East coast road repairs — what's actually happening and how to get around it

So if you've tried to get to Thong Nai Pan lately, you know what I'm talking about. The main mountain road to the east coast is getting resurfaced — which is genuinely needed, that road has been a nightmare for years — but the timing is not ideal if you're planning a beach trip right now.

What's actually closed

It's the section between Ban Khai and Thong Nai Pan Yai — roughly 8km of the most scenic (and previously most terrifying) stretch. Road crews are working weekdays from about 08:00 to 17:00. On weekends it's open, just with some rough patches.

The detour

You can still get there via the northern route through Ban Chalok Lam. It adds maybe 20-25 minutes and the road is fine. Turn left at the T-junction in Chalok Lam and follow the coast road. Google Maps actually handles this correctly now — which is a change from six months ago when it kept sending everyone down the closed section 😅

Honestly though — take the boat

This is what I'd actually recommend. Longtail boats run from Thong Sala pier to Thong Nai Pan for around 200 baht per person. It takes about 30-40 minutes, you arrive at the beach, and the scenery from the water is incredible. The boat option is genuinely better than the road even when the road is open, in my opinion.

Boats run throughout the day. Just show up at the main pier in Thong Sala and ask around — there's always someone heading to the east coast. Bottle Beach boats also depart from here (Bottle Beach has no road access anyway, so no change there).

When will it be fixed?

End of August is the official timeline. Based on past experience with Thai road repairs... maybe September? But honestly even partial repaving will be a massive improvement. That road was genuinely dangerous in the rain — I've seen more than a few bikes slide out on the wet clay surface.