While
Hatyai remains as a popular choice for Malaysians' self-drive tours, the border town of Thailand-Malaysia that is closest to Malaysia is in fact Betong. A short 1.5 hour-drive from Penang island and you will find yourself at Pengkalan Hulu, the northern tip of Malaysia... right next to Thailand's sleepy town- Betong (mere 10 minute-drive after the Thai-border). Betong may not be as vibrant and exciting as compared to Hatyai, the town is still equipped with the Thai-charm where you will find plenty of delicious Thai food as well as dangerously addictive snacks around. Not so much on sight-seeing but more for a relaxed, slow-paced food-hunting trip with family members. A day-trip works but a 2 Day 1 Night trip works better for first-time visitors.
[Fun Fact] Betong is a town surrounded by mountains, temperature is often optimal with day time hitting a maximum of 32'C and night time as low as 21'C. It can be quite chilly and comfortable for an evening stroll at Betong.
[Crossing The Border] Crossing the Thailand-Malaysia border may be a little different as compared to Hatyai's. Malaysian cars need not to purchase Thailand car insurance should the distance is lesser than 50 KM from Malaysia. But it is always advisable to purchase however, do note that the Thailand car insurance only covers Third Party Liability and Property Damage up to a certain limit. You may request your existing Malaysian insurer to extend coverage to Thai-Kingdom (additional premium applies). At the border, there will be a counter assisting visitors to fill in the immigration card (TM6 Form) as well as drivers bringing their car to enter Thailand (TM2 Form) at RM 2 and RM 10 (depending on head count) respectively. Once down, head over the immigration counter to get the passport stamped before proceeding to handover the vehicle declaration form (another RM 4) and original JPJ card must be shown (non-car owners must present authorization letter and owner's copy of NRIC). Once they acknowledge receipt on the form, you are good to go.
