Ranong

Ranong (ระนอง) is both a town and a province on the Northern Andaman Coast in the south Thailand.

Understand


A small border town with limited tourist magnetism and hence still quaintly Thai. Border access via boat to Kawthoung in Myanmar allows visas to be renewed.

Ranong is the northernmost province on Thailand's west coast, 568 km from Bangkok. It is also known for its long rainy season, which lasts for 8 months each year. Ranong occupies an area of 3,298 square kilometres, with the Kra Isthmus which is the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula, and is bordered by Myanmar and the Indian Ocean to the west. Within its compact area, Ranong contains various natural attractions and is blessed with hot springs and relatively unspoiled mangrove forests.

Train
The nearest train station is in Chumphon.

Minibus
Minibuses to Chumphon leave from the bus station, cost 180 baht, and take around 3 hours. They drop off in most parts of Chumphon. You can minibus it all the way to Bangkok from Ranong.

By bus
The bus from Chumphon's central bus terminal stops some 6 km out of town at the booking agency for this particular bus company (Rangsit Tours). There is little in the vicinity, and you will be approached by drivers who will take you wherever for a price.

The city centre (Ruangrat Rd) can be reached by songthaews 2 or 6 (15 baht). Be prepared to walk if you arrive later than 21:30 as there are no songthaews anymore at the bus station (low-season, April 2015). You can also travel directly to the pier for boats to Ko Chang or Ko Phayam by songthaew (15 baht).

Hotels are nearby or 10 min by motorcycle taxi to the main street.

Numerous and relatively frequent full-sized buses of various classes connect with Chumphon and Bangkok and all major points in between; with Phuket and Krabi via Takua Pa and Khao Lak and other key points in Phang Nga Province (most direct route to Trang and Satun is via Krabi); and with Surat Thani which acts as the gateway to just about everywhere else.

By boat
Hundreds of longtail boats connect Ranong with Kawthoung in Myanmar, and take about 20 minutes to cross. They can be chartered individually or shared with other travellers and/or locals. Prices are negotiable, so bargain hard or you might get ripped off. Some operators might try to hustle you onto the boats before you find the immigration office, but do not let them, or you would be departing the country illegally. Make sure you find the immigration office and get stamped out before getting on the boat.

Hourly boats (a little larger, also 20 min) ferry gamblers to and from Thahtay Kyun, a small island adjacent to Kawthoung where the Andaman Club casino and golf resort has its own immigration facilities. Kawthoung is also the point of access to the islands of the Mergui Archipelago which offer excellent diving.

The islands Ko Chang and Ko Phayam can be reached by longtail boat or ferry several times per day (high season) from the ferry terminal 4 km west of the town center. Take the red number 3 songthaew which leaves the market on Ruangrat St and travels west along the main road.

Get around
Several songthaew lines offer transport in the city. They have numbers and are easy to recognize. Services stop at about 21:00, so you might have to walk later in the evening, e.g. when visiting the hot springs until late.

See



 * Wat Hat Som Paen (วัดหาดส้มแป้น) This temple is on Khlong Hat Som Paen and provides a sanctuary for a shoal of soro brook carp.
 * Namtok Ton Phet (น้ำตกโตนเพชร) Surrounded by moist evergreen forest with Ranong's highest Phota Chong Dong Mountains being the source of water, each tier of the falls cascades down boulders all year round.
 * Namtok Chum Saeng or Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกชุมแสงหรือน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders creating rainbows in the mist. This is why it is called "Namtok Sai Rung" or "Rainbow Waterfall".
 * Namtok Bok Krai (น้ำตกบกกราย) At the end of the road, a 20-metre walk through farmland and a moist forest will lead to this enormous waterfall that runs throughout the year.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Namtok Ton Phet (น้ำตกโตนเพชร) Surrounded by moist evergreen forest with Ranong's highest Phota Chong Dong Mountains being the source of water, each tier of the falls cascades down boulders all year round.
 * Namtok Chum Saeng or Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกชุมแสงหรือน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders creating rainbows in the mist. This is why it is called "Namtok Sai Rung" or "Rainbow Waterfall".
 * Namtok Bok Krai (น้ำตกบกกราย) At the end of the road, a 20-metre walk through farmland and a moist forest will lead to this enormous waterfall that runs throughout the year.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Namtok Chum Saeng or Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกชุมแสงหรือน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders creating rainbows in the mist. This is why it is called "Namtok Sai Rung" or "Rainbow Waterfall".
 * Namtok Bok Krai (น้ำตกบกกราย) At the end of the road, a 20-metre walk through farmland and a moist forest will lead to this enormous waterfall that runs throughout the year.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Namtok Chum Saeng or Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกชุมแสงหรือน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders creating rainbows in the mist. This is why it is called "Namtok Sai Rung" or "Rainbow Waterfall".
 * Namtok Bok Krai (น้ำตกบกกราย) At the end of the road, a 20-metre walk through farmland and a moist forest will lead to this enormous waterfall that runs throughout the year.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Namtok Chum Saeng or Namtok Sai Rung (น้ำตกชุมแสงหรือน้ำตกสายรุ้ง) In the rainy season, a lot of water cascades down the boulders creating rainbows in the mist. This is why it is called "Namtok Sai Rung" or "Rainbow Waterfall".
 * Namtok Bok Krai (น้ำตกบกกราย) At the end of the road, a 20-metre walk through farmland and a moist forest will lead to this enormous waterfall that runs throughout the year.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.
 * Japanese Shipwreck (ซากเรือรบญี่ปุ่น) Approximately two kilometres beyond Chao Fa Chi, a wreck of a Japanese freighter used in World War II between a pier in Tambon Pak Chan, Kra Buri District and Burma is visible at low tide.

Eat
The central market on Ruangrat Rd has food stalls during the day. The night market is a short walk from the centre: at the bottom of Ruangrat Rd, turn left onto Permphon Rd. Follow this street for a few hundred metres. After the CAT building, the night market is on the right-hand side.



Mid-range




Go next

 * Kawthoung, Myanmar
 * Khao Lak
 * Ko Chang - not to be confused with the larger Ko Chang in Eastern Thailand
 * Ko Phayam
 * Krabi
 * Bangkok - there are several night busses bound for BKK leaving approx. between 7pm and 8pm from Ranong, including by The Transport Co. (บขส) (Jan 2022: 437 THB), Sombat Tour and Choke Anan Tour