Ubon Ratchathani

Air

Ubon is well served by Thai Airways, Nok Air and AirAsia for domestic flights only; international flights are no longer offered.

Book online or get assistance at Ubon Takerng Tour Co. (425 Promrach Rd T: (045) 242 400) in the centre of Ubon. Book directly with Thai Airways (364 Chayangkun Rd / T: (045) 313 340) or an AirAsia booth can be found on the first floor of City Mall (Sunee Tower).

Thai Airways has one Bangkok bound flight departing daily at 17:45, while Nok Air offers four daily flights. AirAsia at time of writing has two flights to Bangkok's northern Don Muang airport along with one reasonably priced flight a day to both Phuket and Chiang Mai.

Prices vary considerably depending on when and with which airline you book. If you're lucky to catch an AirAsia sale in advance, you can make it to Bangkok for the same price as a bus ticket with a quarter of the travel hassle, but paying the premium could be upwards of 2,200 baht.

From the airport on Thepyothi Rd (T: (045) 244 073), you can either hire a limousine for the 70 baht per person ride into town or else walk out the main gates and find a tuk tuk or taxi for around 40 baht into town.

Train

Ubon Ratchathani's train station is south of the river in Warin Chamrap, a 10-minute songthaew ride from the centre of town on songthaew number 1 or 3. This is the eastern terminus of the rail line with six departures a day to Bangkok: 7:00, 8:45, 15:05, 16:50, 18:30 and 19:30. You can choose the comfortable first-class private sleeper at 1,800 baht, second-class sleeper or seats ranging from 400-800 baht, or third-class seats for only 245 baht. It's possible to purchase rail tickets to several other stops along the way to Bangkok such as Srisaket, Surin, Buriram, Nakhorn Ratchasima, Saraburi and Ayutthaya. While online purchasing is not available, an advance ticket booking office is located at the train station.

Bus

The main bus station is at the northern end of town, about a 15-minute songthaew ride north from the centre of town, with a vast network of travel routes connecting Ubon to Isaan and other regions of the country. For travel within the province, buses leave for Phibun Mangsahan, Chong Mek and Khong Chiam frequently at the bus station as well as the market in Warim Chamrap. If you miss a bus to Chong Mek or Khong Chiam, take a bus to Phibun first.

Buses depart frequently to other provinces in Isaan such as Khon Kaen, Roi Et, Yasothon, Sisaket, Udon Thani and more. Multiple bus companies run a service to and from Bangkok beginning early in the morning with the last night bus leaving around 22:00. The cheapest bus to Bangkok should be just under 500 baht, while the VIP bus on Nakhon Chai Air will run you up to 999 baht. Buses can take anywhere from eight to 12 hours depending on how many stops are made. You can also head to Chiang Mai, Hua Hin and Rayong, stopping at many places in between. While booking tickets in advance isn't usually required, it's definitely a good idea over any national holidays.

Getting Around

Ubon has a cheap and well-served songthaew system which runs around the centre of town and to the bus and train stations during daylight hours (06:30 until 18:30). A handy map is available at the Tourist Authority of Thailand (TAT), which has the routes marked, or if you're feeling brave, just hop on and off as you please. Songthaews 1, 2, 3, 10 and 11 are the most useful as they run from and to downtown and the bus station. All rides are 10 baht regardless of distance.

You can also get around by tuk tuks or samlors (three-wheeled bicycles) found all over town . A tuk tuk from the bus station or the train station will try and charge you around 100 baht to the centre of Ubon; haggle if they're asking for too much above this and try not to use the ones that sit out in front of hotels as they are notorious for inflating their prices. Ubon Rental Cycle (115 Si Narong T: (045) 244 708) offers bicycles for hire at 100 baht per day.

Often the best and safest bet is to use Ubon's reliable round-the-clock taxi service, Taxi Ubon Company Limited. If you arrive to Ubon while the songthaews aren't running, the taxi company always has vehicles at a stand at the bus station and its metered price is sure to be cheaper then a tuk tuk (expect to pay around 50 baht to the centre of town). Feel free to flag down one that you see around Ubon, or call the taxi centre at (045) 256 111, though be warned there's a 20 baht fee for calling.

As for navigating around the interior of the province, it's best done with private transport. Consider renting a motorbike or car which will help you travel both around and outside of town. Chow Wattana (269 Suriyat Road T: (045) 241 906) has an airport stand and shop that rents cars or motorcycles with varied rates and Jay-Jay Car & Motorcycle (137 Nakhonban Rd (089) 255 839 http://jayjaycarandmotorcyclehire.webs.com) is another reliable choice, renting cars for 1,000 baht or motorbikes for 130 baht a day. Private drivers can also be arranged through several hotels. We recommend Mr Tim (086) 260 5693 who will charge around 1,500 baht for the entire day of driving you to all the parks at your leisure.