Jiegao Border Checkpoint is the border crossing point into Burma between the Chinese town of Ruili in southwest Yunnan and Muse in Burma. It is a good day’s bus ride from Kunming and is a bit of a sleazy backwater.
Jiegao itself is a parcel of land not far from downtown Ruili that serves as the Jiegao Border Checkpoint. There’s not much to see here bar the austere border itself, yet the many markets in Ruili are good enough to hold interest for a few hours if you get stuck here.
You will find a wide range of Burmese products at the main market in Ruili, including exotic, and somewhat questionable items such as elephant’s trunk and snake skin to. There are also many watering holes and prostitutes which lend Ruili its more seedy side.
For culture, the Nongan Golden Duck Temple is a short ride from Ruili and within easy reach of the Jiegao Border Checkpoint. Farther afield is the Tiger-Jumping Rocks. The other Burma border crossing point of Wanding is 30kms to the northeast.
Getting There & Away
The most hassle-free way to the Jiegao Border Checkpoint is to take a bus direct from Kunming. Journey time is around 12 hours, via Baoshan, and goes along the old Burma Road (G320). The nearest airport is in Mangshi, 2 hours to the north, and it receives daily flights from Kunming in around 50 minutes.