How to book an overnight Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok

The Bangkok – Chiang Mai route is one of the most frequently travelled in Thailand. While flights and trains are popular options, there’s something uniquely appealing about an overnight journey on a bus. And not any bus – on a 20 seater VIP bus called Wiang Ping Super VIP operated by Sombat.

Disclaimer: This page contains affiliate links, If you click one of them I will earn a small commission, it won’t cost you anything extra.

While some might pick a coach journey as the last possible option of travelling – I’m definitely one of those people – this bus combines comfort, affordability, and efficiency, making it a favourite among locals and tourists alike. It also – like most coaches – doesn’t limit you regarding your luggage size, but unlike any coach, gives you an opportunity to see what it would be like to travel on a spaceship!

I’m joking of course, but the 20 seater Super VIP bus by Sombat has a little bit of a spacecraft look, don’t you think? Plus, since it’s an overnight bus you can save money on accommodation.

Ok, I’m done with convincing you to try the Super VIP bus. Perhaps you didn’t need to be persuaded at all, since you found this article.

Anyway, in this blog post, I’ll guide you through everything you need to know about an overnight Wiang Ping Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. From finding it on the Sombat bus schedule – this particular bus departs only once a day! – to amenities and the step by step booking process itself. I want to make sure that your journey is as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

I’ll also answer the most important question – if you can in fact sleep on this sleeper bus.

So whether you’re a backpacker looking for a budget-friendly option or a traveler seeking a bit of luxury on the road, you’re in for a memorable ride!

If you do prefer a train, check out my “Bangkok – Chiang Mai sleeper train blog post”. I share a step by step instruction on how to book the special express sleeper train no. 9 without using 3rd party websites. You choose your own seats and receive the tickets within minutes!

Useful info!

This blog post is about booking an overnight Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok. But since the booking process is pretty straight forward, it can be easily applied to buying your ticket in the other direction. If you want to travel on the same coach but from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, click here or scroll down to find out which bus service it is exactly.

Ok, let’s begin our luxurious coach journey…

You don’t have time to read it now? Save for later!

How to book a Sombat overnight Wiang Ping Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok

Let’s start with some general info…

Which station does the Sombat Wiang Ping Bus depart from?

The Super VIP bus departs from Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3. You can put this name in your Google Maps or simply open this link. When I was taking the bus (November 2024), it departed from Platform 3. But definitely check the departing platform properly, in case something changes. It will be shown on the ticket that you have to collect from the Sombat stand. More details below.

The Chiang Mai coach station is nothing fancy. In fact the female toilet was one of the most awful I used in Thailand. But you can find a few little shops that are open even late in the evening, and some food places. So I suppose the station does its job.

What time does the coach leave?

I told you that there’s only ONE 20 seater Sombat Super VIP bus per day. So make sure you you choose the right one while getting the tickets.
Sombat Wiang Ping Super VIP bus departs daily from Chiang Mai at 9.30 pm.

The bus arrived around 30 min before departure and boarding started not long after that. So it would be wise to be at the station at least 40 min before departure. Especially that you have to collect your tickets from the Sombat stand.

How long does the journey take?

The official timetable states that the journey from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on the overnight Super VIP bus should take 10 hours. The bus departs from Chiang Mai at 21:30 PM and arrives in Bangkok at 7:30 AM.

I have to say that the bus I took in November 2024 arrived in Bangkok 45 min earlier. I’m not really sure if that happens every day though. It probably depends on the traffic and on the driver. So you have to be ready for both, delays and earlier arrivals.

How much does the bus cost?

At the time of writing this blog post (December 2024) the pricing for Wiang Ping Super VIP bus taken from the official Sombat website is 924 THB (USD 28).

What are the facilities on the bus?

Let me start by saying that there is a bus attendant on every journey. She shows you to your seat, distributes the freebies, informs you about the breaks and so on. Most likely, she will only speak Thai.

Ok, so what are the freebies?

A wet wipe, a bottle of water, a juice box, little pastries and a bag of dried green peas. Not much, but it’s still a nice gesture. The products can naturally vary depending on the journey. You also get a blanket to cover yourself up. It was pretty chilly on the bus.

The bus is also equipped with a toilet, which was…fine. At least in the beginning. It was clean, with running water and toilet paper. Well, it’s a toilet on a bus, so obviously it won’t be anything magical. But at least it’s separated from the seating area with an extra door.

However, the most fancy “facility” on Wiang Ping Super VIP bus is definitely the chair…

What does the chair look like?

It’s the lavish chair that makes this bus journey kinda luxurious. Especially, that unlike other coaches, there are only 20 of those on board.

The chair is contained in a “capsule”, it has a headrest and footrest. The seat reclines quite a lot and the footrest goes up. You can set them up with the buttons located on the armrest of your seat. There’s also a USB port, a little lamp and an “entertainment centre”. A working “entertainment centre” – that’s an important thing to mention. There were a few movies there. I watched Moana. You do need your own headphones with a cable though. Feel free to get the ones I use. They’re noise cancelling too.

The whole seating area is separated from the driver’s part and the toilet with doors. So you don’t hear much noise.

Now…

Is the chair comfortable?

For me it was. My boyfriend would disagree. I suppose the taller you are, the less comfy it gets. But it’s still way above all the other bus chairs that I’ve sat on.

Where Do you keep your luggage?

Naturally, you store your big luggage in the luggage compartment under the bus, but the top shelf inside was also quite spacious. You could easily store a medium sized backpack there or even – that’s a big maybe, I didn’t check – a carry on suitcase. But it’s safer to put everything you don’t need in the luggage compartment – space is precious.

What should you pack or prepare?

Since you’re putting most of your luggage in the luggage compartment under the bus, there are a few things (not many) to prepare in advance and keep them handy:

• reusable water bottle with filter – well, you can drink water from a plastic bottle that they provided, or you can save the environment and use your own filter water bottle. WaterWell filter bottle is my top travel essential. Find out why it’s so amazing and get one for yourself;
• noise cancelling headphones – if you want to watch a movie, listen to your favourite music or just chill and drift away – you need those;
• an eye mask – it was pretty dark on the bus, but in case some people don’t close the drapes (like during my journey) and the outside street lights will be blasting in your face, you definitely need it;
• a travel pillow – there is a pillow of some sort attached to the seat, but to be more comfy I’d still recommend bringing your own travel pillow. Definitely better for sleeping;
• a hoodie – I have to say that it was pretty chilly in there, so wear long sleeves and long trousers;
• a USB cable – as I said, there is a USB port in your seat, so it’s easy to charge your devices;
• tissues or toilet paper – toilet paper in the bus toilet did run out pretty early in the journey, so it’s useful to have your own.

Another thing that you should prepare is insurance! Not only for this bus journey, but for the whole duration of your travels! And since you’re the best, you deserve the insurance out there! SafetWing Nomad Insurance Essential covers not only medical treatment, but also lost luggage! Get your insurance here!

Does the bus stop on the way?

Yes, there is one 30-40 min break. It was more or less halfway, so at about 2-3 am. Not ideal if you’re sleeping, but it’s good to get off and stretch your legs.

The “break area” is quite big. There are toilets, shops and a restaurant. Everything was up and running, even at this time.

After reading all this – I want to think helpful – jibber-jabber about the overnight Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, let’s get to the most important part: how to actually buy the tickets for this coach journey.

Now, in theory, you can book them on other 3rd party websites, like 12goAsia (vomiting emoji – I hate them), but by following this guide you will buy the tickets directly from the provider, you will end up with the seats you actually picked and you will receive your tickets within a few minutes. Plus you won’t have to give your personal details, including your passport number, to some shady website!

The booking process might look a bit overwhelming in the beginning, but I promise you it’s not. I’m sure you’ll be able to easily book your tickets. So let’s begin!

How to book an overnight Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok?

1. Go to sombattour.com. The website is only in Thai for now, but if you’re using Google Chrome, Google will automatically translate the page for you. Don’t try to switch to English using the button in the top-right corner of the site – you won’t be able to book.

2. Click on the orange “book bus tickets” button.

3. Choose “One way”. Don’t worry, it has been selected even if you don’t see a change.
That’s of course if you’re travelling only one way. If you want to buy return tickets you can still follow this guide.

4. Choose “Province of origin” as Chiang Mai and “Departure point” as Chiang Mai.

5. Choose “Destination province” as Bangkok and “Destination stop” as Mo Chit. That’s the bus station of your arrival in Bangkok.

6. Choose the selected date.

Important info!

You’ll notice if you try to choose a date “in English” that the date selection doesn’t work very well. Not all the dates are selectable. The solution is to switch Google translate back to Thai. Photo below. Then you can select any date you wish.

Don’t be worried if the year is different, like 2568. Thais use a different system for their years.

After you’ve picked the date, switch back to English in Google translate.

7. Choose your “number of seats” – meaning number of passengers. The maximum you can choose is 6.

8. Click “search”.

9. You’ll be shown the “bus itinerary” page – a list of all the buses of that day. Pick the one that departs from Chiang Mai at 21.30 – that’s the 20 seater Wiang Ping Super VIP bus. Click “proceed”.

10. Now it’s time to chose your seats. You will do it by clicking on your preferred empty seat.
To deselect a seat – in case you changed your mind – click on it again.

My partner and I sat in 2D and 3D and those were fine seats. Keep in mind that the toilet is at the back of the bus. If you chose the seats there, you’ll have people passing by.

Click “check seats” to proceed.

11. Now you fill out your details. You have to choose the “passport” option and enter your passport number. Then your first name and surname. You just have to fill in the details marked with the asterisk. Gender and member ID can be skipped.

You have to fill in the details for each passenger.

Finally, you have to give your telephone number and email address. If you’re entering a non-Thai telephone number, type: “00” instead of +. Like 0044… instead of +44… .

Important info!

Double check your email address because this is where your payment receipt goes. You’ll need this to pick up your tickets.

Click “proceed” to continue.

12. Now it’s time to pay. There are 3 options to pay, but as a foreigner, you will most likely use: credit card/debit card. Select the credit card/debit card option, accept the term and conditions and click “proceed”.

You’ll be taken to the payment screen. Fill in your details and click “submit”.

Important info!

If you don’t see the name of your bank in the list of banks, choose the “name of other card issuing banks” and enter the name of your bank.

13. Next, you should see the message: payment result – your payment is complete. Click “continue“.

14. Check your email for the reservation confirmation. If you haven’t received it, double check your junk. The email will all be in Thai, but you’ll have a PDF attachment with your payment receipt.

That’s all the steps for now. There’s still one thing…

To do at the bus station:

15. Upon arriving at the bus station, find the Sombat Tour desk. Show the PDF from your reservation confirmation email. You don’t have to print it off! You can show it directly on your phone.

Within a few seconds, you will receive your bus tickets from the Sombat agent. It will have your name, your seat and the platform number.

16. Go to the platform, get on the bus and enjoy your ride!

And now the most important part…

Will you get much sleep?

I didn’t. For the fist part of the journey I couldn’t find a comfortable position. Even though the chair really is quite comfy. The only few hours I really slept was after the break. I put my headphones on, put my eye mask on and woke up in Bangkok. So that was quite nice.

But the coach itself and people on it were quiet and there was no “external” disturbance. It was definitely more noisy on the train. So me not being able to sleep was…well, kinda my fault. It probably depends on how tired you are. I hope you will get some sleep though.

We’re almost done with this blog post. There’s only one thing left. I promised to provide you with information about the journey in the other direction: from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Especially that again – there’s only one 20 seater overnight Super VIP bus by Sombat from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

What time does the overnight Super VIP bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai depart at?

If you want to travel on this luxurious bus from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, you have to go on the www.sombattour.com and pick the connection at 21:19 PM.
I know, what a weird time. You’ll arrive in Chiang Mai at 7:49 am. The bus departs from Mo Chit station and arrives at Chiang Mai Bus Terminal 3.

To buy the tickets for this journey you can still follow this guide. Everything (apart from picking your “point of origin” and “destination province” stays exactly the same.

Ok, we’re done here!

Hope you enjoyed my guide to booking the overnight Super VIP bus from Chiang Mai to Bangkok tickets, and you successfully bought them!

If you do prefer the train, don’t forget to check my guide to booking a sleeper train. And if you’re looking for things to do in Chiang Mai, I’ve got you covered too!

Happy travels!

---

Hi, it’s Aga, the author of this blog. If you found this blog post interesting, entertaining or useful, please think of buying me a virtual coffee to support the site’s running costs. But if you know me, I might actually spend it on coffee. Thanks!

---

Pin for later!