Hello,

Can anyone advise if the road from Chumphon to Ranong is open today, or are there problems due to the weather. I need to do a Visa run ASAP, so if anyone has any news please advise. I'm hoping to set off from Hua Hin either Thursday or Friday.

Thanks

I am not sure about it, but according the news and the thai bus infos, Chumporn to Ranong is pretty safe. Makes sense as the road is in elevated (hill area) and so I would more worry about landslides as it happened in Krabi and Phuket today.

I too am interested as I need to drive to Bangkok on Sunday and am thinking that this route (Ranong to Chumphon is the safer bet)

Anyone know if it is open?

I too am interested as I need to drive to Bangkok on Sunday and am thinking that this route (Ranong to Chumphon is the safer bet)

Anyone know if it is open?

Can't find the thread for the moment, but I had a thread about driving Phuket to Bangkok starting Tuesday and another guy (TV name Simon) was driving from Chumpon to Bangkok. I tried to go up Highway 4 from Phuket, but on asking the police at Khaolak they confirmed my fears that the road was closed due to 'broken bridge(s)'. In the area of Khapoe (south of Ranong) there are three bridges under reconstruction and, when I drove down that road 5 days previous, I remember thinking to myself that these diverts (muddy roads down to the stream bottom then some fairly flimsy temporary culverts) would not last in any serious rains! And so the engineers who hopelessly under-engineered the diverts have been caught out planning for a continuing dry season. I very much doubt that they will have resurrected all three by now as the rain has been incessant.

Meanwhile Simon had already set off for Ranong because the main route down through SUrat was blocked (turned out to be a one day flash flooding issue but could return IMO). He found a landslide in between Chumpon and Ranong which he was able to get around on a mud track through palm trees and then hit another closure which forced him into some national park and he eventually found his way back to Krabi without going back onto Highway 4. The implication is that Ranong was effectively cut off on Tuesday and I would guess it still is from the South.

Sorry - can't be more helpful but do not go any great distance down the Ranong road from Chumpon without stopping at a police station and asking.

We got back to Bangkok this afternoon (Thursday). The road Phuket to Khaolak to Ta Pua to Surat to Chumpon was open but the roads, including Highway 4 were a bit hairy around Surat. It's the weather for an SUV/pickup, a full tank and emergency food and water if you have to travel down South!

The last time I abandoned a holiday due to rain was in Wales 30 years ago.