Bangkok to Ko Mak — Make it happen!

December 12, 2012 9:53 PM

Bangkok to Ko Mak and back again: Help me solve an impending travel conundrum in Thailand (Transit nerds and Thai-speaking timetable readers welcome!)

We will arrive in Bangkok at 13:30 at Suvarnabhumi Airport. We're booked that night at a hotel in Koh Mak (alternately Ko Mak, Ko Maak, etc.).

I see that there's a bus out of Suvarnabhumi Airport at 16:10, which seems pretty feasible, but I think it will get us to Trat around 21:10, and then it'll be a half-hour taxi to Laem Ngop pier.

So: Is there a better option for the bus? An hour and a half seems a long time to spend in a Thai airport (though I could be all Dunning-Krueger about my ability to navigate Thai infrastructure). Apparently, there are more frequent busses from another terminal, which would help if we could also go to Laem Ngop more directly, but I don't know if intra-terminal transit would take too long on its own. (Bus schedules here.)

Second, related question: How available are ferries after 21:00 from Laem Ngop to Ko Mak? Will there be dudes waiting around to take us over, or are we going to end up spending the night in Trat?

posted by klangklangston to travel & transportation around Thailand (5 answers total)

According to this official-looking tourism page, it doesn't look doable.

Important: The last speedboat leaves at 16.00. When you miss this one, you have to sleep over in Trat or Koh Chang.
posted by jacalata at 10:08 PM on December 12, 2012

The reason why I'm hoping for closer knowledge (ideally someone in the area or someone who has done it recently) is that different pages give different times.

At least that one's moving in the right direction — another page swears that the last speedboat is at 14:00!
posted by klangklangston at 10:24 PM on December 12, 2012

FWIW because I have too much free time, I found this hotel website*, which linked to this speedboat page, which has an online chat, and I asked them if I could hire a speedboat if I arrived at the pier at 9pm. They said it wouldn't be possible, and if it was it would cost at least 30,000 baht (I think, didn't save the transcript).

*(if you're staying at a hotel on the island, you could try emailing them?)
posted by jacalata at 12:44 AM on December 13, 2012

You could fly to Trat on Bangkok Airways from BKK for 3795 THB on the 27th of December (I just chose a random date); the flight departs at 17:05 and arrives in Trat at 18:05. You might still be stuck but your day would be over earlier and it might be nice to avoid the bus after a long flight.

Alternately, stay in Bangkok that night and fly out to Trat the next morning; there's a flight at 08:40 as well.
posted by mdonley at 6:46 AM on December 13, 2012

We ended up trying the official bus, which got cancelled, and ended up with a cab that cost more than it would have at the airport. Next time, we'll plan accommodations first, then get the flight.
posted by klangklangston at 12:13 PM on January 12