Ranong Overview

It is a safe bet that the foreigners you’ll see scattered around Ranong are here for a “visa run” to the nearby Myanmar border. Ranong serves this purpose well, and is a comfortable place to spend a day or two. Its large market is an exciting place to wander around looking for tasty Burmese curries, and the nearby natural hot springs are a scenic place to unwind. The bottom line is that although Ranong probably isn’t interesting enough to merit a visit if you’re not crossing the border, it has plenty of color to contribute to your visa run experience.

Ranong Airport is about 20km south of town on Phetkasem Hwy. A taxi ride from town from the airport costs 200฿-500฿. Air Asia (www.airasia.com) flies from Ranong to Bangkok (1hr.; Tu, F, Su 3:30pm; 950฿). The bus station (☎077 811 548) is on Phetkasem Hwy., 1km south of the bridge just south of Kamlangsap Rd. Buses head to Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal (7-8hr., every 2hr. 5am-8:30pm, 295฿) Chumphon (3hr., every hr. 6am-4pm, 100฿); Krabi (6hr.; 6, 7, 10am, 12:30pm; 150฿); Phang Nga (2-3hr.; 8, 9, 10am, 2pm; 135฿); Surat Thani (3hr., 10 per day 5am-3:30pm, 130฿); Phuket (3-4hr., 7:30am-5pm, 145-185฿). Minibuses to Chumphon (2hr., every hr. 6am-6pm, 100฿) depart from the eastern side of Ruangrat Rd., one block south of Dupkadee Rd. Within town, songthaew frequently run up and down Ruangrat Rd. from 6am to 6pm (10฿). Take the #2 songthaew (20฿) to get to the bus station. Motorcycle taxis will take you anywhere within the city for about 10฿ per km, from Ruangrat Rd. to the bus station for 30฿, and to the hot springs for 40฿. Pon’s Place (see below) rents bicycles (100฿ per day) and cars (1500฿ per day) with a 10% discount longer than 10 days. Also books boats to Ko Chang (150฿); and Ko Phayam (200฿).

Orientation And Practical Information 

Ruangrat Road, which runs north-south, is the town’s main street and the location of almost everything you’ll need while here: market, hotels, restaurants, tour agencies, and ATMs. Phetkasem Highway (Hwy. 4) runs north-south on the eastern edge of the city. As Phetkasem Hwy. heads south from its central intersection with Kamlagsap Road, it passes by the road that leads to the hot springs, the bus station, and eventually the airport.

• Tourist office: Travel agencies lining Ruangrat Rd. specialize in visa runs (4hr., 8:30am, 400-450฿), and trips to nearby Ko Chang and Ko Phayam. Pon’s Place (see Food) operates visa runs and tours, and arranges tickets and bookings. Open daily 7:30am-9pm.
• Banks: Several on Ruangrat Rd. at Tha Meuang Rd., on the part of the road closest to Phetkasem Hwy. Bangkok Bank and Krung Thai Bank are right next to each other, have MC/V/AmEx 24hr. ATMs. Both open M-F 8:30am-4:30pm. Additional 24hr. ATMs located 1 per block continuing north up Ruangrat Rd.
• Police: (☎077 811 173), on Dupkadee Rd., just off Ruangrat Rd., near the road’s northern end. Open 24hr.
• Hospital: Ranong Hospital (☎077 812 630), on Kamlangsap Rd. 1 block west from Phetkasem Hwy., with 24hr. emergency care.
• Pharmacy: 87/1 Ruangrat Rd., in the middle of town. Open daily 9am-9:30pm.
• Internet: Kay Kai Internet, 293/6 Ruangrat Rd. (☎077 822 890), near the north end of Ruangrat Rd. 20฿ per hr. Open daily 8:30am-10pm. Additional Internet spots can be found about 1 per block up Ruangrat Rd., most with the same rates and hours.
• Post Office: GPO on Chonraua Rd., about 1km down Dupkadee Rd. from Ruangrat Rd., at the intersection of Dupkadee Rd. and Chon Ra-U Rd. Open M-F 8:30am-4:30pm, Sa 9am-noon. Postal Code: 85000.

Accommodations

The accommodations in Ranong, while modest in scope, are perfect for a quick night’s rest before crossing the Myanmar border, or moving to other destinations within Thailand.

• Sin Tavee Hotel, 81/1 Ruangrat Rd. (☎077 811 213), in the center of town, several blocks up Ruangrat Rd., past the new market on the left side of the street. Likely the best value in Ranong. Big beds, clean private baths with cold shower, TV, and friendly service are all part of the deal. While all the rooms are clean and decent, the corner singles are well worth the extra 40฿ for private balconies and superior air circulation. Singles 200฿; corner singles with balcony 240฿, with A/C 320฿. Rooms with 2 twin beds and fan 280฿.
• Rattanasin Hotel, 226 Ruangrat Rd. (☎077 811 242), a bit farther up Ruangrat Rd., away from the market, across from J&T Restaurant. This newly refurbished hotel has bare, crisp, clean white rooms at very good prices. Singles 200฿; two twin beds in one room 300฿; with A/C 350฿/400฿.

Food

From 8am to 10pm, there are a number of food stalls at the front of the market on Ruangrat Rd. that sell delicious chicken noodle soup (35฿), stir-fried dishes with rice (35฿), and Thai iced tea (10฿). In mango season, the fruit market right across the street from the main market serves excellent mango with sticky rice ( kow nee-o ma-moo-ang ) and coconut milk (25฿). The farang- oriented restaurants on Ruangrat Rd. are quite good.

• Pon’s Place (☎077 823 344), on Ruangrat Rd. 100m north of the Sin Tavee Hotel. Pon’s arranges a number of tourist services (see Practical Information), but also serves up good meals. The Thai curries served here pack more flavor, while at lower prices than those at other establishments. Dishes 35-70฿. Open daily 7:30am-9pm.
• J&T Restaurant, 267 Ruangrat Rd., at Luvung Rd., a few blocks up from the market, attracts a lunchtime wave of local schoolchildren hungry for inexpensive and tasty Thai-Chinese dishes like steamed minced fish curry (45฿) and local steamed egg with fresh shrimp paste (40฿). J&T’s also specializes in ice cream sundaes (20-35฿). Dishes 25-60฿. Open daily 10am-11pm.