Getting to Katha

Select different types of transport for information and click on maps to expand.

Getting There

Air

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Bus

Detail Timetable and pricing information below

Mandalay to Katha

From	To	Departure time	Arrival time	Price (US$)	Notes
Mandalay	Katha	5:30 PM	1:00 AM	$39	Ordinary Bus

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There are also regular daily buses from Shwebo and Myitkyina, although vehicles are basic and roads can be rough – taking the train or boat is usually a better option.

To find out more about bus travel, go to getting around Myanmar by bus.

Train

Katha has a railway station, but it is situated on a short and slow branch line – if you are travelling by train, it is simplest to get off the main line at Naba and take a tuk-tuk or pick-up from there. The journey from Naba to Katha is about 45 minutes and costs K5000 for your own vehicle or K2000 for a shared vehicle.

Detail Timetable and pricing information below

Mandalay to Naba (for Katha)

To	Departure Time		Arrival Time	Price US$
To				Sleeper	Upper seat	Ordinary
Mandalay	Naba	10:00 AM	3:00 PM	-	$20
		1:00 PM	11:00 PM	$26	$20
		2:10 PM	03:00 AM	-	$20
		4:20 PM	05:00 AM	-	$20

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There are also regular daily trains to Naba from Shwebo (8 hours); Myitkyina (8 hours); and Hopin (for Indawgyi Lake) (4 hours). Quoted times are for ‘Express’ trains (there are also ‘Slow’ trains, which are best avoided for long journeys).

To find out more about train travel, go to getting around Myanmar by train.

Boat

Detail Timetable and pricing information below

Mandalay to Katha

Slow boats, listed below in the table, have private sleeping berths.

From	To	Departure Date	Departure Time	Arrival Date	Price US$
From	To	Departure Date	Departure Time	Arrival Date	Price US$	Mandalay	Katha	Mon, Thu, Sat	6:00 AM	2 Nights	$80

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There are also slow boats from Bhamo and Myitkyina. These sometimes have options with private sleeping berths, which make for a relaxing way to travel – but the journey times are very long, sometimes taking several days. Access to foreigners by boat from Myitkyina may be restricted due to the security situation in parts of Kachin State.

In Katha, the jetty at which boats arrive and can be found opposite the Ayarwady Guest House on the riverfront Strand Road.

To find out more about boat travel, go to getting around Myanmar by boat.

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