Across the peninsula in an afternoon
This is the short way from one sea to the other. Chumphon sits on the Gulf; Ranong sits on the Andaman coast facing Myanmar, and the road between them crosses the narrowest part of Thailand in about two and a half hours.
The thing to know first: Ranong has no railway station. A Chumphon–Ranong line has been proposed for years but nothing runs. If you are coming by train you get off at Chumphon and continue by road, and Chumphon is the nearest railway station to Ranong, full stop.
Transport
Tickets & connections
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Route at a glance
Chumphon to Ranong
- Distance: about 120 km west across the peninsula
- Bus or minivan: roughly 2½ hours
- Train: none — Ranong has no railway station
- Car: about 2 hours on Highway 4
Good to know
Good to know
- Chumphon railway station is the nearest station to Ranong, about 2½ hours by bus.
- The two coasts run on opposite seasons: Ranong is dry when the Gulf is wet.
- Ranong is the jumping-off point for Koh Phayam and Koh Chang Noi.
- It is a border town, so mid-week hotel demand is not only tourism.