Travel advice from Ubon

[dekestone]

I will arrive in Ubon from Bangkok by train or possibly by plane (if I can't get a train ticket) and will be traveling to Khong Chiam. Any advice on the best way to get there from train station or airport? Thanks for any help.

[jastheace]

if you arrive by bus or train. pick up songthaew to warin chamrab market, then truck size songthaew to kong chiam. very very slow, especially after the lengthy train/ bus trip. would advise, even by plane, consider a private taxi. not expensive.

warin chamrab market or bus station will also have big buses, not sure about ubon main bus depot, should have, but never used it from there. get someone to right (in thai) your destination (kong chiam), so you can use or compare on destination boards.

hope someone else can help further, I,ve only done that trip on bike. but been other places in the vicinity on trucks. 

[jastheace]

actually, thinking about it there should be a direct bus (I say direct, as in same bus for the whole journey, not fast) from eastern bus terminal in Bangkok. I mention buses, since the train is mega slow, just in case u didn't know

 

[sunnyboy2018]

10 minutes ago, jastheace said:

if you arrive by bus or train. pick up songthaew to warin chamrab market, then truck size songthaew to kong chiam. very very slow, especially after the lengthy train/ bus trip. would advise, even by plane, consider a private taxi. not expensive.

warin chamrab market or bus station will also have big buses, not sure about ubon main bus depot, should have, but never used it from there. get someone to right (in thai) your destination (kong chiam), so you can use or compare on destination boards.

hope someone else can help further, I,ve only done that trip on bike. but been other places in the vicinity on trucks. 

Great helpful info. Just like this forum should be.

[dekestone]

11 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Great helpful info. Just like this forum should be.

Agreed, just the kind of thing I was looking for. Thanks jastheace.

[ubonjoe]

There are vans going to Khong Chiam from the main bus station in Ubon.

[Martyjustice]

Why not rent a car. Its a nice trip, little over an hour. Nice country side. Car rental right at airport.


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[SantiSuk]

Taxi one way from Ubon airport to Kong Jiam - probably in the region of 1,000 baht for the 75km journey. Taxi company desks at the airport speak English and will have a scheduled price. If you speak Thai you could negotiate direct with the independent taxi firms by getting dispatch numbers from their drivers (or on the stickers on the taxis themselves). Dunno whether cheaper. You'll probably need some Thai if you are having to do your travel at the station - or get a taxi to the airport.

 

Car rental pre-booked would be about 2,500 for a 3-day rental with pick up at the desks currently immediately outside the airport terminal exit doors. Car rental.com is reliable website start point.

 

Of course bus/van/songthaew will be mega cheap by comparison if you are not in a hurry and provided you understand that there will not be much easy-access local transport to go outside Kong Jiam itself unless you can speak enough Thai to ask around; there will be pick-up songthaews locally and possibly even samlaews (three-wheel cycle rickshaws) for travelling out of town and within town respectively. That, or you get lucky with a helpful accommodation receptionist/owner (search reviews on Google and hotel bookers for that possibility?).

 

Taxi from railway station to main bus station or airport should be something like 80-100 baht. Taxis generally available at station without needing to talk to a dispatcher provided you have some basic Thai words for the driver. If you choose the Warin market songthaew options you could walk there from the railway station; it's only a 10 min walk

 

Would be a shame not see Pa Taem National Park while in the area.

 

Nightlife in Kong Jiam is pretty much limited to a small stretch of bars with music (and food options) and the odd karaoke in a road that drops down from the north side of main highway bridge over the River Mun which is 2-3 km out of the town centre.

 

Sorry to teach granny to suck eggs if you are an experienced independent traveler within Thailand.

Edited October 27, 2019 by SantiSuk

[jastheace]

3 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

Would be a shame not see Pa Taem National Park while in the area.

definitely.

maybe the OP could say what level of traveller he is,  I started as a $$$, then after a few years went to $$ then for the last few years went to $, after that it was time to go home and earn some more.

I know some people start of at $ and enjoy their travels, usually, as in the case of my niece , as a gap year, with 3 months in SE Asia. 

anyways, OP has specified khong chiam, which is (IMO) a day/ overnight destination, so he may have an interest in that area ???

for river views, and a bit of R&R, with cheap food and few basic bars, it's not quite at the end of the world, just quite nice.

[dekestone]

Thanks SantiSuk and jastheace, lots of good advice. First-hand knowledge from locals is far better than anything on google. I'm a pretty experienced traveller in Thailand and can speak and read Thai so don't anticipate too many problems negotiating buses, songthaews, taxis whatever (but then there are always surprises in Thailand). I don't mind going by cheap (and slow) transportation but I usually stay in mid-range hotels or guesthouses. I like visiting Isaan but have never been to Ubon so I thought I'd spend a couple weeks exploring the area. Khong Chiam sounds like a nice place and I definitly want to visit Pa Thaem. Maybe on the way back to Bangkok hit a couple of other places like Buriram or Surin.  

[jastheace]

also.. @dekestone if your timing allows, and a great way to meet some of the locals, a little local scenery, and a bit of exercise, with a little imbibing of a few friendly bevvies, check out ' Ubon Hash House Harriers ' FB page, first Saturday of each month.