When we arrived in Hat Yai from Bangkok, we went to Klong Hae Floating Market to enjoy fresh seafood. It was a wonderful vacation for us! To make our vacation more fun, we had decided to travel to an island. So, let’s hop on to Koh Lipe!
To get to Koh Lipe, we first need to get to the Pak Bara Pier in Satun. Pak Bara Pier is known as the main port in Satun Province and famous as the gateway to Koh Lipe. Here is the summary of our travel experience taking the minivan from Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier:
| i. | Book minivan ticket in advance at BusOnlineTicket.co.th |
| ii. | Board the Sea@ Holiday minivan from Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier |
| iii. | Reaching at Pak Bara Pier, Satun |
Book minivan ticket in advance
Sea@Holiday is a popular operator for Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier route. When we browsed through the BusOnlineTicket.co.th website, we noticed that apart from the Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier tickets, they also sell the combo tickets from Hat Yai to Koh Lipe. Therefore, we easily booked our combo of a minivan + ferry tickets from Hat Yai to Koh Lipe via BusOnlineTicket.co.th.
On the day of the departure, we waited at the hotel lobby for the van to pick us up.
We met many backpackers who also wanted to travel to Pak Bara Pier as well. However, some of them were unable to get their tickets to depart on the same day due to the high demand and a limited number of tickets. Fortunately, we booked our tickets in advance!
Board the minivan from Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier
Before boarding, we had to present our tickets to the driver for checking purpose. The driver checked the name on our ticket. Then, we sat on the seats as assigned on the ticket. The interior of the minivan was relatively clean. There were in total 10 passenger seats in the minivan (VIP VAN).
Travelling from Hat Yai to Pak Bara Pier took approximately 2.5 hours with no stops given. This was because the driver must make sure the passengers reached the destination on time so the passengers can take the ferry to Koh Lipe.
Reaching at Pak Bara Pier, Satun
After travelling for a total of 2.5 hours, we finally reached Pak Bara Pier. There, we saw the Sea@Holiday office among other van and boat operators’ office.
Pak Bara Pier, Satun – The Gateway to Koh Lipe
There are a number of van and boat operators’ offices situated nearby the pier. If you want to explore the city of Pak Bara, Satun, there are many minibus services, or so called red “songthaew” service available nearby the pier.
The entrance to the pier is located around Tourist Centre Building. The entrance fee is 20 baht. At the pier entrance, you need to show your tickets for check-in purpose to the counter staff before entering the platform. Which means you have to get your tickets at the pier before going in.
We finally reached Pak Bara Pier. There are many ferry operators when you come in to the platform. Next, read our travel experience of taking Bundhaya Speed Boat from Pak Bara Pier to Koh Lipe!
Tip: As the speedboat travels at a higher speed than a ferry or boat, the journey can get a bit bumpy. Those prone to seasickness are highly encouraged to take medication before embarking on the journey!
