Where to find us

Gaia Ashram is the base of Gaia School Asia and is located in the North-East of Thailand, between the small cities of Nong Khai & Udon Thani. We are also located near Vientiane, the capital of Laos.

We receive visitors between Mondays-Fridays during the daytime (please note that volunteers must arrive Mondays before noon). Unfortunately we are not able to welcome new guests and volunteers on weekends.

The closest town to Gaia is called Nam Suai, located about halfway between Nong Khai and Udon Thani. There is a minivan that runs between Udon Thani and Nong Khai, stopping at Nam Suai along the route. Once you have arrived at Udon Thani or Nong Khai, the recommended path to Gaia is:

  • take a shared minivan to Nam Suai (~55 baht/person) and then take a tuk-tuk from Nam Suai to Gaia (~120-150 baht)

Make sure that they repeat /Nam – Soy/ and not /Name – Som/, as that is somewhere very different. If you are not sure about the pronunciation, you can print the following Thai writing that explains it:

นั่งรถบัสหรือรถตู้หรือรถสองแถวไปบ้านน้ำสวย กิ่งอำเภอสระใคร อยู่บน ถนนมิตรภาพ  เลยหนองสองห้องไปทางอุดรธานีประมาณสิบกิโลเมตร

You should be dropped at the Nam Suai police station and take a a Tuk-Tuk for 120-150 THB to our village, Ban Suai Long. We are little past the village, past the temple then over the bridge of the river & we are on the right side. Most tuk-tuks who wait at the Nam Suai police station are familiar with Gaia Ashram if you mention the name and should know where to go.

Gaia Ashram MapBan Suai Long

Google Maps Location & Google Maps Points Marked

(Coordinates: 17.708852, 102.837371)

By Air

There are many flights a day from Suvarnabhumi (BKK) and Don Mueang Bangkok (DMK) to Udon Thani (UTH). Thai Airways, Air Asia, and Nok Air tend to be more affordable airlines. Tickets for all carriers can be booked online, while prices are variable depending on when you book. 

By Train (from bangkok)

Several trains run daily from Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal (Bang Sue Grand Station) to Nong Khai, with a stop in Udon Thani along the way:

Train Number

Type

Bangkok Departure

Arrival in Udon Thani

Arrival in Nong Khai

75

Express (2nd Class AC Seats)

08:45

16:58

17:30

25

Special Express (1st and 2nd class AC sleeper cars)

20:25

05:44

06:25

133

Rapid (3rd class seats)

21:25

07:07

07:55

We recommend taking the 25 train as the sleeper cars will be more comfortable than seats for the 9 hour journey.

Please make sure you check at the train station for the times & fares as changes might be applicable. Important: Book your train tickets in advance! Sometimes they sell out. For more info & fares go to the Thai railways website:

Check Train Schedule (railway.co.th)

To find out more about train travel in Thailand go to:

http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm#Bangkok_to_Nong_Khai

Although you could get off at Nong Khai station, we recommend you get off at Udon Thani Train Station, which is the stop before Nong Khai. 

From Udon Thani

From there, it is about a 5-10 minute walk to the minibus station (Google maps link) where you can buy tickets for the minivan to Nong Khai, about 55 baht per person. You may have to buy an additional ticket if you are carrying a lot of luggage. Make sure to mention that you want to be dropped off at Nam Suai. Generally good to sit in front of the minivan or bus just to remind the driver to stop at Nam Suai.

udon thani central mall bus station
The van station in Udon Thani to buy tickets and wait for the van to Nong Khai
udon thani to nong khai bus
The van from Udon Thani to Nong Khai

 By Bus

It’s recommended to book bus tickets in advance. We recommend booking via 12go Asia.

  • From Bangkok

    • Overnight “VIP” bus services leave from Bangkok Mochit bus station in the evening and take about ten hours to get here.
    • Buy your ticket somewhat in advance from the bus ticket counter at the bus station. We travel with Budsarakam bus company to ‘Nam Suai’.
    • If you are coming from Bangkok we recommend taking the sleeper train instead as it is more comfortable than bus.

  • From Chiang Mai

    • There are direct overnight bus services from Chiang Mai to Nong Khai and Udon Thani. If you select Nong Khai, make sure you ask the driver to let you out at Nam Suai. This is the most direct route to Gaia. However, if you do this, please note that Nam Suai is only a small stop and so you should follow along on google maps on your phone occasionally to ensure that you don’t miss the stop. 

    • For more information on buses, you can check at the Arcade bus station in Chiang Mai or book online via 12go.

    • If you take the bus to Udon Thani, you will need to then take either a taxi to Gaia (400-600 baht) or a shared minivan to Nam Suai + tuktuk to Gaia (see directions at the top of this page for more details on this part). 

  • From Nong Khai

    • Coming from Nong Khai you could take a bus/minivan to Udon Thani from the bus station in Nong Khai & ask the driver to drop you at Nam Suai’. 
    • If you are coming from the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge, there is a small bus station just past the Thai immigration checkpoint (Google Maps link) where you can buy tickets for the minivan to Udon Thani.
    • Nam Suai is on the highway number 2 towards Udon Thani from Nong Khai takes about 40 minutes to get there. (Please check above map)
    • You could also take a Song Taew (shared pick-up) from Nong Khai from the Q Lot Song Taew (parking place Song Taew). You would ask a tuk tuk driver for Q Lot Song Taew (or Song Taew pai Naam Suai ie. Song Taew go to Naam Suai). Ask the driver of the Song Taew, to drop you at ‘Nam Suai’.
    • From Nam Suai you can find the Tesco Lotus and from there you can cross to the other side of the highway (the side going towards Nong Khai) & look for the police patrol station where you can find a tuk tuk to Gaia Ashram.
    • You can also take a taxi from Nong Khai to Gaia Ashram for around 400-600 baht.

nong khai thai immigration bus station The bus station just past Thai immigration in Nong Khai where you can buy tickets for the minivan to Udon Thani