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Crossing the border into Thailand
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From Kota Bharu, you can cross the Thai border by river or by land. If you're going to stay in Thailand for more than a month, you'll need a
visa
, easily obtainable from the town's consulate
. Both
border posts
are open daily 6am-6pm; remember that Thai time is one hour behind Malaysian time.
The coastal access point is at Pengkalan Kubor , 20km northwest of Kota Bharu, which connects with the small town of Tak Bai on the Thai side. Take bus #27 or #43 from the local bus station for the thirty-minute journey (RM1.70), then the car ferry (50 sen).
More convenient however is the land crossing at
Rantau Panjang
, 30km southwest of Kota Bharu. Bus #29 departs from the local bus station in Kota Bharu every thirty minutes (6.45am-6.30pm) for the 45-minute trip (RM2.60), or you can take a shared taxi from Kota Bharu for RM3.50 each; from Rantau Panjang, it's a short walk across the border to Sungai Kolok on the Thai side. Trains depart from here at noon and 3pm for the 23-hour trip to Bangkok via Hat Yai and Surat Thani; if you want to be sure of a seat, tickets can be booked for RM30 at the
Town Guesthouse
. Buses to Bangkok leave at 9am and 12.30pm; buses to Hat Yai take four hours. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Malaysia,
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