Hi All,

I would like to drive from Surat Thani Airport to Chiang May in Nov. so that I can enjoy the Country a bit, Avis offers Toyota Altis 1.6 Auto for 7 days with No one way fee (drop the car in Chiang May) and includes: Local Tax (TAX), Collision Damage Waiver* (CDW), Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF), Unlimited Mileage, Is this car good enough to drive long distance in thailand?

Any Advice re; route to take from Surat thani, where to stop at night etc?

Thanks in advance.

You can see the route details from google map;

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Surat+Thani+Airport+Phunphin+Surat+Thani+Thailand&daddr=Chiang+Mai+Thailand&hl=en&ll=13.987376,99.624023&spn=11.346211,14.128418&sll=13.880725,99.614645&sspn=11.351421,14.128418&geocode=Fe9niwAdX77oBSFAOl8LvSMCDyknKzh7satWMDFAOl8LvSMCDw%3BFbDPHgEd227hBSlBeJnCyMzQMDHUAyWSduFpag&oq=Surat+Thani+a+Thailand&mra=ls&t=m&z=6

Is this car good enough to drive long distance in thailand?

Yes. It's a decent mid-sized car, albeit not luxurious in any way. Toyota Altis models are the most frequently used vehicles as metered taxis. Everything works ok, and the air conditioning is one notch over many competitors.

Ive done the journey from samui to lamphun a few times and i always stop in prachuap town,nice little thai sea front town with great seafood then next day either drive straight to lamphun ( about 12 hours) or stop in sukothai old town guest house and have a look round the temples after breakfast,from there its an easy 4 hour drive to lamphun then half hour to chiang mai

A very practicle vehicle and with full insurance go for it ENJOY !!!!

Thanks for the info guys.

Cheers.

Perhaps a meal-stop in Cha-Am, to enjoy the sea-food, down at the beach ?

Sounds like a fun trip. If you plan a couple of overnight stops along the way, it will be much more enjoyable. Driving straight through would be brutal. You might make one stop in Hua Hin or Cha-am (good seafood, mediocre beaches), and another in the lower north, like Sukhothai (crappy food, spectacular historic park). This way you can arrive in Chiang Mai in the daytime. Enjoy and be safe on the road.

You can see the route details from google map;

http://maps.google.c...&mra=ls&t=m&z=6

Op, the easiest route I have taken is by going via Suphan Buri and Chai Nat--321 and 340--to bypass the big smoke. Have done Phuket-CM, Hat Yai-CM several times. Did Phuket right the way through the once (19 hours with motorbike on the back), but not recommended as you need double concentration all the time when driving here.

Perhaps take cmbe's route on the way up and stay in Ayuthaya for a night (Tony's Place is good), and then blast back via Suphan Buri on return, stopping at Hua Hin. Either way, piece of p*ss in an Altis.

/Sorry, missed the one-way bit. Would do the Suphan Buri route then and stop off at Hua Hin (have the best pad thai in the country in the night market--on left just past crossroads) and Sukothai second night. Then take the old route (101) up to Si Satchanalai for the quieter ruins, which then carries on up to the 11 to the 1 in Lampang.

Avoid driving too close to both the verge and central reservation (keeping an eye on the u-turners). Billions of garages to stop off for a coffee. //

Edited September 3, 201213 yr by jackr

Hi All,

I was advised by a local:

""The roads are already atrocious and getting worse the further north you go as the wet season takes hold! Only two days ago I had the occasion to travel from Hua Hin to Prachuab and back. In both directions the road was liberally festooned with heavy potholes between Prachuab and Pranburi, going north slightly worse than going south. And these are big, big potholes! Centurion tank size - I exaggerate only just a little!

Add to that the rain! On the way back north the heavens opened around 3.00pm; so much so that I would have pulled off to the side of the road, save for the fact that the side of the road was no longer visible!""

Now am having second thoughts, any one use this road recently?

The sky is falling the sky is falling oh good grief !

Riad is fine. Not unlike anywhere else except maybe the road signs in Thai at times.

Where it can be done in 2 days. 3 or more is better to see a few things along the way

First night in Hui Hin or Cha am a little more north

By pass BKK as much as you can using highway 9 to the West..

Bangkok can be a black hole and if you never have driven here much before best to stay away

Just about 25 km north of Tak is Bhumboil Dam one of the most beautiful places in all of Thailand

Several hotels and guest houses to stay in.

Personally north of BKK I'd stay on highway 1 it is the main one. Very easy to find anything you want. Signs all clearly in English. As for rain, less so in November, but yes now and them it does rain in Thailand. Shouldn't be a problem since now all cars in thailand have wipers to clear your windsheild. Maybe you have heard about them where you come from.

Road trip are fun and an adventure. I drive about 100,000 km a year here and enjoy 99% of those

There is no rainy season in November. I second the Cha-Am suggestion for beachside seafood. Great value, and very relaxing.

You can see the route details from google map;

http://maps.google.c...&mra=ls&t=m&z=6

Good route to see a national highway but not a good route to see the country up north. Take a left turn at Tak and take the 105 to Mae Sot and then take the 105 north to Mae Sariang. If you like that type of mountainous rural highway then continue up to Mae Hong Son. If you have had your fill of northern exposure then head back east at Mae Sariang towards Hot and follow the 108 to Chiang Mai.

You can see the route details from google map;

http://maps.google.c...&mra=ls&t=m&z=6

Good route to see a national highway but not a good route to see the country up north. Take a left turn at Tak and take the 105 to Mae Sot and then take the 105 north to Mae Sariang. If you like that type of mountainous rural highway then continue up to Mae Hong Son. If you have had your fill of northern exposure then head back east at Mae Sariang towards Hot and follow the 108 to Chiang Mai.

Like this?

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Surat+Thani+Airport+Phunphin+Surat+Thani+Thailand&daddr=Mae+Sot+Tak+Thailand+to:Mae+Sariang+Road+Mae+Sariang+Mae+Hong+Son+Thailand+to:Chiang+Mai+Thailand&hl=en&ll=13.987376,99.250488&spn=11.346211,14.128418&sll=13.987376,99.624023&sspn=11.346211,14.128418&geocode=Fe9niwAdX77oBSFAOl8LvSMCDyknKzh7satWMDFAOl8LvSMCDw%3BFQ_4_wAdyxriBSltjoE9o73dMDFQd4r6xUYDAw%3BFU84FQEdr1PWBSmHjPqjNE_bMDF95g0o9xE98Q%3BFbDPHgEd227hBSlBeJnCyMzQMDHUAyWSduFpag&oq=Chiang&mra=ls&t=m&z=6