Almost everyone who is heading to Bangkok fantasizes about Khao Ya i. Located just 3 hour away from Bangkok, it offers a whole new world of experience – think vineyards, endless sunflower hills, farmers’ market and yes, a mini Hobbit movie set (no kidding, we’ll have a post on this soon!). Before we get you too excited on the things you can do in Khao Yai, we’ll give you the lowdown on your transportation options. From cheap to expensive, troublesome to fuss-free, we got it all sorted out for you.
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#1. Public Bus – cheapest way!
At just 146baht per person (approx SGD 6), this is no doubt the cheapest way to get to the beautiful Khao Yai. However, unless you have friends who can pick you up in Pak Chong (the town next to Khao Yai national park where a significant part of the attractions are), we do not recommend this option.
Unlike Bangkok, there’s little public transportation within Pak Chong/Khao Yai and there’s no Uber or Grab to bring you around. Having said that, if you are only intending to get the National Park, there are buses that will take you there and if you are adventurous enough to hitchhike, this option may do for you!
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#2. Rented Car – the middleground
For those with a driving license, we will highly recommend self-drive because you get to decide your own itinerary and you can go anywhere! It’s right-hand drive which is the same as Singapore and Singaporean drivers do not need to apply for the International Driving Permit (IDP) so that’s one less thing to worry.
So let’s touch on the cost – we paid SGD 150 for a 1.6L Nissan Sylphy for a 2-day rental with Europcar. The price includes the car rental excess insurance so we won’t have to pay for anything in case of any accident *touchwood*. We only booked one week before so you should be able to secure a cheaper rate if you book way in advance!
One tip from us: choose to pick up the car from Suvarnabhumi Airport so you can avoid the Bangkok traffic. From the airport, it’s a 2.5 hour drive to Pak Chong and it’s high way all the way so you don’t have to worry about the odd lane hours that we often see in Bangkok.
We rented our car from expedia.com.sg but there are plenty of good reviews on thairentacar.com so do compare around a bit to get the best deal. 🙂
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#3. Chartered Car/Van – most convenient
This is definitely the most convenient way to get to + around Khao Yai. The chartered car/van from Klook can pick you up and drop you off anywhere in Bangkok (yes, that includes your hotel or the airport) so you don’t have to worry about anything at all.
Only considering point is the price IF you are travelling in a small group. They have 2 packages; package A is the basic package whereas Package B covers a more extensive area (including the Hobbit resort). We really wanted to visit the Hobbit resort so it’s definitely Package B for us and it would cost us SGD 369.90 for the 2-day tour for the two of us. BUT, if you are travelling in a group of 10, it will cost you only SGD 399.30 for the 2-day tour, that’s just ~SGD 40 per person!
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> Price Comparison
So, depending on your group size, the “expensive” option may be different. I’ve done a price comparison for group size of 2pax, 4pax and 10pax and here’s how the different options fare. Which would be the most expensive option for you? 🙂
Note: Above is based on a 2-day itinerary.
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