Betong. Always cross the border during Raya.
By the way, there is mo roaming in Betong because the Thai gov prohibits roaming services in Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani provinces and Betong is in Yala.
My Maxis roaming was also of no use during my visit there.
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Oh, I had no idea. Was wondering why the roaming didn’t work. Guess there’s no choice but to buy a Thai sim card then. But thanks for the tip!
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hi, eris can i know what time is the PH and betong custom operating hours
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Hi Peggy, if I’m not mistaken, it should be open from 6AM to midnight.
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Hi, can I know any shop to buy car insurance before Betong border or at Pengkalan Hulu ?
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Bus will be leaving KL on 11/12/2019 10.35am, 6 hours journey & foresee will reach Pengkalan Hulu 4.30pm (Malaysia time).
Only 2 nights in Betong (Garden View Hotel) & wanted to explore all the tourist spot ie, Hill can see cloud, Piyamit Tunnel & Millenium Tree, Betong Mongkulut Tunnel, Hot Spring, World Largest Mailbox, etc.
Is there a local guide to bring me to all these places?
Can all these places covered / complete visiting during my 48 hours stay in Betong?
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Hey there Yat Wah!
Betong isn’t that big so I think 2 nights is more than enough to visit all the spots. As for a local guide, I’m not sure but I think you can probably ‘bao’ a tuktuk driver for the day to take you to all the spots. Hiring a tuktuk will also be more convenient if you’re not driving, as they do not have good public transport like taxis / buses.
Hope that helps, and safe travels!
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Thanks Eris for the like of KL Down by the river. My pillion rider and her sisters have thinking about driving to Betong. Nice to see the clear info from your blog. Cheers
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You’re welcome! Betong is a nice place to visit for the weekend; hope the info helps if you’re planning a trip. Cheers!
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Can we walk over the custom from malaysia to Betong? Meaning i take a malaysia taxi to the border, clear custom by foot, walk over then take a Thai taxi from custom to Betong town ?
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