Page 125 - The Rough Guide to Myanmar (Burma)

Sittwe The DelTa anD wesTern MyanMar 123
arrIVal anD DeParTUre sITTwe
BY PLANE BY BOAT
Sitte Airport is 2.5km west of town (K3000 by tuk-tuk). The TO MraUK U
best local source of air tickets and other flight info is the There is at least one ferry daily to Mrauk U, run by different
Rainbow Air Ticket Centre on Main Rd, opposite the KBZ operators on different days – all boats depart at 7am from
Bank. Thandwe (for Ngapali’s beach) is just 40min away the jetty at the end of Main Rd, around 2km north of the
by air. Although airlines typically travel a circular centre (K2000 by tuk-tuk).
Yangon–Thandwe–Sittwe route, there are a few direct IWT ferry The slowest option is the government boat (Tues 2
Sittwe–Thandwe flights. & Fri; 6hr 30min–7hr 30min; K7000). Tickets for this can be
Destinations Thandwe (1–2 daily; 45min); Yangon bought at the jetty from 6am on the morning of departure.
(6 daily; 1hr 20min). The boat can get pretty packed, so arrive in good time. You’ll
have to pay an extra K1000 for a seat – usually a deckchair.
BY BUS Aung Kyaw Moe boat Faster is the thrice-weekly Aung
Foreigners were previously banned from taking the road Kyaw Moe boat (Mon, Thurs & Sat; 4–5hr; K10,000); either
out of Sittwe, due to the large number of military bases buy your ticket when you turn up, or in advance from their
along the route. The road was opened to foreigners in office at the jetty.
2013, but may conceivably close once more in the event Shwe Pyi Tan Quickest of all is the Shwe Pyi Tan boat
of trouble. Check the situation locally and book tickets at (Wed, Fri & Sun; 2hr 30min; K25,000) – twice as fast and
least a day ahead. Reaching Sittwe by bus remains a twice as expensive. Tickets are available from the Shwe Pyi
hard slog. The closest jumping-off point is Magwe, Tan office (T09 4967 4569) just north of KBZ Bank on Main
although direct buses also run from as far afield as Rd – there’s no English sign, although the big banner of a
Meiktila and Mandalay; all of these services go via Mrauk boat over the door rather gives it away.
U. The road running from Mrauk U to Sittwe has recently Private boats You could also arrange a private boat (up to
been upgraded, and the previously rough and long bus four people; 5–6hr; K170,000 return) and leave the same
ride has been reduced to four hours (or three in a private day, so long as you arrive by about 2.30pm. Make sure you
vehicle). It’s likely that as road improvements continue, agree on how many days they’ll wait for you in Mrauk U.
journey times from the rest of Myanmar will drop. The Ask directly at the port, with your hotel or with guides.
bus station is 4km west of town, around K3000 by tuk-
tuk from the centre. TO TaUnGGOK
Destinations Magwe (daily; 15hr); Mandalay (daily; 30hr); The ferry to Taunggok leaves from the jetty at 6.30am on
Meiktila (daily; 26hr); Mrauk U (3–4 daily; 4hr); Yangon Tues, Wed and Sun, arriving in Taunggok at around 4pm.
(daily; 30hr). Tickets (K45,000) can be bought from the Shwe Pyi Tan
office (see above).
GeTTInG arOUnD
Central Sittwe is pretty compact, although you’ll need transport when travelling to and from the airport or boat jetty, and
out to the View Point. There are plenty of Rakhine-style tuk-tuks (a kind of pick-up truck attached to a motorbike) cruising
the streets, and you may also be able to rent a bicycle from the Shwe Thazin hotel (see p.124).
aCCOMMODaTIOn
There are plenty of places to stay in Sittwe, but many of the cheapest aren’t licensed to accept foreigners – and the mid-
range options are a fairly dreary collection of identical, shoddily constructed business hotels.
Kiss Guesthouse 145 Main Rd (opposite the old somewhat let down by its indifferent staff, it’s otherwise a
clocktower) T09 451 165 896. Probably the best good deal. $30
budget hotel in town, with basic but clean and comfy Noble Hotel 45 Main Rd T043 23558, Eanw.noble
tiled rooms with attached bathrooms (cold water only). @gmail.com. This is a reasonably smart, mid-range hotel
Rooms close to the road are a bit noisy. The manager that’s right in the heart of town. Unusually for Sittwe, a
speaks brilliant English and can help with onward travel little creativity has been shown in the styling here, with
connections. $25 bold wallpaper patterns throughout. Rooms come with a/c,
Mya Guesthouse 51/6 Bowdhi St T043 23315. TVs, minibars and safes. $50
Sittwe’s best-known budget guesthouse has simple rooms Royal Sittwe Resort 3km south of town T043 23478,
with a/c and attached cold-water bathrooms. Single rooms Wroyalsittweresort.asia. Sittwe’s most upmarket option
are very inexpensive at just $20. While this place is – although the workaday resort-style complex hardly sets

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