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Hat Yai Thailand to Yala to Betong

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There a few options from Hat Yai Thailand to Malaysia for the cyclist. First, you simply hop on the train to Butterworth but the die hard will want to cycle. On this we will look at a road seldom traveled: Hat Yai - Yala - Betong. From Betong you can continue westwards to Penang or south to Kuala Kangsar, Taiping, Ipoh and further south.

Hat Yai

Hat Yai Thailand is a typical border town, with everything available including a few decent bicycle shops, should you need it.

It is a fairly big city but in the town center there are many cheap hotels especially within 10-15 minutes walk from the railway station, no need to stay expensive here.

Hat Yai to Yala

Hat Yai is the starting point of this journey. There are a few ways to cycle to Yala.

The first is to have a stop over in Songkhla, just 30 km north east from Hat Yai. It's not a particular interesting road although Songkhlais quite nice for an overnight stop. The town has a few excellent hotel accommodations available.

Hat Yai around 1925

From here you can follow the coastline on road 43 to Patani and from here the last 45 to Yala. Although road 43 is a main ongoing road it's mostly quiet, flat and pleasant cycling.

There are two alternatives, starting with the road to Sadao. Cycle out of Hat Yai following the signs to Sadao. A few kilometers out of town, you will find a sign for Patani, road 4 (43). This one follows a few hills and within 35 km joins with the coastline. You can follow it all the way to Patani. If you do not want to go to Patani, you can go south in Ban Bo Metchun, a nice mostly quiet secondary road. Follow this road for about 45 km to a T junction in Niang and go left. Yala is about 12 km away.

Should you want a much more attractive road, get out of Hat Yai and take the road to Sadao, and follow the road to Na Thawi which starts in Khlong Ngae (road 42). it has several hills but also towns for refreshments. The road ends in Ban Lam Phai. Here you can either take the road to Patani (left) or Niang (right). In distance it does not make much difference.

Should you want to break the journey, on the beach to Patani there are some beach resorts but there are no hotels/guesthouses on road 42.

The distance from Hat Yai to Yala is around 130 to 140 km depending on the road you take. It is certainly possible to cycle it in one day, especially if you take the coastal road.

Yala - Betong

Yala has several hotels, cheap too. Almost no travelers make it to either Patani or Yala due to the troubles in south Thailand. Still, I have been here at least a dozen times and I have had never any problem. It is certainly not an exciting city but it's OK for an overnight stop.

It is however very nice to cycle Yala to Betong. Having done it both ways, I admit it is easier to cycle Betong to Yala then Yala to Betong. The 140 km from Yala starts with cycling out of Yala on the south side.

The road from Yala to Betong, here Bannang Sata

Follow directions to Narathiwat. When you cycle out of town, you will come down a short but quite steep hill until you reach a crossroads. The road sign will tell you left to Narathiwat. Nicer (and saving a few km's on a busy road) is going straight on.

View over Betong, Thailand

You will cycle directly to the hills but will not cross these. At the end is a T-junction. Take the right and follow this all the way to Betong.

Like I said before, it is a very scenic road. it is all the way flat until Bannang Sata. There's a police post here and a good noodle shop but no accommodation. From here the road slowly starts swindling up and down. You will pass Than To and the junction to the Than To Waterfalls, a good spot for camping.

Thai Chinese Buddhist temple in Betong

The hardest part of this road comes now: the last 25 km or so to Betong which has a few more serious climbs. Most of the road is now in perfect condition. You will pass many small villages where people may stare at you as they see few cyclists passing here.

If you have started in Betong, you will find these climbs not too difficult as you are still fresh but after 100 km cycled it can feel different.

Images of Betong

And when you finally pass the police post just before Betong as freewheel yourself into the town center, you know you deserve a good meal and an even better night sleep.

Betong is not the most exciting town in Thailand but I always like to come here. Maybe it is because I know it quite well.

Betong is even more a border town then Hat Yai is. Many Malaysians come here for shopping and relaxing. The town is filled with nightclubs and massage saloons. There's a small market and some nice temples and Mosques.

Betong to Malaysia

Interestingly some restaurants offer excellent seafood dishes. There's also a small but very good bicycle shop. There is a group of very enthusiastic cyclists in Betong whom you might see go around in the late afternoon.

The border is some kilometers uphill out of town. If you start in Betong, it's an easy climb to the border. They see few westerners and the approach to cyclists is always nice.

Pass the border and you're in Malaysia. There are two options: Penang or Gerik and Kuala Kangsar

• The road from Betong to Kuala Kangsar
• The road from Betong to Penang

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