By road
Access from Tak is about 100km along Highway #105 via Doi Musoe 870 m altitude and Doi Son 784 m altitude. Tak is connected to regular bus services between Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
Frequent mini buses connect Mae Sot directly with Tak bus station, starting at 5:30AM and finishing around 7PM, and in theory departing every 30 minutes lower end of Burmese market. However those that are already full can be expected to leave early, and those that are not will probably go late. The journey takes about 90 minutes and costs approx. 78 baht/person. The surcharge for putting a bicycle on the roofrack is 50 baht. There is a through bus from Mae Sot to Sukothai, via Tak.
There are buses in the early morning and late evening from Mo Chit Bus Station in Bangkok. VIP buses are approximately 613 baht single per person. Try to get a spot on the top level of the bus VIP as you are not near the toilets at the bottom level, they stink! There are also cheaper first and second class buses- 394 baht and 306 baht respectively as of Feb. 2011. The buses leave Mae Sot and Mo Chit early in the morning and throughout the evening several around 8am and 9pm - day bus or night bus. This means that after approximately 7-8 hours of travel time you reach your destination very early - around 5pm depending on the bus you take. Tickets on first class and VIP buses entitle you to a free light meal and/or drink when you stop half way. There are motor bike and tuk tuk taxis at Mae Sot bus station. It is best to have a map of your destination, with Thai directions, if possible. The average fare into town or to one of the guest houses listed here, is between 50 - 100 baht - negotiate prior to embarking!
Tickets for the scheduled buses i.e. not mini busto Chiang Mai can be purchased at the bus office on the Asian Highway, whilst a ticket to Bangkok can be purchased from the main bus station. Chiang Mai buses leave at 6 am.
Line cars travel frequently to Mae Sariang north and Umphang south - they leave from the market ask for directions to the collection points or you can flag them down on route, but beware, they are bone shakers and sometimes very full spare seating on the roof.
