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Thailand Travel..South to North

  • 24-02-2012 1:44am
    #1
    Trishy_Baby
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭


    Hi guys,

    So I'm heading to Thailand next month. I am starting off with 1-2 nights in Bangkok, before getting the over night train and ferry to Koh Tao, Koh Phanghan for the April Full Moon Party, and perhaps one other island after that for a day or 2. I then plan on heading up to Chiang Mai, just in time for Songkran.

    However this is where my problem is....how will I get from the islands to Chiang Mai. Iv checked up flights from Ko Samui via BKK to Chiang Mai, but they are so expensive. I've also checked out the over night train, but from what I can make out it is a full 24 hours of travelling to do it this way, albeit cheaper.

    Can anyone help me out..or has anyone done this journey before?? I really don't want to have to miss out on Chiang Mai. I am completely open to any suggestions anyone may have.

    Thanks xx
    Tagged:


Comments

  • #2
    MrJoeSoap
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,117 ✭✭✭✭MrJoeSoap


    Trishy_Baby wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    So I'm heading to Thailand next month. I am starting off with 1-2 nights in Bangkok, before getting the over night train and ferry to Koh Tao, Koh Phanghan for the April Full Moon Party, and perhaps one other island after that for a day or 2. I then plan on heading up to Chiang Mai, just in time for Songkran.

    However this is where my problem is....how will I get from the islands to Chiang Mai. Iv checked up flights from Ko Samui via BKK to Chiang Mai, but they are so expensive. I've also checked out the over night train, but from what I can make out it is a full 24 hours of travelling to do it this way, albeit cheaper.

    Can anyone help me out..or has anyone done this journey before?? I really don't want to have to miss out on Chiang Mai. I am completely open to any suggestions anyone may have.

    Thanks xx

    Have flown Chiang Mai to Phuket via Bangkok twice now and it wasn't that pricey. What airline are you looking at?


  • #3
    killbillvol2
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,178 ✭✭✭killbillvol2


    Trishy_Baby wrote: »
    Hi guys,

    So I'm heading to Thailand next month. I am starting off with 1-2 nights in Bangkok, before getting the over night train and ferry to Koh Tao, Koh Phanghan for the April Full Moon Party, and perhaps one other island after that for a day or 2. I then plan on heading up to Chiang Mai, just in time for Songkran.

    However this is where my problem is....how will I get from the islands to Chiang Mai. Iv checked up flights from Ko Samui via BKK to Chiang Mai, but they are so expensive. I've also checked out the over night train, but from what I can make out it is a full 24 hours of travelling to do it this way, albeit cheaper.

    Can anyone help me out..or has anyone done this journey before?? I really don't want to have to miss out on Chiang Mai. I am completely open to any suggestions anyone may have.

    Thanks xx

    It's Songkran - prices are well above normal, especially to get to Chiang Mai. There's no way around it if you want to fly.


  • #4
    Trishy_Baby
    Closed Accounts Posts: 25 ✭Trishy_Baby


    MrJoeSoap wrote: »
    Have flown Chiang Mai to Phuket via Bangkok twice now and it wasn't that pricey. What airline are you looking at?

    I've checked all airlines, such as airasia, and bangkok airways...but i think this may end up being my only option now as I cant seem to find anything else


  • #5
    Stinicker
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,102 ✭✭✭Stinicker


    I did this journey last year albeit in reverse as to what you have planned. I flew from Chiang Mai to Bangkok took a taxi into the city centre and took the overnight train to Surat Thani and the coach to Donsak Pier where the ferry departs for Nathon in Ko Samui, which is the same way you planned to get down there. I even made a youtube vid here about it!

    There are a few different companies running the ferries but I travelled with a crowd called Songserm whom are the favoured company of the travel agencies but there are other companies with nicer more modern ferrys also. see here and whilst on the coach from Surat Thani railway station to Donsak Pier my bags in the hold of the bus were opened and I had cash stolen, if doing this trip carry all valuables on your person! as online reports indicate this happening frequently and it is on wikitravel here too.

    I haven't been to Ko Tao or Ko Phanghan myself but neither island has an Airport and for flying you have two otions either you can get direct albeit pricey flights from Ko Samui airport to both Bangkok and Chiang Mai with Bangkok airways, I flew Ko Samui - BKK and it cost €105 one way.

    Another option is to take the ferry back to the mainland and fly from Surat Thani airport to BKK and onwards to Chiang Mai by air or overland as there is no direct flights between Surat Thani and Chiang Mai.

    I travelled to Chiang Mai last year by over night train from Bangkok and found it a very pleasant experience and it was a much nicer train journey than the overnight train to Surat thani which is much too short as you arrive in Surat Thani at like 4.30am and by the time I arrived in Ko Samui I was well wrecked, by contrast the train to Chiang Mai involved no connections and was nice and long at 16hrs which allowed me to get enough sleep also awaking in plenty time and arriving in Chiang Mai refreshed, my youtube vid here of it.

    I really loved Chiang Mai and it is so different from Bangkok like polar opposites, I really recommend you go to see it and with Songkran especially, the night market there is a wonder and really artsy and it seems to attract alot of liberal american retirees, the flower power generation but now with grey hair!!


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