Travelling from Mandalay to Sittwe by bus is a thought that came in my mind when the decision was made to visit Rakhine State. Previously we arrived in Mandalay from Naypyidaw. Rakhine State is my next destination. Sittwe is located in Rakhine state, near the Bengal sea. I choose Sittwe as the first place to visit. Not many people select Rakhine state as their destination for a visit. Sittwe and Mrauk-u are the two main destinations you can Travel to. On the Myanmar map you can find Sittwe located in the North east of the country. Sittwe is also the capital of Rakhine State. Sittwe is true paradise for backpackers heading off to Mrauk-u. From Mandalay to Sittwe by bus is the idea which I have, however i could find no information on the internet about this subject. Only info i could find says, that there is no way allowed to go there by bus for tourists.
Travel Information changes rapidly in Myanmar. So i decided to get information at the guesthouse i stayed if it was possible to go from Mandalay To Sittwe by bus. The info desk at the Guesthouse replied positive on the question if there is a direct bus from Mandalay to Sittwe! Immediately i booked the ticket. The ticket price of 17.000 Kyats and departure the next day. A bus trip that would be a great adventure however a 27 hours endurance… The bus was leaving at the bus terminal in Mandalay promptly at 16.00 the next day. The travel from Mandalay To Sittwe by bus begins… As it promises to be a night trip and a long trip, I did choose for the more comfortable bus for the travel. In the bus I noticed I am the only foreigner. After an hour we leave the main road and head into the mountains. Small curving roads that doesn’t allow the bus to drive at higher speed. As the sun already sets, there is no enjoying time day view… How ever people next to me quite talkative and friendly. After 5 hours of travel we stop at a small restaurant.
At the simple restaurant the dinner is served. Dinner is included in the bus ticket, a dinner of simple rice and chicken… There is no mobile phone connection in this area. Therefore no possibility to get in touch with friends or loved ones.. Though people here don’t speak English here, two of passengers in the bus help me to translate in local language… After the half hour stop, we continue the voyage to Sittwe… Time to sleep and wake up at sunrise… The first sun rays wake me up…. Half way our travel the bus makes its turns through the hills. There is a beautiful landscape to view… We pass along rivers and small bridges… At some bridges we stop and everybody has to leave the bus…
The bus has to be unloaded before it can cross the bridge. The bridge cannot hold the total weight of bus cargo and passengers. Passengers have to cross the bridge by foot… It is very pleasant to have this walk after spending the long time in the bus… A Small truck with the cargo follows us and the unloaded bus follows after that… Heavy trucks have to cross the river by ferry… At the other side of the bridge the bus is loaded again and we can continue our way. Along the road young people are working and we pass small settlements… At noon we leave the mountains and we are still 5 hours away from Sittwe… The landscape in Rakhine state shifts from mountains to water and we make our stop in Mrauk-u. Mrauk-u is also on my list to visit, so if i wanted then i could also leave the bus here…
However as I prefer to make a river trip from Sittwe to Mrauk-u by boat across the sea and canals, I decide to continue my way by bus to Sittwe… On the map it does not seem it should be a long way to go… With new road construction between Mrauk-u and Sittwe It takes quite some of the time to reach our destination. The new road is mainly constructed by hand labor, females here are the working force.. The trip from Mandalay To Sittwe by bus it gives an amazing view over the waters around us and the Bengal sea..
At 17.30 we arrive at the Sittwe bus terminal. Our voyage from Mandalay To Sittwe by bus ends here… A moped taxi brings me to one of the few Guesthouses to stay here, after check-in a refreshing bath awaits…
Read our next post From Sittwe to Mrauk-u across the water…
Read more Here about: Mandalay hill…
–