Sungai Petani, Malaysia to Betong, Thailand (What You Should Know Before You Go)

Getting from Sungai Petani, Malaysia to Betong, Thailand is relatively fast if you have all your ducks in a row. I did research ahead of time and had surprisingly few glitches in my overall plan. But! I did have a few glitches, so here you go with a basic plan based on my own personal experiences. If you have your own transportation, good on you. But for those who generally rely on trains, planes, buses, taxis, and the kindness of strangers, to get from point A to point B, then this is for you.

 

Sungai Petani Train Station to Bukit Berapit Immigration

If you are traveling from Northern or Southern Peninsula Malaysia, Sungai Petani is a good place to start. At least it was for me. The Sungai Petani Train Station is one of the stops on Malaysia’s oh-so-convenient north-south train route (the one from Kuala Lumpur to Padang Besar). The train station is also located in a buzzy part of town, and there are usually plenty of taxis cruising the area.

However, if approached by a taxi tout inside the train station, just be polite and keep walking. I do recommend pre-arranging a ride before hand, but you can certainly try your luck with a passing GRAB or regular taxi (which is actually how I pre-arranged my return ride).

Yes, folks, taxis will drive from Sungai Petani to the Bukit Berapit Immigration, but there’s a catch.

*Obvious taxis (taxi sign on car) are not allowed into Thailand.

*Pre arranged (unmarked) cars may or may not follow through with a pre-arranged agreement (in either direction).

*Prices for private transportation may vary greatly. I was quoted RM1800, RM350 and RM130 for one-way trips, by 3 different sources. Fancy ‘VIP’ rides are going to have much higher rates that will likely include them driving in from their non-Sungai Petani base camps. Time to get to you will be added into the transportation rate. You will save money and help the local economy by shopping more-locally.

*Malaysia registered cars ARE allowed into Thailand without special Thai insurance (if traveling less than 50-kilometers). Some paperwork is involved at the border, as well as small passenger fees.

*If your private car driver pulls a “I forgot my passport”, then he/she will not be able to continue passed the Bukit Berapit Immigration stop (regardless of how much you paid them or what your arraignment was).

*In a pinch, if you cannot find anyone willing to drive the nearly 2 hours to the border, then try your luck on reaching Baling, Kedah. It’s a shorter hop from there.

With their permission, I offer you two contacts of affordable, local drivers who may be willing to negotiate with you. Please be kind and do not waste their time kicking tires. I was very grateful to find them both and you may be too.

Harish- (Perlis based private driver/GRAB) *Career as private driver ends Oct 2024 :(
Malik- +60 19-507 3824 (Sungai Petani based taxi driver)

 

Arriving at Bukit Berapit Immigration

Once you get to the border of Malaysia in Pengkalan Hulu, Perak and check ‘out’ of Malaysia, you will have to travel about 500 meters more to Thailand’s immigration. If you are in a private car (or tour bus) it will be easy. First you check out of Malaysia at an outside booth (with your luggage), then scan your luggage before being allowed to continue your journey.

*Oddly, on my return trip from Betong to the Bukit Berapit Border crossing, I was trailing behind a tour bus group and the Malaysian immigration folks insisted we all leave our luggage in one area, while we individually met with immigration officers at the booths. Afterwards, we were instructed to scan our luggage and be on our way. I was very direct in letting the officers know I wasn’t traveling with the tour bus, yet they still insisted that my luggage needed to be set aside.

The reason I am telling you this, is that I have had my luggage accidentally picked up by well-meaning tour group operators before. It can happen. So, make sure your luggage is well-marked and keep an eye on it (just in case).

*Bukit Berapit Immigration, Pengkalan Hulu, Perak
Open daily: 6:00am until 11:00pm, +60 04-477 8277

If you are on foot… here is where your life will become complicated.

Just before Malaysia immigration there is a taxi stand, if you are lazy you can try to get one of those gentlemen to drive you the 500 meters, but honestly, it’s just not worth it. From my experience having a bunch of guys yelling “Where you want to go!?” (at the same time, mind you), does not warm my heart, it’s exhausting. *Do however make note of them if you are doing a round trip of Sungai Petani to Betong, and back to Sungai Petani, because you may need their services later. Good luck on that too, because generally speaking they are a motley-looking crew.

 

Added Bonus for Walking from Bukit Berapit Immigration to Thai Immigration (or visa versa)

Walking 500-meters uphill is not a pleasant experience if one is hauling a heavy suitcase. It’s also a true test of a suitcase’s durability. I ended up losing a suitcase wheel on my return trip (brand X from Lazada, in case you’re interested). But along the walk there are a couple of historic markers that you might miss if traveling by car (or bus).

 

Thai Immigrations

Once you reach Thai Immigration, you go into a building and get stamped for your entry visa to Thailand. There are no special rules about luggage being staged elsewhere, it’s just all very quick and easy. And as tempting as it is, don’t take any photos inside that building (like the sign says).

*Betong Immigration, Betong, Thailand
Open daily: 6:00am until 10:00pm, +66 73 231 292
(remember Thailand is 1 hour behind Malaysia)

 

Thai Immigrations to Betong Town, Thailand

If you are on foot… here is where your life will become complicated (again).

Pay close attention here. There are a slew of Songthaew (aka tuk tuks) waiting outside of Thai Immigration. They are a happy welcoming group of gentlemen. From my encounter several speak Thai, Bahasa Melayu, and even a bit of English. I was quoted 30Ringgit for a ride into town. At this point I am not sure how far it actually is into town, and 30Ringgit sounds ok. Then the guy says 50. Then I start, “Oh, but you said 30RM… blah blah”. Then he laughed and happily took me to town for 30Ringgit. This was my first lesson in Betong transportation. And I failed.

I later realized he had countered with 50Baht. And even later when I crunched a few numbers, I realized I had actually paid a whopping 230Baht for the 10kilometer ride to my hotel. Yes, it’s just 10-kilometers from the Malaysia-Thai border to Betong Town. And from what I hear, the going tuk tuk rate is 30 to 50Baht.

My tip for future Betong newbies?

Write the price of any ride on a piece of paper and show it to the driver. Get an affirmative from the individual before accepting any ride. For added seriousness, take a photo of this written ‘business’ agreement. Make extra sure that you are BOTH speaking the same denomination. The Ringgit-Baht miscommunication can be confusing and feels rather sleight of hand, so pay attention!

Welcome to Betong Town, Thailand!

Once you have arrived in Betong, hopefully you have been delivered directly to your hotel. Yay you! Here’s the bad news…

There are no GRAB taxis or taxis of any kind in Betong. And in fact, if you use the word ‘taxi’ in reference for any point A to point B transportation, then stop right now. Let the words ‘tuk tuk’ gently flow from your lips. Tuk tuk seems to be the umbrella word for all things transportation related in Betong, Thailand. There are also no moto taxis in Betong. No identifiable orange vests, no horn honking to see if you need a ride. Nothing.

If you are on foot… here is where your life will become complicated.

If you don’t have your own transportation, you can expect to do a lot of walking in Betong Town. I spent 5 days actually looking for a local ‘taxi’ service and it was only on my last day that I spotted one. The previous day I had seen a group of 6 get into a yellow tuk tuk after they all had foot massages. Aha! Ok, so now I know..

However, when I enquired at a hotel about getting a tuk tuk to an out of city limits sightseeing venue, it became a 30-minute exhausting Price is Right process. It was a game I didn’t want to play. 1500 to 1800Baht seems to be a going rate for many locations (which reminded me of Hat Yai’s love of 100Baht price tags (God bless em).

If you are travelling with a group of friends, 1500 to 1800Baht divided a few ways.. yup, I get it. But if you travel alone (like I often do), well, you are going to spend a bundle. You can of course try to bargain your way to a better price, but even my charming little American self had no luck. Thus, I spent a lot of time walking.

If this is your first time to Betong, many things are within walking distance to the clock tower. So do consider that when booking a Betong hotel. The closer to the clock tower you stay, the easier it will be for you.

Outside of city limits sightseeing will be tricky. Special ‘tuk tuk’ tours do hit a couple of hot spots, but not all on the same tour (unfortunately). And again, you can expect to pay a premium price.

*Motorbikes are available for rent, but I’m sorry to say I didn’t bother to inquire (my bad).
To be honest, the traffic looked a bit sketchy to me to be trying to sight see on my own while also being a defensive driver. But! If you choose to rent a local motorbike, please do wear a helmet.  

 

Getting back to the Malaysia-Thai Border

Here is another Pay Close Attention part. With my new yellow tuk tuk knowledge, I was able to flag a guy down and ask if he could take me to the border. He readily agreed and held up 3 fingers. I asked, “30Baht?” and he nodded affirmative.

Oh, but guess what? My great guy came to my hotel and picked me and my luggage up and then drove a few back streets and picked up one more person. I then thought we were both heading to the border. Yay me!

Nope. We went to the bus station on the outskirts of town (truly in the middle of nowhere). The other passenger got out. To be honest, I was a little nervous. My driver took a different route to the border in some ‘future development’ area. We were driving fast but it seemed twice as far as my initial arrival into town ride. But finally, we made it.

Oh, but guess what, again? When I happily handed over 30baht, I was met with a stern 250Baht! OMG! What are the chances that this could happen to me twice!? Oh, yes, lesson learned again and I paid the money. By the way, it is not in your best interest to argue about ‘tuk tuk’ fares outside of immigration offices, so be on the alert for these transportation shenanigans.

The direct route from the border to Betong Town is 10-kilometers and should NOT cost any more than 30 to 50baht. Get it in writing, then perhaps it will be worth approaching law enforcement about any miscommunications. At the end of the day, it may seem like out-of-pocket chump change, but that chump change can add up and leave you wondering how your holiday ended up costing so much. And no one wants to get ripped off, nor should folks get away with such nonsense, because it’s just not good for tourism. Get it in writing!

 

Back at the Thai Border

The process of checking out of Thailand and checking back into Malaysia is basically quick and easy. No tuk tuk is going to drive you from Thai immigration to Malaysia immigration, so do expect to walk (again).

If you are on foot… well, you know the rest

If this is a return trip for you, then everyone already knows you as ‘the walker’. It can almost feel like celebrity status because you will stand out like a sore thumb amidst the sea of passing cars and tour buses. Don’t be shy, just smile and wave. But don’t expect a single person to offer you a ride, because it just won’t happen, regardless of how tired you look.

 

Are There Buses That Go from Malaysia to Betong?

I was told by Easy Book that there are no Malaysian buses that go to Betong. In hind sight, I probably could have bus hopped my way from Sungai Petani to Baling and taken a taxi from there, but my 2 hour trip could have easily become a much longer trip with far too many unknowns. A private driver will at least stop for drinks or bathroom breaks when requested.

I did see quite a few long-distance Malaysian tour buses while I was in Betong, and a few times I wanted to chase after them and beg for a ride… but honestly? You will see a lot more interesting nooks and crannies on your own. It will also be an adventure you won’t soon forget.
See an example of a Betong bus tour itinerary from a Thailand based company HERE

 

Bukit Berapit Border Crossing Back to Sungai Petani

If you are planning on doing the quicky round trip Sungai Petani, Malaysia to Betong, Thailand like I did, then I highly recommend you secure a return ride beforehand. You are not required to pay them in advance, so don’t. You can try my previously mentioned contacts first. But if per chance your pre-arranged transportation flakes on you, there is a taxi stand just outside of the Bukit Berapit immigration building. Again, I highly recommend you get any transportation costs in writing to avoid miscommunications.

In a pinch, if your transportation efforts become a nightmare, try to at least get to Baling, Kedah, where there will be more transportation options (plus delicious Baling food). Baling, by the way, is also a fascinating little town and definitely an ok place to visit.

**A note on Malaysia Immigration

If per chance you are purposely doing a ‘visa run’ or even look like you are doing a visa run, there is a good chance you may run into problems. Regardless of where you entered Thailand, if you left Malaysia and are returning to Malaysia from Thailand, do consider staying in Thailand at least 7 days. The normal 72-hour rule is left up to the individual immigration officers, and some of the Bukit Berapit immigration staff prefer you spend more time and money in Thailand. If you are a frequent flyer heed my advice.

You could also consider taking the bus from Betong Town to Yala Train Station and catching the train up to Hat Yai to kill more time and see more of Southern Thailand; Songkhla, or even Satun (another interesting border town). And FYI, there is also a fun little train option from Hat Yai to the Padang Besar Thai-Malaysia border crossing. Here’s the bus station number in case you need it: Betong Bus Terminal +66 73 230 409

 

Is Betong, Thailand Worth the Effort to Get There?

Absolutely. And if this is your first time to visit:
Betong, Thailand: Mini Guide and Tips for First Time Visitors

Have fun and safe travels!