Visa run - is a likely reason to come to Ranong. You can catch a songthaew from the market on the main road. It costs 10 baht to get to Saphan Pla, the fishing port providing the link to Kawthoung aka Victoria Point, a fishing town in Myanmar. Most songthaews end up here eventually, though some follow a longer route than others. You will either be dropped across the road from the immigration office, or at a small roadside cafe a few metres away. Your first stop is to go the immigration office where you must formally exit Thailand. Get your passport stamped and then head for the pier.
It is likely you will be offered a boat by touts. A longtail boat should cost around 300 baht return, whether you're on your own or in a group. The price you pay for a boat should be negotiated before you get in. There have been stories of tourists being charged up to 1,000 baht. There is also a big boat which is used by more organised visa runs, and a small-scale trip via longtail usually coordinated by a white haired chap in a gold coloured pickup who hangs around the bus station. Longtails are faster and fewer people mean less waiting time at the various immigration points. The big boat is slower and takes longer because of the number of passports to be checked, but can work out cheaper.
You will need US$10 in the form of US dollar banknotes to enter Myanmar and they like the notes to be in top condition, especially with no writing on them. Local touts sell US dollar notes, but at very uncompetitive rates. On weekends the Myanmar authorities also require photocopies of your passport done by a small shop at the immigration office for 10 baht.
The boat will first go to a Thai Immigration checkpoint, and the driver will take your passport to be inspected, then to a Myanmar Immigration checkpoint a few km on. For some reason they don't need to see your passport there. When you arrive in Kawthoung there will be plenty of touts offering cheap whiskey/cigarettes/guided tours. You must first enter the country by going the immigration office to the left as you exit the short pier. It is here you hand over your $30 and tell them they have English that you're a day-tripper. In fact they'll sell you a visa which entitles you to stay for up to 2 weeks. This should be given serious consideration, Kawthoung would be well worth a few days. If you're just staying the day, Myanmar immigration will stamp you in and out in one go so you won't have to go back there again on your way out.
You'll probably be offered Valium and Viagra by touts, and helped towards shops selling cheap alcohol and cigarettes. There is a limit on what can be brought back legally, and the boat may be checked on the return journey. You'll also be offered a one-hour sight-seeing trip on a moped from the touts. At the end of the trip you may be told that the price you agreed was for the moped only and that you need to pay further for the guide himself. It's well worth spending some time in the village even if you're just doing the day trip have a Myanmar beer!.
After the boat trip back, you must return to the Thai immigration office to formally re-enter the country.
Diving off the Similan- and Surin Islands in Thailand - is another activity that starts from Ranong. Although most companies who offer dive tours to the Surin Islands- and Similan Islands are situated further south on the west coast of Thailand in Khao Lak and Phuket, you can also go diving in these areas from remote Ranong. Also, famous dive sites like Richelieu Rock, Ko Tachai and Ko Bon are included in the liveaboard tours. In Ranong are a few liveaboard dive companies, of which The Smiling Seahorse and Aladdin Dive Safari are best known for their consistent tour schedule and various dive tours. You can also join dive tours to the remote and fantastic dive sites of the Mergui Archipelago in Burma. The dive season runs yearly from the end of October until May. You can also learn diving or enhance your diving skills while joining a PADI Dive Course at the dive centres in Ranong. Some courses are also given during the liveaboard dive tours.
