Thailand Guide
The east coast
Getting around
Samet's principal road is a rough and deeply rutted dirt track that runs north– south and gives access to all the main beaches. Fleets of green pick-up share-taxis shuttle passengers up and down it, waiting for fares at the Na Dan pier, near the Hat Sai Kaew National Park office, behind Ao Wong Duan, and at Ao Prao; they will also pick up from accommodation if you get staff to phone them. Transfer rates are fixed and are generally charged per trip not per person, with most routes (e.g. Na Dan to Ao Prao or Hat Sai Kaew to Wong Duan) costing B200– B250. You need to be pretty confident to negotiate the mud and potholes on a motorbike, available for rent at Na Dan pier and on almost every beach (B400/day), which is why it's become fashionable to rent a lumbering four-wheeled ATV instead, either from the Na Dan pier-head or via hotels elsewhere (from B1500/24hr).