Driving From Chiang Mai To Surat Thani

[stevehaigh]

i am thinking of driving a rental car with my stuff from chiang mai to surat thani. i'd like to do it in 2 days to keep the rental car charges down.

does any one know what the roads are like on that trip and what kind of speed can i expect to average?

it's about 1500km and i've driven that far in the US in 1 day, no problem, but i'm not sure about how realistic that is in thailand. any comment?

thanks

[RDN]

Wow! Good luck! I've done the bottom half of that journey several times. The first time was - like you - in a hired car full of my stuff, from Bangkok to Phuket. And that took me about 10 1/2 hours to do 850 km. It takes a little longer in my truck - about 11 hours - so you are looking at an average speed of about 80 kph. That includes stops for snacks, toilet, etc. But no hanging around and taking in the view!

I guess you'll being going down route 11, 32 and 1 to Bangkok. I've only travelled up route 1 to Sara Buri, and know nothing about 32 or 11 so can't help. But route 1 can be quite busy around bkk, so maybe you want to avoid getting too close to bkk, or time your trip so you get there about 4 or 5 am.

From bkk to Surat Thani I go this route:

Toll-way (expressway) to Rama IX bridge (follow signs to Dao Khanong)

Then follow signs to Samut Sakhon and Route 35.

Follow sign to Samut Songkhram and Route 4

Route 4 to Phetchaburi, Prachuap Kiri Khan, and Chumphon.

Route 41 to Surat Thani.

The problems with the roads are the pot-holes and roller-coaster surface. Around Chumpon it's pretty bad. You'll find buses and lorries staying in the outside lane - because it's in better condition - so you have to pick your moment to overtake on the left (i.e. when that side of the road looks good enough to do more the 90 kph).

I take an ice box (hope you can find the room - my hired car was absolutely full) and put a lot of ice and iced coffee tins in it. Chocolate too, for energy. And if you start to feel tired, you must get out and walk around. Talking to the g/f, listening to the radio, even singing will only help a little - get out at a petrol station, walk around and drink another iced coffee!

I hope other posters can give more details - especially about the top end of the trip.

Again, good luck and lets us know how you get on.

[ovenman]

it's about 1500km and i've driven that far in the US in 1 day, no problem, but i'm not sure about how realistic that is in thailand. any comment?

That's a bit ambitious for a single day's drive Thailand. I've done Chiang Mai-Songkhla a few times as a two-day trip with an overnight stop in the middle.

This isn't a bad drive as it's all four-lane these days. The main problem with the roads themselves (apart from the traffic) is as RDN points out, the condition of the road surface.

You may want to consider bypassing Bangkok altogether by:

cutting over to Chainat south of Nakhon Sawan on Highway 1,

picking up Highway 340 south to Suphanburi,

on to Nakhon Pathom via Highway 321,

join with Highway 4 on to the south.

The roads are excellent on this alternate route and with it you avoid the Bangkok traffic.

[penelope]

I have driven Phuket to BKK in a day and Chiang Mai to BKK in a day. Driving real causually with plenty of stops at various roadside stalls.

[pluto_manibo]

Definetely a 2 day trip, considering the car is going to be loaded with your stuff...and taking into account the traffic in the suburbs of Bangkok...I would suggest a stop in Hua Hin...Then you could return the car the next day in mid afternoon....Have a good one!

[RamdomChances]

I'v driven up to chaing mai and down to Phuket lots of times, and live more or less on the route down, Chaing mai 4.5 to 5.5 hre phuket 9-11 hrs, so thats a driving time of somewher between 13.5 to 16.5.

The quicker times were really pushing it though, sandwiches in the car stoping for the toilet or fill up, and keeping to 140-160.

Take the road down towards Tak/Kempeng Pet/Nakorn Sawan/BKK, then go around the ring road.

The Chian Nat route that overnman mentioned would be OK as well pretty good roads, I've gone that way before but I have to drive across about 40 km to chinat, so is slightly longer for me.

I'd probably stop for the night somewhere around Hua Hin. The roads are pretty good all the way down,and apart from some bad spots you can keep up high speeds all the way.

Oh when I did phuket in 9 hrs I was on my own in the car, no one to be afraid

[bkk barney]

###### ive done pattaya to penang in a day on a 125 cc motorbike, took bloody 22 hours though

[apetley]

Make sure that your rental agreement is unlimited mileage. They will whinge like crazy at 1500 k's in 2 days!

Hertz tried to charge me extra once after a trip like yours until I pointed out the unlimited daily mileage in the rental agreement.

[apetley]

Oops, doing Hertz a diservice there, actually it was Avis who tried the extra charge.

[sbk]

Definitely stop in Hua Hin, the trip is tiring even for me and I am just the passenger! Driving that road is quite stressful, lots of big trucks and the traffic can be quite heavy. Frankly we avoid driving at night as it can be quite dangerous (and the police stop you at every road block, very annoying). The roads around Hua Hin are worse than Chumpon I think. There is a decent hotel in Hua Hin with a car park (with a guard and a wall with gates) that we always stay at, The Subhamitr, it's right off the main road. Not great, but not bad.

I might add that if you rent from Budget then you can return the car to Samui. There is a car ferry that runs from Don Sak to Samui then on to Koh Phangan and back(Seatrans, it runs twice a day).

[ovenman]

The roads around Hua Hin are worse than Chumpon I think.

Last time I was down that way (almost a year ago), the condition of the bypass highway around Hua Hin was absolutely horrible. Even having to deal with town traffic in both Cha-Am and Hua Hin, it probably would have been a better drive to take the old Highway 4 through both rather than use the bypass. The old highway is mostly four-lane now anyway.

[terdsak_12]

Also depends on what motor you're in, if it's a crappy Suzuki Jeep it would be a horrible uncomfortable journey, however if you were a Camry it would be a pleasurable drive.

[RDN]

Oops, doing Hertz a diservice there, actually it was Avis who tried the extra charge.

I compared Hertz with Avis when I came to Phuket from Bangkok, and found that Avis were cheaper for the daily rate, but more expensive for the drop-off charge. I think the drop-off charge was about the same as one day's rental. Don't know how they compare now. Anyway, I went with Avis and dropped the car off at Patong.

[stevehaigh]

###### ive done pattaya to penang in a day on a 125 cc motorbike, took bloody 22 hours though

ouch! how many days before you were able to sit down again?

[stevehaigh]

I might add that if you rent from Budget then you can return the car to Samui. There is a car ferry that runs from Don Sak to Samui then on to Koh Phangan and back(Seatrans, it runs twice a day).

I plan to use Budget (unlimited miles) and i do know about the Samui return location, i just figured the boat trip will probably push me over 2 days rental and the car is 4000 bhat/day. so i plan to drop the stuff off at the ferry dock then return the car in Surat.

thanks for all the great advice everyone.

[astral]

Given your time shedule, you are crazy.

Thai roads are reasonable, but not motorways.

I can do Chonburi to Chiang Mai in a 10 hour day, that is an average of 90kph, but it is a ###### of a long way. To face the same again the next day.............

Given the fuel price today, it will not be cheap either.

Take a week over it and see the countryside,

or fly on one of the new budget airlines.

Edited September 10, 2004 by astral

[bkk barney]

###### ive done pattaya to penang in a day on a 125 cc motorbike, took bloody 22 hours though

ouch! how many days before you were able to sit down again?

yes it did feel like i had been buggered by a donkey, still i was young and stupid then now im older and stupid

[RDN]

...I plan to use Budget (unlimited miles) and i do know about the Samui return location, i just figured the boat trip will probably push me over 2 days rental and the car is 4000 bhat/day...

Blimey! What will you hire - a Rolls? I know now why I went with Avis - a Toyota cost about 1,500 per day, unlimited mileage!

...or fly on one of the new budget airlines.

Don't forget he's got a car full of stuff to bring.

[stevehaigh]

yes it did feel like i had been buggered by a donkey,

thanks for the visual!

can donkeys even provide a buggering? i though they lacked the equipment?

[taxexile]

good luck with your journey, try and get through bkk on day one and spend the night somewhere south of bangkok , hua hin if you can make it that far from chiang mai in one day. getting out of bangkok in the morning can be a struggle, what with the road construction,confusing road numbering and signing etc. ring road is a better bet but again the signs are confusing.

from hua hin south its a piece of cake apart from the bumpy roads, especially the new by-pass that goes round hua hin and cha-am.

good food and coffee at most large petrol stations and stock up with fruit at the langsuan roadside markets.

watch out for cars and bikes coming at you the wrong way on the inside lanes of dual carriageways which is why its safer to avoid driving after dark.

watch your speed too, surprised a few times by hidden radar guns and then stopped a mile or so down the road and asked to pay the fine. (never paid though!!

just made out i couldnt understand what they were saying and eventually they give up and move on to the next victim.)

reckon on covering 100km an hour including stops.

last ferry to samui leaves at 6pm from donsak which is an hour from suratthani on the worst road in the world due to the ongoing construction, no signs,no lanes,big unfenced drops to the sides, cars, bikes, trikes and huge construction trucks coming at you from all directions,40 km of ######.

seatran ferries much better than raja ferries,so avoid being suckered in to buying a raja ferry ticket at the new raja ferry ticket booth sneakily erected at the entrance to the seatran terminal.( the actual raja terminal is another 100 yards down the road. )

personally i would take three days over the trip and do some sightseeing, some nice things around prachuap khiri khan,

if you need a place to stay overnight in chumpon,then turn into the town off the main highway and the hotel is the tallest building on the left as you get near the town, you cant miss it. its 600b/night with free food. rooms ok. views good from a high floor.

happy motoring!!

[Gazza]

if you need a place to stay overnight in chumpon,then turn into the town off the main highway and the hotel is the tallest building on the left as you get near the town, you cant miss it. its 600b/night with free food. rooms ok. views good from a high floor.

Sound advice from Taxexile.

I can never remember the name of that hotel, 'The Grand Chumphon Palace Hotel" or something? Always have Ferraris, Porches and Minis parked out front? I nearly missed it the first time cos it looked like an office tower and only saw their sign in Thai on the main road. I was there in June and it was only 450 baht.

[jackr]

Recently drove to Chiang Mai from Songkhla over two days in a Toyota pick-up loaded to the hilt. Had everything on the back, including a motorbike, fridge, washing machine, tv inside along with computer, wife and kid, plus fondue set and cuddly toy.

Buggered if I was going to pay haulage prices. No pick-up in hat Yai either, so rented one from Phuket airport for three days. Seven-hour bus journey to Phuket, pick up the pick-up and drive back to Songkhla, continue packing until 11pm. Get up at 5am, continue packing and loading up, drive to Hua Hin (9-10 hours). Night in Subhamitra as sbk suggested, just out of town and big car park, pool etc. Not flash but less than 400 baht a night (another 200 for air-con). Don't use the Hua Hin bypass, worst bit of the journey.

Next day, bypass Bangkok definitely and get to Chiang Mai in another 10 hours or so. Unload into digs. Get up next day and drive to Mae Sai and back for border stamp. Drop off car at Chiang Mai Airport. Not far off 3,000ks in three days. 1,100 baht a day for car, 1,000 baht drop off fee, 2,500 fuel. Eay sh1t loads of crisps and drink gallons of coke on the road and keep eyes peeled. Keep off the hard shoulder and not too close to the edge of the outside lane.