Yala Travel

Best time to visit

The weather is warm all year round. Average temperatures go from 30°C (november) to 34°C (april). Sea temperature is Pleasant all year round! It ranges from 28°C to 30°C. The rainiest months are: october, november and december. We recommende the month of january, february, march, to visit Yala.

Check the below table for the general idea of Yala weather throughout the year.

Yala’s current weather and 7-day forecast

YALA WEATHER

Yala maintains its traditional Thai charm and offers plenty of little gems for its visitors to explore.

Dove Festival

The ASEAN Barred Ground Dove Festival is what attracts most visitors to Yala every year. In March, feathered friends flock here from neighboring Asian countries including Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia for some friendly competition. The main event is a cooing contest where up to 1,500 participants join in. Birds are also bought and sold during the festival, so you can pick up a friend for a bargain.

City Pillar Shrine

Like any other traditional Thai provincial capital, Yala features a City Pillar Shrine. This one is located just in front of City Hall and houses a shrine made from Chaiyapruk wood. The top of the pillar on the pillar was gifted by the Thai King in 1962. Every year, a festival in honor of the City Pillar is held between 25 and 31 May.

Wat Khuhaphimuk

Also referred to as Wat Na Tham, this temple is one of the most revered sites in the South of Thailand. Wat Na Tham literally translates to “a temple in front of a cave” and that is essentially what it is. Located in a cave about 8km from Yala city center, the unique temple contains an ancient reclining Buddha dating back to the 8th century.

Yala Central Mosque

With over three-quarters of its population belonging to the Muslim faith, one of the main features of the city landscape in Yala is its central mosque. Built in 1984, this is also the main mosque of the province. East meets West in the mosque’s architectural style and you’ll be able to admire its 30 wide steps leading up to the upper terrace.

Suan Khwan Mueang

If your eyes get sore from the Yala city landscape, head over to Suan Khwan Mueang. This 80-acre piece of green is located just 300 meters from the City Pillar Shrine and boasts a sports field and a 27-acre pond. And if you want to dream of Thailand’s sandy coastline for a little while, head over to the park’s landscaped beach.

Chang Lee Hotel

Add: 318 Siroros Rd

This place is one of the tallest buildings in Yala. It's 15 stories with the top two floors in ruins occupied only by bats. Chang Lee Hotel is not for the faint of heart or squeamish. It's been many years since it's glory days. Rooms have air-con and a TV with only Thai channels.

Yala My House

This place looks worlds better than Chang Lee and it's cheaper. You can choose a 'kareoke' girl off of the wall when you come in for 200 baht, but that's standard around these parts. If you don't want one no problem. There's a 2 hour Thai massage accross the street for 240 THB and several discoteques and kareoke bars. All seem to be thinly veiled fronts for prostitution. 

Park View Hotel

Add: 2-18 Jongrak 3 RD

This place is bustling compared to My House or Chang Lee. The rooms are simple but tidier than the Chang Lee, although with a very loud air conditioning. You must pay a 350 THB deposit for the minibar when you check in; however, you receive all of it back when you check out if you've not used the minibar. Wireless internet access can be had in the lobby for free. They have a cafe and restaurant as well as a discotheque in the area. There does however also appear to be some prostitution in the area. 

Yala Rama Hotel

Add: 21 Sri Bumrung Rd

Rooms are nice and clean. Free WiFi in rooms. 350 THB deposit for mini bar. Very centrally located, just 150-200m from Railways Station: one block strait and to the left. Appears to be the most reputable hotel in town according to locals. 

Thepwimarn Hotel

Add: Sri Bumrung Rd

Rooms are very simple, fan, bathroom inside. No WiFi. Hotel is closed from 22:00 till 6:00. 

Yala is nestled in the southernmost corner of Thailand, but it is a surprisingly vibrant city. Moreover, there are a number of tasty eateries scattering around town. Below is a list of five places worthwhile to try Yala's best delicacies.

Kuay Jub Moo Krob (Hia Sui), Kochaseni 4 Road, off the Siroros Road

One of the decades-old restaurants in Yala, this small noodle shop with handful number of tables is amazingly busy all day long, but its service remains excellent. The noodle comes with Palo soup that gives mild flavor with slightly peppery smell, and a bit salty crispy pork.

Lamoon Steak House, Siroroas Road

If steak is your choice, here is the place to be. The Lemon Steak House serves steak as well as Thai and Malay cuisines. Famous dishes include Kaeng Som Cha-om Khai (Sour Curry with Vegetable Omelette) and Kai Tod Nampla (Fried Chicken with Fish Sauce). Tuna Roti is also recommended.

Living Room Homemade Café, Sukhayang Road

With "Less is More" concept, this Japanese minimalist style café lures diners with Fusion Food, coffee, frappe and creative drinks like Lemongrass and pandan juice. Shrimp Tempura Salad and varieties of cakes are also popular here.

Hara SeaFood, Pipit Phakdi Road.

Though Yala is not a coastal town, there are few Seafood restaurants and Thara is among the best. You will be amazed to find delicious seafood at bargaining prices here. Its signature dishes include roasted sea brass with herbs, garlic shrimp, fresh oyster, stir-fried Venus shell, and chili Paste.

Roti Ha Yaek, Phang Muang 2 Road

The little shop is away from the main Siroros Road, but it is situated among numerous local eateries. The shop now turns into Food courts as it serves wide varieties of dishes, ranging from roti, Mataba, satay, burger, somtam, Pad Thai, and noodle. It is the place where the locals love to hang around.

Get in

By car

Yala is 1,084 kilometres south of Bangkok by road. One can take Highway 4 (Thanon Phetkasem) from Bangkok to Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Chumphon, then onto Highway 41 through Thung Song, Phatthalung, Hat Yai, Pattani, and Yala.

By plane

There is no direct flight to Yala but Thai Airways International offers flights from Bangkok to Hat Yai. From Hat Yai one can either take the train, bus, taxi, or air-conditioned van to Yala. Please call Thai Airways at 1566, 0 2280 0060, 0 2628 2000 for more information.

Contact us for the latest flight schedule and price. Or you can check via some online platform such as SkyScanner.com or Kayak.com

Here you can find some tips to book the cheapest flight

By train

Yala is 1,055 kilometres from Bangkok by rail. The State Railway Authority of Thailand operates daily rapid and express train services from Bangkok to Yala. Trains leaves the Bangkok Railway Station at 0.25 p.m., 2.45 p.m. and 3.50 p.m. For more information please call Travelling Service Unit, Bangkok Railway Station at tel: 1690, 0 2223 7010 and 0 2223 7020 or visit www.srt.or.th.

By bus

To/from Bangkok

Air-con buses by The Transport Co. Ltd (บริษัท ขนส่ง จำกัด (บขส.), bor-kor-sor) run between Bangkok southern bus terminal (สายใต้, sai-tai) and Yala bus terminal daily. The distance is ~1089km and normally takes 14 hours.

•    24 seats VIP bus (พิเศษ, piset) costs 1215 baht, departs from Bangkok at 17:30. On the reverse, the departure is at 14:00.

•    32 seats Class 1 B bus (ม1พ) costs 914 baht, departs from Bangkok at 19:00 and Yala at 15:30.

•    40 seats Class 1 C bus (ม1ข) costs 783 baht, departs from Bangkok at 17:00 and Yala at 16:30.

•    47 seats Class 2 bus (ม2) costs 609 baht, departs from Bangkok at 14:00 and 18:00, Yala at 12:30 and 14:30.

Air-conditioned bus services are run daily between Bangkok and Yala from the Southern Bus Terminal. Departure times from Bangkok are as follows:

•    VIP Bus – 5.30 p.m.

•    Standard 1 Bus – 10.30 a.m. and 5 p.m.

For further information please call the Southern Bus Terminal at tel: 0 2435 1119-200.

Thai Doen Rot Co.,Ltd (tel: 0 2435 7424) operates a daily bus service from Bangkok to Betong. The bus leaves the Southern Bus Terminal at 4 p.m.

To/from Sungai Kolok

Mini bus for 120 Baht or by train for 20 baht. The travel takes about 2 hours, be awarded that train may be slower.

Minibusses depart to the left as you exit the train station. Minibusses also depart to Narathiwat from this same location for 100 Baht

To/from Betong

Mini van (air-con) for 120 Baht or shared Taxi for 130 Baht (April, 2014). The Mini van and Taxi takes about 2 hours, the Taxi is usually faster because it usually don't pick up people on the way. The mini van stops along the way to take travelers who arranged a stop with the company. The mini van is located about 120 meters north of the clock tower on Sukhayang Road (East side) in Beton, the share taxi is about 80 meters north of the clock tower on Sukhayang Road (West side) in Beton.

We recommend you check the latest bus schedule and price via rome2rio.com

Get around

The city is somewhat walkable, depending on how far you're going (from the train station to the city pillar shrine is a bit long, but doable). There aren't a lot of taxis, even of the motorcycle variety, but you may find some at the train station.

The big circle on the map with streets radiating out from it is not a downtown area, but a park in the suburbs that hosts the city pillar shrine.