Driving from Bangkok to Mukdahan/savnakhet, any tips?

[vento]

Hi,

 

im currently in BKK (so is my car) and i need to go to Savanakhet and then to Chiang Mai and then back BKK in a few weeks time. since this is a 2300 km long trip or so, i was thinking to fly to Lao, but since i need to goto CM, it seems like a lot of trouble taking the plane to Lao or Ubion etc

 

So my plan was to drive relatively early (like 7am) from BKK and use google map to find the best route for me, but i can see there is a couple of alternative ways to go.

 

Q: Any tips about which route is the best one? fastest? most convenient?

 

I will arrive late afternoon or something in Mukdahan, so plan was to find a hotel for the night and cross next day in the morning, go straight to the embassy and then find nearest guesthouse and stay for the night..

 

Q: What about parking in Mukdahan? anyone know of hotels which don't mind you leave your car for a few days while doing to Visa things?

 

or alternatively, any safe places to park the car? I don't like road parking, since i will have some stuff in the trunk of the car. not extremely valuable, but still

 

ps. i could drive to Chiang mai, but it seems there is no flight from CM to Savanakhet

 

thanks in advance for any advice

 

 

[Doiger]

As for the route to take from bkk to mukdahan then I would just trust your google maps and stick with the fastest route.

there is a covered car park just before immigration at friendship bridge 2, the bridge is a 10 minute drive from central mukdahan.

i have always parked my car there and never had any issues, it costs 250 baht for 1 night.

plenty of guest houses near the consulate in savannakhet but not that much to do.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Doiger

[vento]

ok, that solves the car park issue, if i can find it that is :) Thank you

 

 

[Doiger]

Very easy to find, just before the main entrance to the border, it is on the left, 2 minute walk from the car park to immigration.

before you go through immigration, buy your 50 baht bus ticket to get across the bridge, the little kiosk is right next to immigration on the left.

remember and take cash(1500 baht) and a photograph for you visa on arrival in Laos.

Edited May 13, 2017 by Doiger

[electric]

Can recommend Ploy Hotel in Mukdahan, and Savan Vegas Casino Hotel in Savannakhet. Both hotels are on Agoda.

[ubonjoe]

11 minutes ago, vento said:

ok, that solves the car park issue, if i can find it that is :) Thank you

 

 

Easy to find. It is on the left just before the gates for the bridge.

On this map you will see two ATM's shown on the north side of the road just before the checkpoint the covered parking is the in the same area. https://goo.gl/maps/nT7EKm5W5xj

 

[Doiger]

1 minute ago, electric said:

Can recommend Ploy Hotel in Mukdahan, and Savan Vegas Casino Hotel in Savannakhet. Both hotels are on Agoda.

If your willing to spend the money then the savan vegas is good(about 2000 baht a night),it is also about 6 kilometers from the consulate though.

to me, 600 baht and less than a kilometer from the consulate is a much better option.

[vento]

ok, some good advice here.

 

is it easy to get tuk/taxi on the lao side? I only been once i savanakhet before and i flew in and there was no taxi in the airport :/

 

Is it easy? what would the correct price be for a ride to the consulate?

[howard ashoul]

9 minutes ago, vento said:

ok, some good advice here.

 

is it easy to get tuk/taxi on the lao side? I only been once i savanakhet before and i flew in and there was no taxi in the airport :/

 

Is it easy? what would the correct price be for a ride to the consulate?

Very easy find tuktuk or aircon minivan at Lao side. Price will be 100/200 Baht per person.

 

Or you can continue by bus. If youll buy 50Baht ticket bus will take you not only over the bridge, but at Laos side he will take you to bus station (in the center of the Savannakhet.) From the bus station you can walk to your hotel or take tuktuk to hotel for 50/100 baht. I always walk. From  bus station it's like 1Km to embassy. So I will book hotel between embassy and bus station and I dont need tuktuks at all. 

 

Then again to bus station, to the border, over the bridge and you're in Thailand. For 50Baht.

Edited May 13, 2017 by howard ashoul

[jeab1980]

Pay in us dollars for Loas visa works out cheaper than bhat. Plenty of hotels in Savanakhet i would recomend pilgrims kitchen. Youll need a tuk tuk from consulate but you can book him to pick you up the next afternoon to pick up visa. Also rather than the bus from the bridge to the consulate i would also take a tuk tuk thats my personal choice no waiting for bus and no mad rush when it comes. I also use a tuk tuk back to bridge after picking up visa The drive there as you say use google maps its a good sat nav i usevit all the time. Presume your going to stop somewhere over night driving across to chiang mai. By the time you get back to your car from pick up of visa it will be between 3 and 4 depending on queues at consulate and immigration loas and thai.

I would suggest overnighting in Khon Kaen which is about 3.5 hrs from Mukdahan. Then to chiang mai which is 9 hrs plus with breaks.

You can find the hotels on booking .com for Savannakhet and khon kaen. Piman gardens hotel is good in khon kaen. Nice breakfast too. Easy to find as well.

Edited May 13, 2017 by jeab1980

[Rhys]

Take plenty of breaks, have a urine bottle available and some kick ass tunes.....

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, Rhys said:

Take plenty of breaks, have a urine bottle available and some kick ass tunes.....

Hehe.  Yes, getting aged and frankly a Urine pause comes a little more often and sometimes much more sudden than it used to.  Good advice

[Rhys]

   Sometimes the urge just comes.....

[gillap]

I've driven twice from Pattaya to Mukdahan. For you from Bkk your best bet is hwy 9 to hwy 1, next hwy 2 to Nakhon Ratchasima, still on hwy 2 next to hwy 23 (about 50K before Khon Kaen) through to 208 to Kalasin and from Kalasin hwy 12 right to Muk. From 208 on it's a single hwy, easy driving but lots of slow moving traffic, transport travel max 80K per hour!

I stayed a the Ploy Palace twice...good clean rooms, polite staff and a very good breakfast if you choose that route and you can park there!

[Andyfez]

Well it's a,solid 9 hour drive.

Easily doable. But quite tiring.

There's a car park by the friendship bridge.

If I was doing this route, but didn't need a car in CM I'd fly to Udon. Rent a car, drive to Muk and back, then hop on a plane to CM.

[Goanna]

I used the pay carpark first time, but now use the free car park 100 metres on, just before immigration. No shade though.

[BritTim]

If it was me, I would plan to return to Bangkok after Savannakhet, and just do the drive from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.  Bangkok to Mukdahan and Muhdahan to Chiang Ma are both long, tiring drives. From a financial viewpoint, my alternative may even be cheaper.

 

To get to/from Mukdahan, use the fly-ride service on Nok Air (more options) or Air Asia, or possibly the overnight VIP bus going as it arrives early morning and allows visa application the same day.

[ToddinChonburi]

Take 2 up to khon kaen then 12 east.  Mostly all 4 lane so it will be the fast and safe route.

[spacemand]

We drove from Rayong to Amnat Charoen which is pretty much the same, we used Google maps as well to, nice roads no issues just go around the bigger cities instead of through them. We spend 2 days on the trip taking it slow bought the best grapes I've ever tasted in the mountains somewhere near Khon Kaen, saw some spectacular sights. If it were me I would make a trip out of it.

 

I agree with the parking at the border its been a couple of years since I parked there it were 100 per day then but no issues and super friendly people and you can not miss it, coming from the main road turn right towards the border and then its the first left..

If its your first trip to Savannakhet you will be pleasantly surprised been there 4-5 times making an annual visa trip and love the place :)

 

If you go to Ubon by plane and then to Mukdahan by minibus its hell takes 2.5 hours and then you need to get to the border from the bus station, I have done the trip a couple of times also had a GF half way between Ubon and Mukdahan  and its no fun sitting in a cramped mini van.

 

Remember to buy the bus ticket for the border bus before you go through immigration.

 

 

[jeab1980]

2 hours ago, ToddinChonburi said:

Take 2 up to khon kaen then 12 east.  Mostly all 4 lane so it will be the fast and safe route.

4 lane? You mean dual carriage way both ways 12 is single lane in a lot of places as well.

Edited May 14, 2017 by jeab1980

[vento]

3 hours ago, BritTim said:

To get to/from Mukdahan, use the fly-ride service on Nok Air (more options) or Air Asia,

but these fly/ride, isn't that more or less the same as a mini van tour? except the van is included?

 

i mean, cramped unpleasant ride?? just asking, because i have no clue :)

 

[ubonjoe]

6 minutes ago, vento said:

but these fly/ride, isn't that more or less the same as a mini van tour? except the van is included?

 

i mean, cramped unpleasant ride?? just asking, because i have no clue :)

 

It is a van or small bus. For Nok air it is a short trip, from Sakon Nakhon or Nakhon Phanom or Ubon airports to Mukdahan.

On Air Asia it is from Nakhon Phanom.

[BritTim]

36 minutes ago, vento said:

but these fly/ride, isn't that more or less the same as a mini van tour? except the van is included?

 

i mean, cramped unpleasant ride?? just asking, because i have no clue :)

 

As @ubonjoe says, the trip is fairly short (about two hours). When I look them, they seemed quite a bit more comfortable (more legroom and not full) than the minivans used by visa run companies.

[vento]

so, nakon phanom is most likely the shortest?

 

it really sound like a good alternative, just im a big guy (190cm) and these minivan are often not made for tall people, thats what put me off so far :)

 

[BritTim]

5 minutes ago, vento said:

so, nakon phanom is most likely the shortest?

 

it really sound like a good alternative, just im a big guy (190cm) and these minivan are often not made for tall people, thats what put me off so far :)

 

I am 1.86 m, and am sensitive to legroom issues. It might be different if the minibus was completely full (I did not experience that) but I would not consider an alternative for the return from Mukdahan to Bangkok. Going, I do take the VIP bus from Bangkok because I am not that keen on Mukdahan or Savannakhet, and welcome saving one night's stay there. If you do fly-ride going, probably stay in Mukdahan and cross early the next morning. Mukdahan is a bit more alive.

[vento]

13 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I would not consider an alternative for the return from Mukdahan to Bangkok.

 

so back would be

 

1: tuk or bus to border

2: buy the 50 baht ticket and cross the border with the bus

 

What about on the thai side, where does the Nok Air fly/ride van start/stop? i take it, its not on directly on the border crossing?

Edited May 14, 2017 by vento
spelling mistakes

[BritTim]

3 minutes ago, vento said:

 

so back would be

 

1: tuk or bus to border

2: buy the 50 baht ticket and cross the border with the bus

 

What about on the thai side, where does the Nok Air fly/ride van start/stop? i take it, its not on directly on the border crossing?

In principle the Nok Air fly-ride starting point is the Ploy Palace Hotel (walkable from the bus station without luggage). If you are short of time, you can call them and they will pick you up at the bridge which they almost pass on the way to the airport anyway.

[kanook]

I agree that driving BK - MUK - CM would be extremely tiring.  I have done the trip three times from Nakhon Phanom airport (KOP) to the friendship bridge with my wife.  First time we took the bus (never again) from the airport to the bus station and caught the minibus to the border.  The second time taxi from the airport and minibus to the border. Third time, taxi from the airport direct to the border and back a few days later and this is what I will do next year as well. I would recommend taxi from the airport to the border and back if comfort is the main concern, not that expensive, actually price was similar to fly and ride with Nok Air for two.

[memooz]

Hi Guys

I would like to remind you that, there is a flight between Ubon to ChiangMai.. KAN Air..

without touching to BKK. i found it very helpfull. Just bear in mind

[roiethome]

As said, there is secure parking at the bridge for 250 thb per day, or a free car park right at the side of the bridge.

If you are near the front of the queue to get visa on Lao side, tip is not to wait for the bus but get a taxi to the consulate and save time waiting for the bus, got me there ahead of many and saved time.

Recommend Daosavanah Resort and Spa Hotel. views over the river, good food and not expensive, 3000 thb get you a suite with jacuzzi !