Driving Directions From Pattaya To Khon Kaen

[IrishMick]

Hello members, In August I will be driving from Pattaya to Khon Kaen. I would greatly appreciate some directions. I will be returning via Buriram. Is Buriram on the route or will I need to detour?

Thanks

[WhizBang]

You are driving, but you have no clue where these places are? I really think you need to get a map.

MapMagic (ThinkNet) have a wonderful set of computer maps, that are, for what you get, dirt cheap.

http://www.thinknet.co.th/06/eng/home.html

As an aside, there is no way I would EVER get behind the wheel of a car in Thailand. Really really hope you have a lot of very very good insurance.

Edited July 2, 2012 by WhizBang

[craigt3365]

It's a pretty easy trip. Only part I don't like is going through Khao Yai park. The road narrows and people try to pass on blind corners. I've seen quite a few accidents there. Other than that, it's a breeze.

331 to 304 (Kabin Buri) though Khao Yai park and on to highway 2. Take that towards Khorat, but take the bypass, don't go into town. From there it's about 2 hours to Khon Kaen.

Buriram is a bit out of the way, but not much. Get a map. Try not to drive at night. Stop by Phimai if you can. Pretty cool.

[MauriceVanTine]

Google it and print a map and directions.

Moe

[lonewolf99]

Maps are great. Road signs are crap. I have been on this route many times now.

3 places that cause you problems.

1. Getting out of Pattaya and getting on the right highway. Exit signs at the exit, not before, to give you time to get in the correct lane.

2. Already mentioned Khao Yai area. Dodgy driving and blind bends.

3. Khorat. Again poor signage and you could end up in the wrong place and miss the by-pass.

Next the Police. You

WILL

get stopped. White boy with blue eyes, ethnic Celtic origin - means money. There are numerous road blocks and speed traps. Especially Wang Nam Keao area. Stick to the speed limit and expect the totally unexpected from other nutters on the road.

Unless you want a complete breakdown in your Celtic / Thai relationship - Do not get your partner to map read. Do not ask her/him for directions. Locals only know Bus stations and travel overnight and have no clue how you get from "A" to Nakhon Nowhere.

For a long time I thought my GF came from Roi-Et.....well, only when I had driven for 9 hours to Roi-Et did I learn her family house was in a village 54 km further on....not the kind of news you want to hear when you are about to lose all feeling in your lower limbs and you have had enough of nutters on the road...see above.

Duration of the drive is any where from 9 - 12 hours. Do not expect to get there in less time than that.

Take 20 minute breaks at Gas stations and load up on caffeine.

Do not drive at night thats when the lorries all crash.

Keep checking your wing and rear view mirrors, Tail gating nutcases will come at you at speed flashing their lights.

Avoid confrontations, better to give way and live another day.

Other than that have safe trip and enjoy the Thai contryside and views.

And yes, Burriram is way off route....

p.s. Your partner/passengers will also have the chance to learn many new English expletives and profanities and how to string them together...

[yermanee]

Contrary to lonewolf99 it takes about 5 to maximum 6 hours.

As Craig mentioned the trip through the mountainous Khao Yai park can be a pain in the a??.

For the rest it's about 500 km, with indeed a couple of speed checks in the Korat area.

For your itinerary write down the road numbers you have to follow, and Khon Kaen signs all the way after you cleared the mountains.

Yermanee

[craigt3365]

We go to Phon, about an hour or so south of Khon Kaen on a fairly regular basis. 5-6 hours, like Khun Yermanee says, is about right. We do a long stop for lunch and usually take another 30 minute brake somewhere...If you're like us, add a bit more. But 6 hours to KK is easily doable.

If you're not overtaking, stay in the left land and don't speed. I've been stopped many times, but I'm usually in the fast lane and "usually" speeding, or just about. I negotiate a bit then hand over the cash. Last trip cost me 250B. 200B was coming down Khao Yai in the fast lane. Speed gun had me right on.

[dinger]

You are driving, but you have no clue where these places are? I really think you need to get a map.

MapMagic (ThinkNet) have a wonderful set of computer maps, that are, for what you get, dirt cheap.

http://www.thinknet....6/eng/home.html

As an aside, there is no way I would EVER get behind the wheel of a car in Thailand. Really really hope you have a lot of very very good insurance.

Wizbang

You are so typical of a lot of people on this forum.

The OP asked a legitmate question to whch you replied that you would never do what he is asking in his question. However you state you would never drive here so that doesn't make you much of an authority on giving driving instructions

I have driven all over Thailand for years and never had any problems. Back to the original question, I have 2 GPS systems and a few of country maps, however whenevver I set out on a trip I consult some of my friends and ask about the best route to use.. As you must know GPS systems give you a number of different routes to chosse ffrom, oh wait you woulden't know as you don't drive here.

I have driven that route many times and as other people have said it is not a difficult trip just don't do it at night.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Re Hwys 331 & 304 (at least from Phanom Sarakham on) a big thanks to the U.S. Army's 809th Engr Bn, the 561st Engr Co., and the 538th Engr Bn, for either building from scratch or upgrading these two roads back between 1963 and about 1970. Good job, guys!

Mac

[IrishMick]

Wizbang your a sad man. To the other posters, thankyou for being helpful. I have driven in Thailand before. It's challenging but not overly so :-)

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Thaivisa Connect App

[lonewolf99]

Contrary to the above information from those TV posters "speeding" to Khon Kean in Ferraris - check this link out - it states distance and time it will take if you drive within the limits "non stop" to get there.

Bizzarely Google says its about 8 hours 32 mins - so add on 3 x 20 min breaks and get 9 hours 32 mins. Stop for lunch and don't get stuck behind slow moving vehicles and maybe it will a bit longer........11 hours to the town and then find the GF's village ....?

Which is what it takes me to do the trip setting off at 0600 I arrive at the GF's village around 1630 on a good run = 10 hrs 30 mins.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=pattaya%20to%20khon%20kaen%20distance&gbv=2&safe=active&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

I would be really interested to know if I am wrong when you make the journey in August....I can hear you now..."Aye the Lone wolf was right, I am going to have to stop and find a Motel before it gets dark"....

[SantiSuk]

If you take the 304 route through the 'Kabinburi hills' - slight misnomer as Muang Kabinburi is well south of those hills - which I would recommend in preference to the Khao Yai route (two lanes each way most of the way), its a good idea to time your run so that you go through the one lane each way section in the hills around lunchtime. Many of the trucks are parked up for a period between 12 noon and 1:30pm. Stop for lunch before or after these times.

[yermanee]

http://maps.google.c...F-8&sa=N&tab=wl

I would be really interested to know if I am wrong

You are wrong.

Open your map.

Enlarge it.

Drag the route from Saraburi to Kabinburi (Easterly from Saraburi).

That's the route to take.

Less traffic and shorter.

Google maps are not always correct. Their time schedule is probably based on route 331 being a 2 lane road years ago. It is now a proper highway.

I don't drive a Ferrari but my Vios takes me there as I said in 5 to 6 hours.

Have done it about 20 times, and my best friend who lives there does it in the same time with his Toyota Sportrider, when he comes to Pattaya.

Cheers

Yermanee

Yermanee

[jombom]

From Pattaya 331, 304, and 2.

Detour to Buriram on your return, is probably easier by turning off 2 near Phimai (about 50 km north of Khorat) (202 followed by 2074)

Leaving Buriram city, head south to Nang Rong (218), and then west (24) back onto 304.

Many Thai people get confused between the province and city of Buriram, and Buriram is a fairly large province, so best to double check exactly where you are going.

[craigt3365]

From Pattaya 331, 304, and 2.

Detour to Buriram on your return, is probably easier by turning off 2 near Phimai (about 50 km north of Khorat) (202 followed by 2074)

Leaving Buriram city, head south to Nang Rong (218), and then west (24) back onto 304.

Many Thai people get confused between the province and city of Buriram, and Buriram is a fairly large province, so best to double check exactly where you are going.

If you do the route via Phimai, take one hour and see the ruins and the big banyan tree (biggest one I've ever seen!).

If you have the time, I would also do the route that actually goes through the Khao Yai NP. Tickets are required, but it looks like a beautiful drive. Otherwise, the 304 through Kabin Buri and over the mountains is the fastest way. As said before, just be careful of that windy part up/down the mountain. There are some really crazy drivers here.

[yermanee]

There are some really crazy drivers here.

Well, according to lonewolf99 that would be me and my friend .

Yermanee

[craigt3365]

There are some really crazy drivers here.

Well, according to lonewolf99 that would be me and my friend .

Yermanee

Is that because of your "souped" up Vios?

I'll race ya with my City. HA! Pedal to the floor when the car is loaded and trying to go up hills!!

[NanLaew]

If the OP is doing a daylight trip, try and schedule your trip so that you avoid the morning and lunch time local rush-hour in towns. Even outwith the few largish cities you will be passing, it can be real dodgy from 7 am onwards with motorcycles and slow moving songtaews running kids to school and workers to factories. It dies down by 8.30 am. Then there's the lunch time bottleneck from about 11.30 am till around 1 pm.

I have done that trip dozens of times (onwards to Udon) and the only dangerous part is the single carriageway and steep gradients north of Kabin Buri. Just keep well back from anything in front and allow the eejits to take a chance overtaking on the blind bends. To be honest, I have only ever seen 3 wrecks but there's evidence of loads more! The northern part of the mountain track (nearer Korat) also used to be single carriageway up until about 5 years ago but they have made an excellent job of dual carriageway through those hills.

Without looking at the map, the side-track to Buriram isn't too arduous but as noted, get a map and note the approx distances between the junctions and also the highway numbers. The Korat bypass is a lot better signposted from both directions north and south so I don't see any worries there. I haven't driven Buriram so not so sure how well signposted that will be.

The comment about avoiding night driving as that is when the trucks crash is nonsense. I much prefer the night drive since there's nothing new to look at, the traffic is loads lighter and there's less cops. In Thailand, I would say 95% of the trucks pull over and park up after 10 pm and there's only tour buses and the high-top pickups running fresh seafood up-country to deal with. Also, at night there's less police harassment... apart from a determined speed trap south of KK where the cops stand in the middle of the road with a strobe light to get you pulled over. Try not to hit them! Otherwise, there's probably a couple of all-traffic stops, notably between the 'mountains' where they get everything to thread through and in my experience, window down and a smile and a nod gets you waived through.

Sent from the Back 'o Bennachie with an Asus eePad Transformer TF201 thingumabob.

[craigt3365]

If the OP is doing a daylight trip, try and schedule your trip so that you avoid the morning and lunch time local rush-hour in towns. Even outwith the few largish cities you will be passing, it can be real dodgy from 7 am onwards with motorcycles and slow moving songtaews running kids to school and workers to factories. It dies down by 8.30 am. Then there's the lunch time bottleneck from about 11.30 am till around 1 pm.

I have done that trip dozens of times (onwards to Udon) and the only dangerous part is the single carriageway and steep gradients north of Kabin Buri. Just keep well back from anything in front and allow the eejits to take a chance overtaking on the blind bends. To be honest, I have only ever seen 3 wrecks but there's evidence of loads more! The northern part of the mountain track (nearer Korat) also used to be single carriageway up until about 5 years ago but they have made an excellent job of dual carriageway through those hills.

Without looking at the map, the side-track to Buriram isn't too arduous but as noted, get a map and note the approx distances between the junctions and also the highway numbers. The Korat bypass is a lot better signposted from both directions north and south so I don't see any worries there. I haven't driven Buriram so not so sure how well signposted that will be.

The comment about avoiding night driving as that is when the trucks crash is nonsense. I much prefer the night drive since there's nothing new to look at, the traffic is loads lighter and there's less cops. In Thailand, I would say 95% of the trucks pull over and park up after 10 pm and there's only tour buses and the high-top pickups running fresh seafood up-country to deal with. Also, at night there's less police harassment... apart from a determined speed trap south of KK where the cops stand in the middle of the road with a strobe light to get you pulled over. Try not to hit them! Otherwise, there's probably a couple of all-traffic stops, notably between the 'mountains' where they get everything to thread through and in my experience, window down and a smile and a nod gets you waived through.

Sent from the Back 'o Bennachie with an Asus eePad Transformer TF201 thingumabob.

Sorry, but I just can't agree that driving at night is safer than during the day. Still lots of truckers trying to avoid traffic and those god awful night buses.

[NBD]

It's really not that stressful driving up there, I don't know what you're all moaning about. Beautiful drive over the mountains to Korat, the road is really good most of the way. Once you're north of Korat then it's usually pretty quiet up to KK - boring, flat rice country but decent motorway and very light traffic every time I've been that way.

As for getting stopped. I don't have this problem, mostly because I drive a beaten up old car that looks like I wouldn't even have 100 baht to give them.

Contrary to what many experts will tell you there are actually laws in Thailand and they can't just fine you at will. I speak enough Thai to negotiate this and have never had to pay a fine for anything I haven't done - reached an agreement on speeding a couple of times, but that's it.

[lonewolf99]

http://maps.google.c...F-8&sa=N&tab=wl

I would be really interested to know if I am wrong

You are wrong.

Open your map.

Enlarge it.

Drag the route from Saraburi to Kabinburi (Easterly from Saraburi).

That's the route to take.

Less traffic and shorter.

Google maps are not always correct. Their time schedule is probably based on route 331 being a 2 lane road years ago. It is now a proper highway.

I don't drive a Ferrari but my Vios takes me there as I said in 5 to 6 hours.

Have done it about 20 times, and my best friend who lives there does it in the same time with his Toyota Sportrider, when he comes to Pattaya.

Cheers

Yermanee

Yermanee

If you look at the left side of the Google map link you will see 3 routes and times quoted - the 2nd one is the one I use as well through KabinBuri. Listed as AH19 and Route 2 by Google.

I admit on Google the route looks dead straight and it sure as hell is not. I also admit that for whatever reason Thailand on Google is a good few years out of date.

Can I ask the next time you do the trip, number 21, you set a stopwatch when you turn off Suk in Pattaya and then stop it as you arrive at Khon Kaen. Do not just count driving time. I mean all the time including breaks. Also try it on a friday when BKK and Pattaya workers are heading home for a weekend in darkest corners of Isaan. You will never do it in under 7 hours. The GF's Brother drives like the normal Thai nutter and he knows back roads and more direct lines and still never does it in less than 7 to 7-1/2 hours. He did make claims of 6 hours until I started asking probing questions and then admitted the truth.

But any way .....I just hope no one has an accident, night or day. Unlike an other poster I have done this run twice at Sawngkran time and lost count of the accidents we saw and it took all of 11 hours to Roi-Et. It was an ordeal, no pleasure at all and I will never do it again.

[craigt3365]

That 2nd route is the one we do also. For sure, I will NEVER do it again around Songkran. It's just too scary.

[bangkok101]

Dont go via Buriram unless you have a reason to visit Buriram as this route is a greater distance and the roads are sub-par. Take Route 7 to BKK, to highway 9, then to highway 2, stay on Route 2 direct to your destination and follow the same route back to Pattaya.

Edited July 5, 2012 by bangkok101

[NanLaew]

AH19 and Route 2 is also my preferred route and onwards to Udon. Without thrashing it, it is invariably 4 hours from Pattaya to Korat and another 4 hours from Korat to Udon, say 2 hours to KK so 6 hours. Avoid Mondays and Fridays but recommend driving during public holidays. I recently did Bangkok to Udon in 6 hours flat, daylight run on a holiday Monday.

I respect that some cannot agree with my preference for night driving but based on about 30 round-trips between Pattaya and Udon and about 6 round trips between Bangkok and Udon over the past 6 years, I would probably have done only half a dozen of those in daylight. I would say that over 90% of trucks park up overnight and the ones that are still trucking tend to stay in the left-hand lane as there's less stuff they need to be passing. As for buses, on a dual carriageway such as this (apart from the mountain bits), the only buses you really encounter are headed the same was as you are. They tend to depart for their destinations around 6 pm and arrive around 6 am so once you pass them, whatever time of the morning it happens to be, they won't be passing you again. They also tend to stay in the left lane for the same reason as the trucks. There is undeniably less overnight traffic but each to his own and I would be the first to recommend one does not drive at night where there is no dual carriageway.