Chumphon Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

The main bus terminal is on the main highway, 16km from Chumphon. To get there you can catch a local bus or sǎwngthǎew (25B) from Th Nawaminruamjai.

Much more convenient is Chokeanan Tour (0 7751 1757; Th Pracha Uthit), in the centre of town, with six buses a day to Bangkok (air-con 373B, VIP 435B) or Suwannatee Tour (0 7750 4901), 700m southeast of the train station, with 12 departures per day (2nd class 290B, air-con 373B, VIP 435B). Most Bangkok buses stop in town so get off there and save yourself the sǎwngthǎew fare from the bus station. Ask the driver or local passengers to tell you where to disembark.

Other destinations from Chumphon include Hua Hin (230B, five hours), Bang Saphan (100B, two hours), Prachuap Khiri Khan (160B, 3½ hours), Ranong (130B, three hours), Surat Thani (170B, 3½ hours), Krabi (270B, eight hours), Phuket (320B, eight hours) and Hat Yai (310B, 10 hours). Tickets can be bought at travel agencies.

Train

There are frequent services to/from Bangkok (2nd class 292B to 382B, 3rd class 234B, 7½ hours). Overnight sleepers range from 440B to 770B.

Other destinations from Chumphon (all in 3rd-class berths) include Prachuap Khiri Khan (56B, three hours), Surat Thani (58B, three hours) and Hat Yai (110B, six to seven hours). Southbound rapid and express trains – the only trains with 1st and 2nd class – are less frequent and can be difficult to book out of Chumphon from November to February.

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Boat

The small island of Ko Tao can be reached by boat from one of three piers south of town.

The Lomprayah express catamaran (www.lomprayah.com; 550B, 1½ hours) leaves Tummakam pier (25km from town) at 7am and 1pm. Transfers between Chumphon and Tummakam pier are included in the ticket price. The Songsrem Express (450B, 2½ hours) leaves Tha Yang pier (7km from town) at 7am. Most travel agencies provide free transfers to this pier as well.

There is a midnight boat that leaves from Pak Nam pier (10km from town) arriving at Ko Tao at 6am (200B). If you fancy sleeping on the deck of a slow boat, this could be a memorable trip. However, if it’s raining or the seas are rough, it could be a long and uncomfortable night. A shared taxi to Pak Nam pier costs 50B. Sǎwngthǎew to Pak Nam pier or Tha Yang pier are 20B.

If you get stuck at Tha Yang pier and don’t want to return to Chumphon, try the Thayang Seaport Hotel (0 7755 3052; r 200-300B; ).

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