How to Drive to Bukit Kayu Hitam and Take a Taxi to Hat Yai, Thailand

How to Drive to Bukit Kayu Hitam and Take a Taxi to Hat Yai, Thailand

From there, just drive up all the way to Bukit Kayu Hitam (follow signages). From Kuala Lumpur, you will pass by Bidor within an hour, Ipoh Selatan in approx 2 hours, Pulau Pinang exit in approx 3 hours and reach Bukit Kayu Hitam within 5 hours. This is by driving on legal speed limit with the maximum speed limit only at 110 km/h (kilometers per hour). Please be aware speed traps are well placed along the highway and they will mail the summons to you after a few weeks. The penalty for exceeding the speed limit is RM 300 per summon ticket.

Right before you reached Bukit Kayu Hitam, you pass by Changlun.  From Changlun, you can see signages of parking spaces and tour services available. It is another option if you prefer parking in Changlun.

Hat yai is a very popular destination in Thailand for Malaysians and Singaporeans. Many would drive up to Hat Yai a few times a year. It is a town for food and shopping for many Malaysians who stayed at the northern states of Peninsula Malaysia as they don’t required to travel with passports at they have border passes to travel to Southern Thailand. For people like us who stays in Klang Valley, traveling there could take more time.

The question now is how to drive to Bukit Kayu Hitam from Kuala Lumpur and to take a taxi from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Hat Yai? Let me try to explain in short and as simple as I can. From Kuala Lumpur, go to the Duta Highway (PLUS) and head to Pulau Pinang route via Sungai Buloh direction using North South Highway.

Upon reaching Bukit Kayu Hitam, drive straight to the border. Just before the immigration border building, there is a row of single storey shoplots on the left.  We booked our Hatyai hotel room and the taxi services there. You need to pay upfront for both services. For taxi services, it is only RM 40 per taxi (per car) one way to Hat Yai.

Now, where to park? Head to the immigration and get your passports stamped. Drive pass the immigration office, you will see the duty free shop the Zon.

Park at the Zon duty free shop, there is one overnight parking session at the back of the duty free building. Parking charges there is RM 15 per day. Please do lock your steering if you afraid of the safety of the car. I had no problems parking my car there, just to assure you all. The taxi will pick you up at the parking area, and drive all the way to Hat Yai.

From the border, you will pass by Danok and it will take less than an hour to reach Hat Yai town. You will stop at the taxi’s office first and then you can book your return taxi services there for 500 Thai Baht (RM 50). If you need local tours, you can book there too. After the short stop at the office, we reached our hotel at MayFlower Hotel in Hatyai. The journey was smooth and safe.

I hope this will help first timers to Hat Yai via Bukit Kayu Hitam exit. Thank you for reading.

Wilson Ng