Understand
[edit]Pak Bara is the main transport hub for Ko Lipe, Ko Bulon Le, Ko Adang, and Ko Tarutao with ferries running all year. It is a perfectly functional little town with all the basic amenities you'd expect on your stopover between the mainland and the islands.
Get in
[edit]Pak Bara is 237 km south of Krabi, 59 km from Satun, 123 km from Trang, 124 km from Hat Yai (the nearest train station).
By boat
[edit]Boats run to Ko Bulon Le, Ko Lipe (two hours), Ko Tarutao (30 min).
By bus
[edit]Minibuses run to the closest cities, including Hat Yai (departing hourly from the bus station, journey time 2 hr, price 220 baht), Hat Yai Airport (1.5 hr, 200 baht), Trang (2 hr), and Krabi (4 hr).
Get around
[edit]Travellers come to Pak Bara for one reason: its ferry port. There is no ferry ticket office at the pier. All tickets are sold by vendors in the vicinity of the pier. Just walking around near the pier ensures that you will be approached by a ticket-seller. Every agency sells tickets for the same price. There is an additional small charge (around 40 baht) just to enter the pier. Previously slow ferries ran to the islands, but they have been entirely replaced by expensive speedboats. The following times are indicative only. Speedboats run mostly in the morning.
Speedboat to/from Ko Lipe
[edit]- Departures from Pak Bara at 11.30, 15:30. Travel time, 90 min. Fare approximately 650 baht one-way, 1,200 baht return (open)
Speedboat to/from Ko Tarutao
[edit]- Departures from Pak Bara at 11:30. Travel time, 30 min. Fare is 600 baht one-way.
Speedboat to/from Ko Bulon Le
[edit]- Departure from Pak Bara at 12:30. Travel time, 1 hr. Fare is 600 baht one-way, 800 baht return.
When you arrive back at the pier in Pak Bara, there will be minivans waiting to take travelers to onward destinations such as Trang, Krabi, Phuket, Hat Yai. Vans leave within 30-60 minutes of each boat's arrival in Pak Bara. A typical fare is 400 baht to Krabi.
See
[edit]There is quite a nice beach 2km before the ferry pier. You can catch the sunset there while having dinner.
Do
[edit]There is really nothing to do here except await your onward transport.
Buy
[edit]There are several ATMs in Pak Bara in the vicinity of the pier. Get cash here before heading to the islands.
Eat
[edit]There are a few small halal restaurants in the vicinity of the pier. There are a handful of (mainly seafood) restaurants at Pak Bara Beach 2km back along the main road.
Drink
[edit]Most travellers will arrive in Pak Bara after a lengthy bus trip and overnight until their ferry the next morning to an off-shore island. Fatigued, hungry, and thirsty, they will look for a place for a meal and possibly a beer. Too bad. There are next to no restaurants open in the evening near the ferry pier. The nearest are several hundred metres up the road to La Nguu. All of them are Muslim restaurants. They do not serve beer, nor do they permit you to bring beer purchased from the 7-Eleven that, mercifully, is near the pier. A better plan may be to stay in the larger town of La Nguu, 10 km distant, overnight and make your way to the ferry in the morning (first high-season speedboat is at 09:30).
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Happy House (One street up from the plaza in front of the pier. Signposted on main road). Adequate place to spend the night while waiting for a ferry. Clean. No services. Free Wi-Fi. 490 baht (high-season).
- 2 Byte Hostel. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 11:00. Neat and tidy hostel with friendly owner. Right next to the pier and the 7-eleven. 8-bed dorm, beds have privacy curtains and reading lights.
Connect
[edit]There is a helpful National Parks office next to the pier where you can book bungalows or camping on Ko Tarutao and Ko Adang.
Go next
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