Gaia Ashram is located in the North-East of Thailand. We are between the small cities Nong Khai & Udon Thani. Gaia Ashram is also located near Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
How to get to Gaia Ashram?
You could come by train, bus, or airplane to Nong Khai or Udon Thani from there you need to find your way to Nam Suai which is a village on highway #2 between Udon Thani and Nong Khai. You can find us on Google Maps. We also marked some points on Google Maps for your journey to be more convenient.
If you ask for directions make sure that they repeat the right location (sort of pronounce Nam-Soy and not Nam-Som, as that is somewhere very different). If you are not sure about the pronunciation, you can print the following Thai writing which explains it:
นั่งรถบัสหรือรถตู้หรือรถสองแถวไปบ้านน้ำสวย กิ่งอำเภอสระใคร อยู่บน ถนนมิตรภาพ เลยหนองสองห้องไปทางอุดรธานีประมาณสิบกิโลเมตร
From Udon Thani to Gaia Ashram:
If you travel to Gaia Ashram from the train station or bus station #1 of Udon Thani you can take a minivan to Nongkhai and get off at Nam Suai (about 55 THB). Traveling from Udon Airport there is a shuttle minivan that goes to Nong Khai (200 THB) you ask the driver to drop you at Nam Suai. If you are traveling by the overnight bus from Chiang Mai it is best to book for Nong Khai and you can ask the bus driver to drop you at Nam Suai (see map below).
From Nong Khai to Gaia Ashram:
If you are coming from Nong Khai, you can take a minivan or bus from the bus station in Nong Khai to Udon Thani and make sure they drop you at Nam Suai (see map below). Nam Suai is on highway number 2 towards Udon Thani from Nong Khai takes about 40 minutes to get there. 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’ tuk-tuk or the police station.
From Nam Suai to Gaia Ashram:
You should be dropped at the police station in Nam Suai (see map below) and take a tuk-tuk for around 120 THB (for one person if it is two-person or more they might charge a bit more) to our village, Ban Suai Long. We are a little past the village, past the temple then over the bridge of the river & we are on the right side, there is a sign that says Gaia Ashram (see map below).
Google Maps Location (Coordinates: 17.708852, 102.837371) & Google Maps Points Marked (on this map Gaia Ashram is point B)
Below we will give more detailed instructions on how to get to Gaia Ashram by specific mode of transportation.
By Train:
From Bangkok Hualamphong train station to Nong Khai:
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| Origin: Bangkok Hualamphong | Destination: Nong Khai | |||
| Train Number | Type | Bangkok Departure |
Nong Khai Arrive |
Timetable | ||
| 1 | 77 | Express | 18:35 | 05:05 | Train No.77 | check |
| 2 | 69 | Express | 20:00 | 07:45 | Train No.69 | check |
| 3 | 133 | Rapid | 20:45 | 09:35 | Train No.133 | check |
Please make sure you check at the train station for the times & fares as changes might be applicable. For more info, fares, and tickets please visit the Thai railway’s website.
You can also get off at Udon Thani Train Station, which is the stop before Nong Khai. From there you can go to the local Udon Thani bus station which is not too far from the train station and take a bus/minivan to Nong Khai & ask the driver to drop you at Nam Suai. Generally good to sit in front of the minivan or bus just to remind the driver to stop at ‘Nam Suai’.
By Bus:
- 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 by Budsarakam bus company to ‘Nam Suai’.
- From Chiang Mai
- There is a direct overnight bus service from Chiang Mai to Nong Khai, please check at the Arcade bus station for all information this is a new service if it is not running then you could take an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani (about 600 THB for a ticket).
- If you are coming by bus to Nong Khai you can ask the driver to drop you at ‘Nam Suai’.
- There is a direct overnight bus service from Chiang Mai to Nong Khai, please check at the Arcade bus station for all information this is a new service if it is not running then you could take an overnight bus from Chiang Mai to Udon Thani (about 600 THB for a ticket).
To book a ticket online we recommend 12go.asia (there might be some booking costs attached to this website).
By Air:
There are many flights a day from Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang Bangkok, Chiang Mai to Udon Thani. At present Thai, Air Asia, and Nok Air are extremely cheap. Tickets for all carriers can be booked online, while prices are variable depending on when you book. From Udon Thani airport you can take a minivan to Nongkhai and you ask the driver to drop you at ‘Nam Suai’ (make sure they understand which place you mean!). Please read the above to make sure. Be aware that traveling by airplane will increase your CO2 emissions.
If you need any more information feel free to contact us!