Thailand Cambodia Border Curfews Close Crossings

Published on Dec 15, 2025, 11:50 am CST

7 min read

Key points

Thailand has heightened security in seven border provinces and advises travelers to avoid restricted zones near Cambodia as of December 14, 2025
Martial law applies in named districts of Chanthaburi, Sa Kaeo, and Trat, and curfews restrict movement from 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. in parts of Sa Kaeo and Trat
State Railway of Thailand trains now terminate at Aranyaprathet, with service beyond to Ban Khlong Luek Border Checkpoint suspended until further notice
Kantharalak Bus Terminal in Si Sa Ket is temporarily closed, and Bangkok bound passengers must use Karnchang Intersection for adjusted routes
Multiple checkpoints, border zones, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries are closed or off limits across Ubon Ratchathani, Surin, Si Sa Ket, Buri Ram, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat

Impact

Where Impacts Are Most Likely: Disruption is concentrated within the seven Thailand Cambodia border provinces, especially near closed checkpoints, border parks, and night travel inside curfew districts
Best Times To Travel: If you must move within the affected provinces, plan daylight transfers well outside the 7:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. curfew window and avoid border approach roads
Onward Travel And Changes: Overland crossings are not reliable, so shift Thailand to Cambodia legs to flights via Bangkok, and expect bus and rail substitutions around Aranyaprathet and Kantharalak
What Travelers Should Do Now: Cancel border area lodging that sits inside restricted districts, rebook separate ticket connections with larger buffers, and verify last mile ground transport before departing
Health And Safety Factors: Do not attempt to sightsee at closed temples, parks, or markets near the frontier, and follow local authority instructions if checkpoints or screenings expand

Thailand Cambodia border curfew rules are tightening travel near Sa Kaeo, Thailand, after the Tourism Authority of Thailand confirmed martial law districts, nighttime curfews, and multiple closed checkpoints as of December 14, 2025. Overland travelers aiming for border crossings, cross border rail, or bus routes through Si Sa Ket, Surin, Chanthaburi, or Trat are the most exposed to last minute closures and reroutes. Move border area stays and crossings to different dates, and switch to flight based routings where possible, because entry and exit at restricted border zones is currently suspended.

The Thailand Cambodia border curfew update matters because it turns a broad "avoid the border" warning into specific district level rules, plus concrete transport cutbacks that can strand travelers who built their itinerary around Aranyaprathet, local bus terminals, or market and temple stops near the frontier.

Thailand Cambodia Border Curfew Areas And Closures

Thailand's tourism authority says most travel across Thailand remains normal, including major visitor hubs such as Bangkok, Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Phuket, Thailand, Ko Samui, Thailand, Krabi, Thailand, Pattaya, Thailand, and Ayutthaya, Thailand, but it also confirms heightened security in seven provinces along the Cambodia frontier, Ubon Ratchathani, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Buri Ram, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, and Trat. For trip planning, those provinces form a long arc from Thailand's far northeast down toward the eastern seaboard, which is why "I am not going to the border" is not enough if your route uses provincial highways, bus hubs, or ferry connections that pass through the same districts.

Martial law is in effect in multiple districts of Chanthaburi province, including Mueang Chanthaburi, Tha Mai, Makham, Laem Sing, Kaeng Hang Maew, Na Yai Am, and Khao Khitchakut. Martial law is also in place in Sa Kaeo province districts Khok Sung, Ta Phraya, Aranyaprathet, and Khlong Hat, and in Trat province districts Khlong Yai, Bo Rai, Laem Ngop, Khao Saming, and Mueang Trat. Separately, curfews restrict movement from 700 p.m. to 500 a.m. local time in the four Sa Kaeo districts beginning December 10, 2025, and in the five Trat districts beginning December 14, 2025, both until further notice.

For travelers, treat these boundaries like hard trip edges. If your hotel, scooter loop, or transfer plan crosses into the named districts after dark, you are building a failure point into your day. If you are connecting from Trat town toward ferry piers or coastal roads inside Laem Ngop district, for example, confirm last departure times, and avoid night arrivals that would force movement during the curfew window.

Thailand's advisory also lists specific closures and off limits areas by province, which is the closest thing to a traveler usable "map legend." In Ubon Ratchathani, Chong An Ma Checkpoint in Nam Yuen and the Yod Dom Wildlife Sanctuary remain closed. In Surin, the Prasat Ta Muen Thom and Tod area, Prasat Ta Kwai, Chong Chom, and border zones in Phanom Dong Rak are closed. In Si Sa Ket, Khao Phra Wihan National Park at Pha Mo I Daeng, Chong Sa Ngam, the Phanom Dong Rak Wildlife Sanctuary, and border areas near Kantharalak and Phu Sing remain off limits.

In Buri Ram, the advisory flags Chong Sai Taku, Ta Phraya National Park, and border zones near Ban Kruat and Lahan Sai as closed, and it also advises travelers to avoid Route 348 from Kaeo Phet Phloi to Chong Tako when traveling to Non Din Daeng district, and to follow local guidance for alternatives. In Sa Kaeo, the Ban Khlong Luek Checkpoint is restricted, Rong Kluea Market is partially closed, Prasat Sdok Kok Thom is restricted, and border zones near Aranyaprathet and Khlong Hat remain restricted, with the permanent Ban Khao Din crossing in Khlong Hat district also closed. In Chanthaburi, Ban Laem and Ban Phat Kad checkpoints are closed, along with border zones near Pong Nam Ron and Soi Dao. In Trat, the advisory lists Ban Hat Lek, Ban Muen Dan, and Ban Ma Muang checkpoints as closed.

Transport Changes For Overland Travelers

The new traveler pain point is not just where you should not go, it is how the traditional overland corridor is being cut back in ways that ripple into hotels, tours, and separate ticket connections.

On rail, the State Railway of Thailand has adjusted Ordinary Trains No. 275 and 276, and No. 279 and 280, to operate only between Bangkok and Aranyaprathet, with service beyond to the Ban Khlong Luek Border Checkpoint suspended until further notice. That matters because many travelers used the rail line as a cheap, predictable way to reach the Aranyaprathet crossing area, then continue by local transport. With the border segment suspended, you can still reach Aranyaprathet by train, but you should not expect rail to carry you into the crossing zone, or to substitute for a border transfer.

On intercity buses, the Transport Company Limited has temporarily closed Kantharalak Bus Terminal in Si Sa Ket. Services originally destined for the terminal have been adjusted, including Route 98 between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani, and Route 4 between Bangkok, Kantharalak, and Buntharik, with Bangkok bound passengers directed to use Karnchang Intersection as the temporary boarding and drop off point. If you are not local, that "intersection swap" is exactly the kind of detail that causes missed buses, wasted taxi fares, and stranded late arrivals, especially when layered on top of curfews and checkpoints.

Background, What These Rules Mean In Practice

Curfews and martial law designations are operational tools that typically increase screenings, restrict nighttime movement, and expand the authority of security forces in designated zones. For travelers, the practical effect is simple, more stops, more route changes, less predictability, and less tolerance for improvising near the frontier, especially after dark. Even if attractions and hotels in parts of a province remain open, the approach roads to border parks, temples, markets, and checkpoints can be closed without much warning, and transport timetables can be rewritten around security priorities.

This is also why it is easy to misread the situation if you only look at Thailand wide headlines. Thailand's tourism authority is explicit that mainstream destinations remain open, but it also draws a bright line around specific districts and sites, and it asks travelers to avoid restricted zones and checkpoints where entry or exit is suspended.

Routing Alternatives And Trip Planning Rules

For travelers who were planning to cross overland between Thailand and Cambodia, the cleanest workaround is to replace the land crossing with flights, and keep your Thailand itinerary away from the seven border provinces until official restrictions clearly ease. In practice that often means routing through Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) for onward flights, rather than trying to "get close to the border and see what happens." On the Cambodia side, many international schedules now use Phnom Penh Techo International Airport (KTI) for the capital region, and Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI) for Angkor gateway trips, which can be a more stable substitute for the classic Bangkok to Aranyaprathet to Poipet to Siem Reap overland loop.

If you are already in the affected provinces for reasons unrelated to the border, keep three rules. First, do not build any plan that requires movement during the 700 p.m. to 500 a.m. window inside Sa Kaeo or Trat curfew districts. Second, do not prepay nonrefundable transport that depends on a specific checkpoint, market, park, or temple near the frontier, because the closures list is explicit, and it is broad. Third, treat same day connections, especially separate ticket bus to rail, or bus to flight, as high risk until the transport substitutions settle, and add buffer nights if you cannot avoid the region.

For continued context, see earlier Adept Traveler reporting on the border situation at https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-10-thailand-cambodia-border-travel-warning and https://adept.travel/news/2025-12-08-thailand-cambodia-border-conflict-travel, plus the evergreen explainer on how to interpret advisories at https://adept.travel/topics/travel-advisory.

If you need help on the ground, Thailand's advisory points travelers to the TAT Call Centre and the Tourist Police Hotline for updates and support.