Taking a road trip from Bangkok to Phuket is a great way to get off the beaten path from the traditional Thailand tourist destinations. There are many spots to explore. We have done this road trip from Bangkok to Phuket (and back again) and loved it!
To keep costs low and stay away from tourist hubs, we recommend camping in the national parks each night (most on or next to the beach!). If your family is not into camping, many national parks also have bungalows you can rent that fit the whole family!
So, let’s get started on the itinerary. The first part of the trip takes you down the Gulf of Thailand. You will spend one night on the gulf side of Thailand. Then you cross over the peninsula and follow highway 4 down the coast of the Andaman Sea. You will spend three nights on the Andaman coastline before arriving down in Phuket.
If you have more time than 5 days, we highly recommend taking your time. There is so much more to explore at every stop than the 5 days gives time for. But in the end, a road trip is part for the journey and part for the destination and 5 days gives you time to see spots along the way, but in the end, to make it to Phuket in a timely manner.
The Road Trip Route
We’ve made a map of the entire trip. Creating these maps helps to see the trip in its entirety so I get a feel for the driving length of each day.
If you open the map, you can unclick the directions layer if you just want to see the stops.
Day 1 Bangkok to Hat Wanakorn National Park
Start: Bangkok
End: Hat Wanakorn National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Travel Time: A little less than 5 hours dependent on your starting point in Bangkok
Leaving Bangkok
Start early in the morning to avoid unnecessary traffic and making this into a longer travel day than it needs to be. Hat Wanakorn National Park is about 2 hours south of the city of Hua Hin.
You will turn left off highway 4. You should see the national park sign as you turn. Then it is just a short distance to the coast. You need to pay an entrance fee to enter the national park.
Hat Wanakorn National Park
Hat Wanakorn is a stretch of beach several kilometers long. The national park is well organized. You can follow signs for tent camping whether you brought your own or need to rent a tent from the national park. There are toilets, showers, and places to wash dishes. There is a bike rental shop. Behind the beach is a trail where you can walk or ride your bike.
The beach itself starts under pine trees (where you can camp) and then slopes downwards to the ocean. It is only a few meters long during high tide and stretches out much farther during low tide.
Day 2 Hat Wanakorn National Park to Laem Son National Park
Start: Hat Wanakorn National Park, Prachuap Khiri Khan
Side Stop: Namtok Ngao National Park, Ranong
End: Laem Son National Park, Ranong
Travel Time: A little less than 5 hours
Hat Wanakorn National Park to Namtok Ngao - About 4 hours
Namtok Ngao National Park to Laem Son National Park - About 45 minutes
Continuing on your road trip from Bangkok to Phuket, you will get back onto highway 4 and keep going south. Today you will cross from the Gulf of Thailand over to the Andaman Sea.
Namtok Ngao National Park
Before you get to the Andaman Sea coast side, we recommend a side stop at Namtok Ngao National Park. This national park is just off of highway 4 after passing the town of Ranong. The Ngao waterfall which the national park is named after is actually right next to the national park headquarters! You can even see the waterfall from the highway!
But before you get to the waterfall part of the national park, you should take a short stop at a hot springs. This is a unique water experience amidst the many ocean experiences this road trip brings.
The hot springs is called Phonrang Hot Spring. It is part of the national park, but the entrance from the highway is north of the main park entrance. So, you must watch the map.
As it is part of the national park, you do need to pay the park entrance fee to enter. If you are planning on visiting the Ngao waterfall to the south, you will only need to pay the entrance fee once for both parts of the park.
Just remember to keep your park entrance tickets to show at the waterfall entrance!
This hot water spring has been diverted into different pools where you can sit and enjoy the hot springs. There are clear directions to different pools and the temperatures are on each pool.
There is also a great little ice cream and coffee shop called Minna right by the parking lot at the entrance to the Hot Springs. The kids enjoyed cooling off after the sitting in the hot pool!
You will need to pay at the national park entrance to go into the park. You can choose to just stay at the Ngao waterfall or explore the park further depending on how much time you have. Namtok Ngao National Park boasts many waterfalls, though some take a long hike to get to!
After leaving Namtok Ngao National Park, it is just a 45 minute drive to your beach camping spot for the night. Laem Son National Park is another national park that includes a long coastline.
Laem Son National Park
The headquarters for Laem Son is at Hat Bang Ben (Bang Ben Beach), which is a very wide beach with a gradual and long slope down to the water. This is also where you find the campground.
The campground is in a semi-wooded, grassy area next to the beach. The grass is soft on the feet so it’s easy to run between the campsite and the beach! There were swings set up in the trees to enjoy relaxing by the tent.
Day 3 Laem Son National Park to Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park
Start: Laem Son National Park, Ranong
End: Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, Phang Nga
Travel Time: 3 hours
Today on your road trip from Bangkok to Phuket you continue on down highway 4, hugging the Andaman coastline. You end up at Khao Lak – Lam Ru National Park. This is a beautiful, jagged coastline with lots of views of the sea! The town of Khao Lak is just north of the national park area and is very popular with tourists. It is specifically seen as a surfing area.
Because of it’s popularity, there are many accommodation options in that area. If you want to continue to stay off the beaten path and you enjoy camping, Khao Lak – Lam Ru National Park has tent sites on the side of the mountain overlooking the Andaman Sea.
If you would rather stay in a hotel, we recommend staying at the JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa. They have family room options and it’s a great hotel to stay in for kids!
Even if you choose to stay at the hotel, check out the national park as it shows a different side to Khao Lak then the surfing, touristy side!
Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park
When you arrive at the national park, it’s time for a hike! You must enter the national park and pay the entrance fee. Then park and head down the path to the hiking trail.
The hiking trail will take you a beautiful, secluded beach. It is also the trail that takes you to the campsites and then it continues on the trail through the jungle. The trail is not difficult to the campground, but if you want to continue on to the beach, the trail gets a bit more ‘wild’ as you can see in the picture below.
The trail is a little over 1 kilometer, but because it is just a trail cut out of the woods and not a path, it is more difficult for kids to walk on. It took our kids about 45 minutes (ages 5-12).
At the end of the trail, we arrived at a beach literally called, Small Sandy Beach. The beach is only accessed by the trail, so it is secluded. We had a great time swimming there for an afternoon.
The only way to return to the campground is back on the trail. You can rent a tent or bring your own.
Day 4 Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park to Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park
Start: Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park, Phang Nga
End: Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park, Phang Nga
Travel Time: 35 minutes
Memories Beach, Khao Lak
Since you are only going a short distance today, we recommend spending more time in Khao Lak. Memories Beach is a fun family-friendly beach. There are surfboards and boogie boards for rent.
Along the beach you can find places to sit and eat. We had a relaxing few hours there, practicing boogie boarding with the kids while also sitting on the beach and snacking. Since you have been driving for three days now, it will be nice and relaxing to spend a morning at the beach.
After lunch, you can make your way 35 minutes south to Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park. You are now getting so close to Phuket! But we did not want to leave this beach off of your road trip itinerary from Bangkok to Phuket, because it is a hidden gem!
Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park
The national park headquarters is on Thai Mueang Beach, which is protected as a place for turtles to lay their eggs each year. We loved being able to swim with the sea turtles there!
The campground is in a grassy area across a small road from the beach. The beach has fine sand that is easy on the feet and the water is also full of soft sand, so my younger children felt comfortable splashing around right at the edge of the water.
Day 5 Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Mueang National Park
Start: Khao Lampi - Hat Thai Mueang National Park, Phang Nga
End: Sirinat National Park, Phuket
Travel Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Phang Nga Coastal Fisheries Research and Development
If you were not able to see turtles at the beach or in the ocean yesterday at the Khao Lampi – Hat Thai Mueang National Park, we recommend a stop at the Phang Nga Coastal Fisheries Research and Development. It is just two minutes down the coastal road from the national park entrance, and the front building looks like a turtle!
You can take your kids inside and walk around and see the sea turtles that are being taken care of there. It is a quick and fun experience! We recommend spending a little time here before heading onto Phuket.
Phang Nga Coastal Fisheries Research and Development
Open Hours: 8:30-4:30 Weekdays
Entrance Price: Free
Now it is time to do the last of your drive and reach your destination. Phuket is an island, so you need to turn off of highway 4 which continues south on the peninsula and onto highway 402. Drive over the Sarasin Bridge. You are then on the island of Phuket.
The island is over an hour’s drive from the north end to the south end. There are many beaches to choose from, but if you would like to continue with national park beaches, Phuket Island is home to one national park on the beach called Sirinat National Park.
Sirinat National Park, Phuket
Sirinat National Park is on the north side of the Phuket Island, very close to the airport. The park has some snorkeling right off the beach. My kids also loved watching the airplanes taking off and landing right over our heads! Even though this National Park is so close to the city and airport, the snorkeling at this park is surprisingly good.
So, after five days on your road trip from Bangkok to Phuket have now reached your destination. The four different beach stops along the way gave you a glimpse into the beautiful beaches that Thailand has to offer.
You were able to see a variety of landscapes and compare the two seas that line the peninsula – the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.
Tips for Road Tripping with Kids in Thailand
- Break up each day as much as possible. We tried to even out the hours, but some days are definitely longer drives. Especially getting out of Bangkok nd down to the peninsula. Stop and take breaks if your kids need it. It’s not worth rushing if everyone is in a bad mood.
- Use the rest stops available to you. Rest stops are wonderful in Thailand. Many rest stops have 7-11 stores, which have plenty of fun and adventurous snacks to try. Give your children the option to buy one item they’ve never tried before or give them each 30 baht and see what they decide to pick to try!
- Make sure your children know how to use a squatty potty before you begin. The possibility that you will end up in a toilet that is not a sit down seat is high on a trip like this. Practice, practice, practice as much as you can beforehand.
- This tip goes along with the last one – bring toilet paper with you everywhere you go. Most bathrooms along the way, unless you are in a private restaurant or hotel, will not have toilet paper available.
If you want more information on how we camp at national parks across Thailand and what national parks have to offer, you can read our Overview of National Parks in Thailand or Tips for Camping in National Parks in Thailand.
