Pattaya To Ubon

[gmac]

I'm planning a trip to Ubon by car in the next 2-3 weeks and would appreciate any local knowledge to help in planning my route. I've had a good look at the maps as suggested by members and to my mind the 331 followed by 304 then a right turn onto 24 just before Korat looks favourite, cutting the corner into Ubon using 2178 for the final stage.

Any comments anyone? Are the these roads decent or can anyone suggest a better route from personal experience.

Thanks

[feffejonsson]

The roads you have chosen are ok but with a lot of heavy traffic. On road 304 there is a steep climb up to Khao Yai National Park. Going up hill there are lots and lots of trucks climbing at 3 mph and going downhill towards Khorat there are big road constructions (doubt they are ready yet) turning the road into a four lane road. The same goes for road 24. Between Khorat and Amphoe Nong Ki there are big road constructions (doubt they are ready) and after Prakorn Chai towards Ubon there are again lots and lots of trucks on a two lane road. When the road constructions are ready the roads will be excellent but it might be faster and more pleasent to choose a smaller road until then. I havn´t driven this stretch since april but at that time it seemed to be much work left to do. The constructions started about three years ago.

[gmac]

The roads you have chosen are ok but with a lot of heavy traffic. On road 304 there is a steep climb up to Khao Yai National Park. Going up hill there are lots and lots of trucks climbing at 3 mph and going downhill towards Khorat there are big road constructions (doubt they are ready yet) turning the road into a four lane road. The same goes for road 24. Between Khorat and Amphoe Nong Ki there are big road constructions (doubt they are ready) and after Prakorn Chai towards Ubon there are again lots and lots of trucks on a two lane road. When the road constructions are ready the roads will be excellent but it might be faster and more pleasent to choose a smaller road until then. I havn´t driven this stretch since april but at that time it seemed to be much work left to do. The constructions started about three years ago.

Sounds like typical Thai construction, start work everywhere but not finish anything. I think an alternative route went further North using road 226, any thoughts on that one?

[Gary A]

Highway 304 has been vastly improved in the past few months so it's not a bad way to go. I have heard people complain about highway 24 and recommend taking highway 226 instead. If it were me, I'd try 24 and if it is that bad, you can always turn north to 226.

[gmac]

Highway 304 has been vastly improved in the past few months so it's not a bad way to go. I have heard people complain about highway 24 and recommend taking highway 226 instead. If it were me, I'd try 24 and if it is that bad, you can always turn north to 226.

Thanks for the advice, I certainly couldn't see any real way to avoid the 304 but as you say there are quite a few opportunities to bail out onto the 226 if the 24 gets too bad.

[feffejonsson]

I suggest you take road 226. Still have some traffic but not at all the same as road 24 (packed with overloaded trucks carrying sugar cane to or from Cambodia, never really figured out where they are going?). Taking the 226 also gives you the opportunity to stop att FC for a good meal and a couple of cold ones.

[tso310]

The route that alot of the villagers (working on house building) take from Chon Buri to Phro Khon Chai is to take 304 until it dissects the Aranyapratet road, 33, and go on that until you get to the Wattana Nakon. From there you take the road, sorry typing from work no good map, which intersects the 3068 which runs to Lahan Sai. From there you go around Panom Rung to hit the 24 and then its a straight run to Ubon. The 33 is usually pretty fast and from Wattana Nakhon to the 24 is empty and fast and pleasant on the eyes. I've done this a number of times and whenever I've mentioned the 304 north of the 33 they always say too much traffic. Not as direct as other routes but actually pretty fast and hassle free.

[gmac]

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions (makes a nice change from all the frivolous entries in the Pattaya Forum!), gives me something to chew on, either drop down round toward the Cambodian border or skirt Korat on the 24 then head up to Buri Ram maybe on the 218 to join the 226.

[bartomeer]

There are several ways to go to Ubon. My preferred route is:

Pattaya-Chachoengsao-Kabin Buri-Sa Kaeo-Aranyaprathet (direction Buriram)-Ban Kruat-Prakon Chai-Surin-Ubon.

A good advice: Buy you a good map and never.....never........never ask for directions to thai people on your trip

[gmac]

There are several ways to go to Ubon. My preferred route is:

Pattaya-Chachoengsao-Kabin Buri-Sa Kaeo-Aranyaprathet (direction Buriram)-Ban Kruat-Prakon Chai-Surin-Ubon.

A good advice: Buy you a good map and never.....never........never ask for directions to thai people on your trip

Another vote for the Cambodian border route, thanks - don't worry about me asking directions from Thais; tried it once having taken a wrong turn on the way to Chiang Mai, couldn't even get directions for the main road out of the town I was lost in! Won't have a Thai speaker in the car either this time so with my 7-8 words I'd be struggling anyway! Will definitely buy a good map before I set off.

[basjke]

Hi gmac, I do the trip pattaya ubon about once a month by car but I prefer to drive at night because it's less traffic.I normally start in pattaya around 1 o'clock midnight and it takes me about 7 1/2 hour to reach ubon center.In daytime count at least 1 to 2 hours more.I have tried various routes also the one via sa kaeo and arranyaprathet but the downside from that is that at night almost no lights and from arranyaprathet to the road 24 small roads and a lot of curves and crossroads.If you like a tourist trip this is the way to go.Also no major gasstations on that route.

The route I take is as follows.Because there is a big roadwork between pattaya and bowin industrial on road 331 i take the bypass to chonburi and just before sriracha go on road 3241 which connects with 331 just past bowin.It is a new 4 stroke road that runs from bowin to laem chabang and I think there must be a sign for 331 already on the bypass.From bowin I take as you said 331-304 and 24.Near khukan I take road 220 direction sisaket whick is a small road with not to much traffic that connects with the 226 in sisaket.From there on it is a brandnew 4 stroke road up to ubon.I prefer this way because it is straight on all the way.There are still works on the 304 towards khorat and on the 24 towards ubon but it isn't much obstruction anymore.Avoid to drive on a rainy day because it there will be a lot of trucks inb the mountains before khorat and expect to have a police roadblock on the 331 near phanom sarakham a few hundred meters before the road that turns to arranyaprathet.

Have a nice trip.

[jay-uk]

Google earth software offer directions within Thailand. If you've got the free software downloaded on your pc you can map from Pattaya to Ubon. I've just tried it and it works fine as follows. Here are the directions it gave which I have cut and pasted to this post:

Drive: 648 km – about 9 hours 21 mins

1. Head northwest on Phatthaya sai 2 0.2 km

2. At the roundabout, take the 4th exit onto Phatthaya Huea 2.0 km

3. Turn left at Sukhumvit 6.8 km

4. Turn right toward 36 53 m

5. Turn right at 36 8.1 km

6. Take the exit toward 3240 0.5 km

7. Keep left at the fork to continue toward 3240 and merge onto 3240 3.5 km

8. Turn right to stay on 3240 3.4 km

9. Turn left at National Highway No. 331 17.4 km

10. Continue on 331 66.2 km

11. Continue on 304 179 km

12. Turn right at 24 88.0 km

13. Slight right to stay on 24 64.7 km

14. Turn left at 214 24.7 km

15. Turn right to stay on 214 9.4 km

16. Turn right at 226 101 km

17. Turn right at Khu Khan 0.6 km

18. Turn left at Ubon 1.5 km

19. Continue on 226 53.9 km

20. Turn left at National Highway No. 231 6.7 km

21. Continue on 231 3.8 km

22. Turn left at Chayang Kun 4.4 km

Hope this is helpful.

[gmac]

Basjke - Thanks for the excellent advice, not too sure about driving at night as my eyes aren't as good as they were and I find the lights very tiring.

Jay-uk - Just what I needed, have tried getting directions off a couple of other map sites without success, hadn't even thought of Google! I reckon with a little tinkering I can incorporate Basjke's roadwork guidance into the Google route and be well set.

Thanks to all.

[feffejonsson]

If you take the cambodia route I recommend that you stop at Rong Gluea border market.

When you see the border checkpoint turn to left and drive about three hundred meters. Here you can buy the cheapest fruit I´ve ever seen in Thailand. One sack of pineapple for 120 baht, one sack of Lamm Jai 130 baht and so on. That was the price in april anyway.

[gmac]

Had a good trip last month, thanks to all who helped with the routing. Expect to go again next week, anyone used the 331 past Bowin Industrial estate in the last week or so and if so what are the roadworks like. Tried it last time rather than the detour up to Si Racha on highway 7 as suggested by Basjke and regretted it !

[basjke]

Had a good trip last month, thanks to all who helped with the routing. Expect to go again next week, anyone used the 331 past Bowin Industrial estate in the last week or so and if so what are the roadworks like. Tried it last time rather than the detour up to Si Racha on highway 7 as suggested by Basjke and regretted it !

Just did the trip myself this weekend and I can tell you the works at bowin are still going on.I used the bowin route on my way to ubon but decided to come back over sriracha.

[pab]

Highway 304 has been vastly improved in the past few months so it's not a bad way to go. I have heard people complain about highway 24 and recommend taking highway 226 instead. If it were me, I'd try 24 and if it is that bad, you can always turn north to 226.

Thanks for the advice, I certainly couldn't see any real way to avoid the 304 but as you say there are quite a few opportunities to bail out onto the 226 if the 24 gets too bad.

Travelled 24 last week on way back to our home in Si Sa Ket - great trip, lot of the road improvements completed already especially re 4 lane highway conditions that last until you are about 100 kms north of Korat. 226 is fine but if my memory serves me right the majority is nearly all just 2 lane ...I just like to avoid the kamakazi drivers as long as possible !!!

[gmac]

Thanks for the updated sitrep. Just back again, used the 331 past Bowin with no problems in either direction, apart from not being sure which side of the road to use! Fortunately everyone else had the same problem and as there were no signs to help both lanes of the dual carriageway going South had traffic travelling in both directions. No queues though, either way, and that was a huge plus as I travelled in the morning rush hour on the way up and evening rush hour on the way back to Pattaya.

[exexpat]

I just added highway info to a wikipedia page.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphoe_Kabin_Buri#Highways)

It would be great if you guys could add your collective knowledge to wikipedia so we can all benefit!

[ubonjoe]

Thanks for the updated sitrep. Just back again, used the 331 past Bowin with no problems in either direction, apart from not being sure which side of the road to use! Fortunately everyone else had the same problem and as there were no signs to help both lanes of the dual carriageway going South had traffic travelling in both directions. No queues though, either way, and that was a huge plus as I travelled in the morning rush hour on the way up and evening rush hour on the way back to Pattaya.

Since this topic got brought back to the first page.

I can confirm that Bowin is smooth going now. Road work is finished.