By public bus the journey from Bangkok to Yala is scheduled to take 18 hours, which is faster than travelling by train. You can also fly to nearby Betong Airport or Narathiwat Airport and continue your journey to Yala by taxi.
Bus Timetable from Bangkok to Yala
Click on the Bangkok – Yala link below for more information and to buy tickets.
| Bangkok - Yala ฿ 1,154 18h | |
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Bangkok Bus Station
Bus services from Bangkok to Yala depart from Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal, 8 Borommaratchachonnani Rd, Khwaeng Chim Phli, Khet Taling Chan, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10170.
Arrival in Yala
Bus services from Bangkok to Yala terminate at Yala Bus Station at Sateng, Mueang Yala District, Yala 95000.
About Travel to Yala
Yala a land locked province located in the very southern most part of Thailand that borders Malaysia. Very few Western tourists visit Yala. Yala is one of three provinces in Thailand with an active independence movement. Yala was part of a independent Muslim state until the later part of the 18th Century, and a significant proportion of the local population view the area as historically and culturally separate to Thailand as a consequence. The various separatist movements active in Yala are engaged in a sporadic series of violent engagements with the Thai army, Thai government officials, and non-Muslim settlers in the province from other parts of Thailand. Western visitors aren’t specifically targeted, nor are the many Malaysian visitors who come to Yala Province. Unless you are unlucky enough to get caught in the cross fire between separatists and police or army, for foreign visitors its no more dangerous to visit Yala than it is any other part of Thailand.
Sea of mist at Ai Yerweng in Yala ProvinceYala City is fairly large, with over 60,000 permanent residents, but it holds little of interest for tourists. For many visitors Yala is merely a transport hub, with a large bus station, and a railway station. Yala Province has a large mountain range and plenty of jungle, much of which has been designated a nation park land. Intrepid visitors will be richly rewarded for renting a vehicle and setting out to visit the more remote parts of the province. A more sedate option is to travel to the popular tourist town of Betong, which is 2 hours away from Yala by minivan. Betong is very popular with Malaysian visitors on short breaks, many of whom come to Betong to enjoy the town’s ‘adult’ nightlife. Amongst the more wholesome activities for visitors to Betong is a visit to nearby Ai Yerweng to see the mist which collects in the valley early in the morning.