Car: There are different routes for car to get to Phang Nga:-
From Bangkok, take the Route 4 which passes through Prachuab Kirikhan, Chumporn, Ranong and goes to Phang Nga; the total distance is 788 kilometers, taking about 12 hours.
From Bangkok, go along Route 4 until reaching Chumporn province. Then from Chumporn, take the Route No.41 which passes Tha Chang district in Suratthani province. Afterwards, fork to the Route No.401 on the right and go onwards to Ta Khun district in Suratthani. Then change to the Route No.415 which goes through Tap Pud district to Phang Nga town.
From Phuket, use route 402, pass the parallel spans of Sarasin and Thao Thep Krasatri Bridges. You are now in Phang-Nga province. To go on to the provincial capital, go north to the town of Koke Kloy. Turn right (at Bangkok Bank), and follow Route 4 to Phang-Nga Town. You will pass Takua Thung along the way and cover a distance of 87 kilometers. Travel time is about 90 minutes.
Bus: Both air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned buses leave daily from the Southern Bus Terminal in Bangkok to Phang Nga. The journey by bus takes about 10 hours. Tel.0 2435 1199. From Phang Nga to Bangkok, you can take the bus at the Provincial Terminal in Phang Nga town.
By train There is no train going directly to Phang Nga, you have to drop off in Suratthani province and continue to Phang Nga town by bus which takes about 2 hours. The train leaves at Hua Lampong Station in Bangkok.
By plane Thai Airways does not offer the direct flight to Phang Nga. You have to take a flight to Phuket first and then take a bus to Phang Nga town; the total distance form Phuket to Phang Nga is about 58 kilometers. Alternatively, you can take a domestic flight of Bangkok Airways. An available route is Bangkok-Ranong flight which leaves four times a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Then take a bus to get to Phang Nga, the journey takes around 3 hours.
Getting around
On Land
Local bus: There are local buses commuting between Pnag Nga town to its districts and neighboring provinces: Phuket (87 kilometers), Krabi (86 kilometers), Trang (221 kilometers), Pattalung (283 kilomters), Hat Yai (375 kilometers), Songkhla (403 kilomters), Pattani (486 kilometers), Narathivas (581 kilometers), and Suratthani (196 kilometers). There are also local buses leaving directly from the market in Pnag Nga town to many piers in the province.
Vehicle rentals: There are motorcycle and bicycle rentals available in Pnag Nga Town and also on the islands on which the community of local people is located like Yao Island among others. This is a good way to get around town or the island in order to see people life and attractions on your own.
Moving around islands
To get to the islands scattering around offshore, there are many hired boats available at different piers in the provinces. The main piers to go to the islands include:-
Tha Dan or Tha Dan Sulkakorn Pier is in Phang Nga town, a starting point to travel to islands in Phang Nga Bay.
Surakoon (Ka Sohm) Pier lies in Takua Tung district. You can get Phang Nga Bay National Marine Park from here.
Tap Lamu Pier is the starting point to get to Similan Islands.
Kuraburi Pier offers the hired boat to Surin Islands.
This article is written and copyrighted by Royal Exclusive Travel Co. Ltd.
