Best way to go to Savannakhet

[ubonjoe]

Lao airways leaves from BKK for one thing. Most domestic flights go to DMK.

The flight schedule to and from Savannakhet is in the afternoon. To late to apply and to early to leave after picking up your passport. So 3 nights in a hotel.

Cost is another factor. Lao airways is much more expensive than taking a flight to Mukdahan or Nakhon Phanom.

[eaglesflight]

Bangkok Airways fly to BKK and I thought he was talking about a 4-day trip in any case? Just seems a bit daft to me, to go to the trouble and expense of flying to Bangkok from Chiang Mai and then still landing yourself with an annoying bus journey of over 2 hours each way. The cost is a bit much though, I must admit. I think it worked out around 7k return from Bangkok to Savannakhet when I last looked. if you add in the flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, it's over 9k baht.

Edited June 2, 2015 by eaglesflight

[BuckBee]

Tour bus in evening & arriving early morning at Mukdahan is always best way & actually quicker generally due to better transition timing of border crossing & visa service hours. you waste thousands baht on flight & waste time running about airports & generally need a hotel at Mukdahan to then cross following day which pointless waste of life hours & money.

[anto]

Savanaket is a pain to get to from Chiang mai .This time i am going C.M. to BKK ,then BKK to Mukhadan by plane .Airasia and Nokair .Stay overnight Mukhadan ,then next morning to Savanaket to place my application .Stay overnight Savannaket ,next day collect visa in the afternoon .Take overnight bus to Vientiane ,asrrive next morning and immediately head to Udon Thani .Stay overnight Udon and next day plane back to C.M.

P.S,It would work out cheaper for me to drive there, but i am not good at staying awake on long car drives .

Edited June 2, 2015 by anto

[brewsterbudgen]

If you've got the money why not just fly direct from BKK on Lao Airlines? It only takes an hour.

[anto]

If you've got the money why not just fly direct from BKK on Lao Airlines? It only takes an hour.

I think Lao Airlines also fly C.M to Savannaket ,but at a very high cost and not every day .

[ubonjoe]

If you've got the money why not just fly direct from BKK on Lao Airlines? It only takes an hour.

I think Lao Airlines also fly C.M to Savannaket ,but at a very high cost and not every day .

They do but it is not a direct flight. It would be CM to Luang Prabang connecting with a flight to Vientiane and then a connection to Savannakhet.

[anto]

If you've got the money why not just fly direct from BKK on Lao Airlines? It only takes an hour.

I think Lao Airlines also fly C.M to Savannaket ,but at a very high cost and not every day .

They do but it is not a direct flight. It would be CM to Luang Prabang connecting with a flight to Vientiane and then a connection to Savannakhet.

Yes ,just checked .And BKK to Savannaket on my dates around B8000 return with Lao Airlines ,and i still have to get to BKK from C.M.

[ubonjoe]

You could fly to here to here in Ubon on Kan Air from CM.. Then take a bus or van to Mukdahan. It is only about a 2 to 3 hour trip to Mukdahan.

Check: http://www.kanairlines.com/web/

[anto]

You could fly to here to here in Ubon on Kan Air from CM.. Then take a bus or van to Mukdahan. It is only about a 2 to 3 hour trip to Mukdahan.

Check: http://www.kanairlines.com/web/

Thats another possibility .Before i went Nok air to Udon Thani ,from C.M ,but busses from there to Mukdahan are ancient ,and last time it took 8 hours due to a break down of the bus .

[ubonjoe]

Since Mukdahan is a neighboring province their are several buses and vans that go on a regular basis.

You could even get a meter Taxi from the airport. Not sure but I think it is about 1500 baht.

[eaglesflight]

Tour bus in evening & arriving early morning at Mukdahan is always best way & actually quicker generally due to better transition timing of border crossing & visa service hours. you waste thousands baht on flight & waste time running about airports & generally need a hotel at Mukdahan to then cross following day which pointless waste of life hours & money.

Do you mean a tour bus from CM to Mukdahan? I might have to do the trip myself in six months (assuming the goalposts haven't moved again by then) and whichever option I look at, it seems like an enormous pain to get there from here.

Edited June 5, 2015 by eaglesflight

[ubonjoe]

Tour bus in evening & arriving early morning at Mukdahan is always best way & actually quicker generally due to better transition timing of border crossing & visa service hours. you waste thousands baht on flight & waste time running about airports & generally need a hotel at Mukdahan to then cross following day which pointless waste of life hours & money.

Do you mean a tour bus from CM to Mukdahan? I might have to do the trip myself in six months (assuming the goalposts haven't moved again by then) and whichever option I look at, it seems like an enormous pain to get there from here.

From previous posts I think he is talking about buses from Bangkok.

I can recall posts stating that there is no direct buses from CM to Mukdahan. You have to change buses at Khon Kaen or Udon.

[eaglesflight]

Tour bus in evening & arriving early morning at Mukdahan is always best way & actually quicker generally due to better transition timing of border crossing & visa service hours. you waste thousands baht on flight & waste time running about airports & generally need a hotel at Mukdahan to then cross following day which pointless waste of life hours & money.

Do you mean a tour bus from CM to Mukdahan? I might have to do the trip myself in six months (assuming the goalposts haven't moved again by then) and whichever option I look at, it seems like an enormous pain to get there from here.

From previous posts I think he is talking about buses from Bangkok.

I can recall posts stating that there is no direct buses from CM to Mukdahan. You have to change buses at Khon Kaen or Udon.

Ah, OK. Thank you.

[SuengTueng]

First time im impressed with cm immi, took <5min to have my visa cancelled on a wednesday afternoon. In and out.

Will give a trip report once im back, i will leave 8june and back 11june
8june, plane to don muang early morning, then don muang to nakhon phanom with plane, then shuttle to mukdahan, cross the brdige, stay in hotel 1 night
9june go to consulate, stay night in savannakhet
10june pick up passport and stay the night in mukdahan
11june go back same way

Total cost for tickets 1400 to don muang and 2300 don muang to mukdahan = total go and back 3700THB
Hotel 3nights cost me ~2500THB
Visa 5000THB

[thai006]

me i go on 11 , i pay my return khon kaen cm by kan air 990b really cheap

one question ubon for non o single thai child

i need his original birth certificate and copy , his house book, and id copy of gf and her house book and only that right ?

no proof of rent and house book of owner ?

thxx

[ubonjoe]

me i go on 11 , i pay my return khon kaen cm by kan air 990b really cheap

one question ubon for non o single thai child

i need his original birth certificate and copy , his house book, and id copy of gf and her house book and only that right ?

no proof of rent and house book of owner ?

thxx

To get a single entry non-o you will just need a copy of their birth certificate plus a copy and a copy of their house book registry.. No need for anything else.

[losworld]

Some good advice here. However DO NOT TAKE YELLOW BUS. Take my word they average around 50 km per hour and are old uncomfortable buses that often break down.

[anto]

First time im impressed with cm immi, took <5min to have my visa cancelled on a wednesday afternoon. In and out.

Will give a trip report once im back, i will leave 8june and back 11june

8june, plane to don muang early morning, then don muang to nakhon phanom with plane, then shuttle to mukdahan, cross the brdige, stay in hotel 1 night

9june go to consulate, stay night in savannakhet

10june pick up passport and stay the night in mukdahan

11june go back same way

Total cost for tickets 1400 to don muang and 2300 don muang to mukdahan = total go and back 3700THB

Hotel 3nights cost me ~2500THB

Visa 5000THB

Also cost of Lao visa .Cheaper if you pay in US$30 or B1,500 in Baht .( cost also depends on Nationality)

Edited June 7, 2015 by anto

[anto]

^Correction to above post .I should have said 35$ i believe.

[kevc]

Correct me if I'm wrong but I always thought you could get a 12 month extension without bank details if you have a Thai child to support.

[nzexpat]

I think you are mistaken !

[khunyod]

Planning a Chiang Mai to Mukdahan/Savannakhet in Jan. Last time went Bangkok Air CNX-UTH and then minibuses (~6.5 hours). On the return we visited the Nakhon Phanom temple and then back to UTH. Great thing then was we were on the second day of a new Bangkok Air route CNX-UTH direct, at a great price (~2,000 THB each way). Sadly, they stopped that route. Now the only direct option is Nok Air at 3,200 round trip, and the flights are reversed, aka afternoon going and morning return. Sigh.

So, doing the calculations it looks like a Kan Air from CNX-UBP is 1,690 to go, then there is a whole day to futz around Ubon and get to Mukdahan. Overnight there then to Savannakhet. Overnight Savannakhet then back to Mukdahan. Overnight (night 3) in Mukdahan then to Khon Kaen where there is a Kan air flight KCC-CNX at 3pm for another 1,690.

This new projected plan can't overcome the three night stand (nothing can) but it does have the advantage of being cheaper than bouncing down through DMK for a Nok CNX-Nakhon Phanom and a dash at 10pm to get to Mukdahan the same night (plus time going to DMK and cooling heels there, as well as additional 2,000 THB to do so).

[BritTim]

@khunyod

For your return, you might consider

Nok Air Fly-Ride service Mukdahan-Don Muang 15:30 20:05 (about 1,529 baht. On request, they will pick you up from the bridge.

combined with

Air Asia DMK CNX 21:25 22:35 (about 1,090 baht)

In considering the price, bear in mind that this saves an overnight and includes transport from Mukdahan to the airport.

[khunyod]

@khunyod

For your return, you might consider

Nok Air Fly-Ride service Mukdahan-Don Muang 15:30 20:05 (about 1,529 baht. On request, they will pick you up from the bridge.

combined with

Air Asia DMK CNX 21:25 22:35 (about 1,090 baht)

In considering the price, bear in mind that this saves an overnight and includes transport from Mukdahan to the airport.

@BritTim that's great, you've solved it! Booking now.

[khunyod]

Looks like the Mukdahan Fly-Ride is actually out of all three neighboring airports: Nakhon Pathom, Ubon Ratchathani, and Sakhon Nakhon.

http://nokair.com/content/en/destinations/fly-n-ride/mukdahan.aspx

[raro]

I screwed up and booked the 16:55 flight out of NP. Is there any realistic chance catching that flight when you leave the consulate at say... 14:05?

[steelepulse]

I screwed up and booked the 16:55 flight out of NP. Is there any realistic chance catching that flight when you leave the consulate at say... 14:05?

I just got a new visa at Savannakhet. After picking up my passport at 14:05, it took two hours to clear immigration on both sides of the bridge and get to the Mukdahan bus station.

FYI, earlier a poster said Nok Air will pick you up at the bridge, that's not what they told me when they dropped me off at the bridge ( I asked the driver in Thai), so I went to Ploy Palace in Mukdahan where the Nok Air van was waiting.

[raro]

That's not very encouraging...

[khunyod]

@steelpulse is that a Nok Air van or a Ploy Palace Van? I'm asking because Nok basically adds 650 THB for the van ride, while my guess is direct from Ploy Palace would be less. Nok says they use Ploy Palace van service as a third party provider of the "ride" part of their fly and ride.

Edited December 7, 2015 by khunyod