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Major city · Thailand

Ranongระนอง

Come for 1–2 nights only if you want a Myanmar visa run, hot springs or the ferry to Ko Phayam; otherwise skip it and stay on the Andaman islands.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
THB
Best months
Nov–Apr (driest window; still expect rain)
avoid May–Oct (southwest monsoon; heaviest Jun–Sep)
Airport
UNN
Nights
1–2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 6Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…
  • Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
  • Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
  • Thailand ↗Check entry rules and any arrival card on the official Thai government sites for your passport; visa-exempt stays and pre-arrival forms change.
  • Thailand ↗Do not criticise or mock the monarchy: insulting the royal family is a criminal offence.
  • Thailand ↗Temples and palaces: shoulders and knees covered, shoes off before entering halls.
  • Thailand ↗E-cigarettes and vapes are illegal to import or use; do not pack them.

Ranong is a small, working Thai border town on the Northern Andaman Coast, 568 km from Bangkok, with the country's longest rainy season — about eight months a year. It is not a beach resort. People come for three concrete reasons: the boat crossing to Kawthoung in Myanmar (a visa run), the Raksawarin hot springs, and the ferry to the quiet islands of Ko Phayam and Ko Chang. Everything else is a stopover.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Ranong, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or iced drink฿40–80 (≈ US$2–3)
  • Street or quick mealNoodle soup or rice plate฿50–120 (≈ US$2–4)
  • BeerBeer: draught in a bar / can at a shop฿80–120 (≈ US$3–4) / ฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)
  • Budget bedHostel or guesthouse bed, a night, per person฿250 (≈ US$8)
  • Mid-range bedGuesthouse or hotel double room, a night, per room฿1,200 (≈ US$40)
  • High-end bedGuesthouse or hotel double room, a night, per room฿2,500 (≈ US$80)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget ฿900 (≈ US$30) · Mid ฿1,800 (≈ US$60) · High ฿3,500 (≈ US$110)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Thai–Myanmar border crossing at KawthoungRaksawarin hot springsKo Phayam and Ko Chang ferriesMangrove forests and the Kra Isthmus
Airports
UNN Ranong Airport (About two flights a day from Bangkok Don Mueang (Thai AirAsia); no public transport from the airport, so share a ride or book a transfer.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Ranong: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

32°C

22°C

4 rd

Feb

33°C

22°C

4 rd

Mar

34°C

23°C

6 rd

Apr

34°C

24°C

10 rd

May

32°C

24°C

20 rd

Jun

31°C

24°C

22 rd

Jul

31°C

24°C

23 rd

Aug

30°C

24°C

24 rd

Sep

31°C

23°C

23 rd

Oct

31°C

23°C

21 rd

Nov

31°C

23°C

13 rd

Dec

32°C

22°C

6 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

Songthaews run numbered routes in town (฿15 a ride) and stop around 21:00, so plan to walk or take a motorcycle taxi later. The ferry terminal for Ko Phayam and Ko Chang is about 4 km west of the centre; songthaew 3 from the market goes there. There is no train station — the nearest is Chumphon.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Kawthoung, Myanmar

caution

Door to door: About 1 h plus immigration queues

Songthaew to Saphan Pla, stamp out at Thai immigration, then a longtail across (about 20 min)

Entry costs USD10 (pristine banknotes only) or ฿500; be back at the pier by 16:00 to re-enter Thailand. Border status can change — check official sources first.

Ko Phayam

overnight

Door to door: About 1.5–2 h

Songthaew 3 from the market to the ferry terminal, then ferry or longtail (several a day in high season)

Beaches and cashew farms; worth at least one night rather than a return day.

Raksawarin hot springs

go

Door to door: About 20 min

Songthaew 2 from the market, or a short motorcycle-taxi ride

Pools sit at about 65°C; the managed bathing pools charge a small entry fee (around ฿40). Open roughly 08:30–16:30.

Laem Son National Park

caution

Door to door: About 2 h

Bus or minibus south, then a local songthaew to Hat Bang Ben

Long pine-backed beaches and islands; thin transport, so a day trip needs an early start or your own wheels.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Ruangrat Road (town centre)

Guesthouses, market, songthaew lines and the night market; walkable and best for one night.

Saphan Pla / fishing port

Near the immigration office and boats to Kawthoung; practical for an early crossing.

Ko Phayam

Long white-sand beaches and cashew farms; basic bungalows, no cars. Sleep here, not in town, if beaches are the point.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
฿800–1,500 (≈ US$25–50) excl. bed
Mid
฿1,500–3,000 (≈ US$50–95) excl. bed
High
฿3,000 (≈ US$95)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Guesthouse or hotel double room1 × 2 nights × ฿1,200฿2,400
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × ฿1,800฿7,200
Songthaew ride in town2 × ฿15฿30
Longtail to Kawthoung, return2 × ฿300฿600
eSIM, about a week of data2 × ฿350฿700
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge฿1,093
Trip total≈ ฿3,006 per person per day, bed included฿12,023≈ US$400

2026 estimate in baht; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or iced drink฿40–80 (≈ US$2–3)
Noodle soup or rice plate฿50–120 (≈ US$2–4)
Beer: draught in a bar / can at a shop฿80–120 (≈ US$3–4) / ฿35–60 (≈ US$2)
Songthaew ride฿15–30 (≈ under US$1)
Minibus to ChumphonAbout 3 h; drops off across Chumphon.฿180 (≈ US$6)
eSIM or data SIM, about a week฿300–500 (≈ US$10–16)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Ranong is a low-crime provincial town and generally safe by day and night. The real risks are the border crossing (check its status), unlicensed boat touts at Saphan Pla, and wet-season roads and boat cancellations.
  • The Thai–Myanmar border at Kawthoung can be restricted for tourism because of the civil war in Myanmar: check official Thai government sources before you attempt the crossing.
  • Do not board a longtail to Myanmar before you have been stamped out at the Thai immigration office at Saphan Pla — otherwise you leave the country illegally.
  • Agree the boat price before you get in. A longtail return is around ฿300 (≈ US$10); reports exist of tourists being charged up to ฿1,000 (≈ US$35).
  • The Ngao Mangrove Forest Research Centre is temporarily closed as of 2026: check before travelling out.
  • Rain is the norm for much of the year; pack for wet days even in the dry season.

Emergency numbers

Police
191
Ambulance and rescue
1669
Tourist police (English)
1155

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Ranongระนอง

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

ไปที่อยู่นี้ครับ/ค่ะTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police191
  • Ambulance and rescue1669
  • Tourist police (English)1155

Embassy

Thailand has no embassies in Ranong; the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand missions are in Bangkok. For urgent help, call the tourist police on 1155.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Songthaew in town: about ฿15 (≈ under US$1)
  • Longtail Ranong → Kawthoung, return: about ฿300 (≈ US$10), agree before boarding
  • Minibus Ranong → Chumphon: about ฿180 (≈ US$6), roughly 3 h

Say or show

  • สวัสดี — Hello (sawatdee)
  • ขอบคุณ — Thank you (khop khun)
  • เท่าไหร่ — How much is it? (tao rai)
  • แพงไป — Too expensive (phaeng pai)
  • ตม. อยู่ที่ไหน — Where is the immigration office? (tamruat khon khao yoo tee nai)
  • ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน — Where is the toilet? (hong nam yoo tee nai)

Carry your passport for the border area; immigration may ask to see it.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Ranong. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Nov–Apr (driest window; still expect rain) · avoid May–Oct (southwest monsoon; heaviest Jun–Sep) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for UNN: confirm the two daily flights, taxi fallback and a town-centre bed.
  2. Ferry timetable fixture for Ko Phayam and Ko Chang, with a wet-season cancellation rung.
  3. Border-status fixture for Kawthoung so the visa-run page can go green or red by date.
  4. Place pages for Raksawarin hot springs, the governor's grave and the mangrove boardwalk with verified hours.

Meanwhile

Back to Thailand

Sources