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Voykit pocket guide · Thailand
Pak Bara
Stay one night in Pak Bara to catch a speedboat to Ko Lipe, Ko Tarutao or Ko Bulon Le; otherwise skip.
Pak Bara is a tiny transport hub on the southern Andaman coast. Most travellers spend a night here to catch a morning speedboat to the nearby islands; a day‑trip is possible only if you arrive early and have a pre‑booked return boat.
- Country
- Thailand
- Best months
- Nov–Apr
- Avoid
- May–Oct (monsoon)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- THB
- Money
- Currency is the Thai baht (THB, ฿). Cards work in malls, hotels and many restaurants; street food, markets, boats and small taxis are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget ฿800–1 200 excl. bed · Mid ฿1 200–2 000 excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AIS and TrueMove H sell tourist SIMs at airport arrivals; passport registration is required.
- Emergency
- Police 191 · Ambulance 1669 · Tourist police 1155
- Plugs
- Types A, B, C, O · 220 V · 50 Hz · Most sockets take flat US pins and round European pins; type O is the Thai three-pin standard. UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food: Nothing.; Sit-down restaurant: Leave ฿20–100 or the coins; skip it if a 10% service charge is on the bill.; Taxi / Grab: Round up to the next ฿10 or ฿20.; Massage: ฿50–100 per hour to the therapist, in hand.; Guide / driver day: ฿300–500 for the guide, ฿200–300 for the driver.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ฿20–50.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Street refill machines charge about ฿1 a litre; bottled water everywhere.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in malls and hotels; squat toilets with a water bucket in rural stops. The hose ('bum gun') replaces paper; paper goes in the bin in older buildings. Some public toilets cost ฿3–5.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Speedboat to Ko Lipe (one‑way) | ฿650 |
| Minivan to Krabi | ฿400 |
| ATM withdrawal fee | ฿20–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HDY · Hat Yai Airport
- 124 km (77 mi), about 2 h by minibus77 mi (124 km), about 2 h by minibus
Typical fares
- Hat Yai → Pak Bara minibus
- ≈220 baht, 2 h
- Speedboat Pak Bara → Ko Lipe
- ≈650 baht, 90 min
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Language, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk to the pier (2 km (1.2 mi) from town centre). Minivans wait after each boat arrival; typical fare to Krabi ≈400 baht, to Hat Yai ≈220 baht.Walk to the pier (1.2 mi (2 km) from town centre). Minivans wait after each boat arrival; typical fare to Krabi ≈400 baht, to Hat Yai ≈220 baht.
See and do
Known for
- Ferry hub for Ko Lipe
- Access to Ko Tarutao
- Access to Ko Bulon Le
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ko Lipe | Speedboat from Pak Bara, depart 11:30 or 15:30, 90 minSpeedboat from Pak Bara, depart 11:30 AM or 3:30 PM, 90 min | ≈2 h total (including walk to pier) |
| Ko Tarutao | Speedboat depart 11:30, 30 minSpeedboat depart 11:30 AM, 30 min | ≈1 h |
| Ko Bulon Le | Speedboat depart 12:30, 60 minSpeedboat depart 12:30 PM, 60 min | ≈1.5 h |
Sleep
- Happy House
- 490 baht high‑season, basic room, free Wi‑Fi
- Byte Hostel
- Dormitory, 8‑bed, curtains, 15:00‑11:00 check‑in/outDormitory, 8‑bed, curtains, 3:00 PM‑11:00 AM check‑in/out
Language
Thai is tonal and written in its own script; English works in hotels, malls and tourist areas, much less in the north-east and small towns. Polite particles (khrap for men, kha for women) go a long way.
- Ask hotels for their address card in Thai script.
- LINE is the messaging app of Thai businesses.
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: A wai (palms together, slight bow) to return a greeting; a smile and nod for shop staff; avoid: Waiing children or service staff first — it confuses; hugging strangers
- Head and feet: Keep feet on the floor, sit with legs folded to the side in temples; avoid: Touching heads (even children's), pointing feet, stepping over people or food
- Temples: Covered shoulders and knees, shoes off, sit lower than monks; avoid: Women touching monks or handing them things directly; climbing Buddha images
- Monarchy: Stand for the royal anthem in cinemas and at 08:00 and 18:00 in public places; avoid: Any joke or comment about the royal family; stepping on a banknote
- Keeping calm: Stay polite and smiling when things go wrong ('jai yen' — cool heart); avoid: Raising your voice; public anger loses the argument
- Names: Khun plus first name ('Khun Somchai'); nicknames are normal; avoid: Using the family name alone
- Home visit: Shoes off; bring fruit or sweets; step over the threshold, not on it; avoid: Sitting with feet towards the family shrine
- Beckoning and pointing: Palm down, fingers waved towards you; point with the whole hand or chin; avoid: Pointing at people with a finger or with your foot
Scams and watch-outs
- All speedboat tickets are sold by vendors near the pier; price fixed (~650 baht to Ko Lipe one‑way).
- Extra ~40 baht charge to enter the pier.
- Few restaurants stay open after sunset; plan dinner before 18:00 or stay in La Nguu (10 km away).
Pak Bara is low‑risk; main concerns are traffic on minivans and occasional petty theft – keep valuables secure and watch traffic when crossing roads.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pak Bara yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Ferry hub for Ko Lipe
- Access to Ko Tarutao
- Access to Ko Bulon Le
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Pak Bara, revision 5229003 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5229003
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Printed from Voykit (/pak-bara). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.