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 have Wifi, but if you’re driving and need to use Waze to find spots, I’d recommend getting a data plan. Roaming passes are unavailable in this region, so you should buy a Simcard in town (cost: 150 baht or 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. 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!
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