Getting Here
How to get from Bangkok (or wherever) to Koh Chang. In brief, as it’s taken for granted you:
a) Will be clutching a Lonely Planet / Rough Guide or similar when you arrive in Thailand and will have spent plenty of time sitting in airport lounges memorising large tracts of it in order to avoid looking like an obvious tourist and wandering around wide eyed and gawping as soon as you arrive in Thailand. Head permanently bowed and buried in a well bookmarked guide doesn’t mark you out as a worldly wise traveller. It marks you out as someone likely to want to load up on cheap gems at a top secret government sale, that’s only on today, but fortunately is open to luck folks like YOU. Or you could be dying to take a complimentary tuk-tuk tour of the tailors shops of Bangkok as, unfortunately, new lino is being laid at the Grand Palace today so it is closed.
b) Possess enough worldly wisdom, as an independent, worldly wise traveller, to be able to buy a ticket for the transportation of your choice. If not then a couple of words of Thai and a bit of sign language will get you sorted. Walk into any travel agent and say the magic words “Koh Chang” to the nearest available member of staff, gesticulate at the wall calendar to indicate your desired departure date and then point at a picture of a minibus, bus or plane. Hand over the requested amount of baht & don’t forget your “Kop khun ka/krap” on the way out. All you then have to do is to find your way to the pick up point or bus station without being taken on the 2 hour scenic route by a friendly taxi driver who’s brother in law just happens to have some ancient Thai artifacts that he’ll sell to you, as you really are a very nice guy, for a very good price.
You’ll find timetables and schedules for all transport services on this aptly named ‘Timetables & Schedules‘ page
By Plane
Trat Airport opened in April 2003 although very few people either knew or cared. There are daily flights from Bangkok for those with money to burn or who are horrified by the alternative prospect of a 5 hour bus ride. The Trat office of Bangkok Airways can be reached on 039 525 299-30. But you’ll find it far easier to book tickets at any travel agent’s . . . don’t expect much change from 5,000 Baht for a return trip during high season. There are two , three or four flights per day depending on the time of year. but be sure to reconfirm your flight the day before as flights do get cancelled even in high season as they are rarely full, or even half full.
From Trat Airport you’ll also need transport to your hotel on Koh Chang. If you don’t want to pay rather a lot for your hotel to pick you up privately or don’t fancy dragging suitcases on and off crowded pick up truck taxis, a shared minibus service which can be booked in advance operates from the airport to all Koh Chang hotels. The price is currently 350 baht/person including ferry ticket.
Book the shared transfer between Trat Airport and any hotel on Koh Chang here.
By Car
Why are you reading this if you’ve got a car? They do have road signs in Thailand. Anyway . . . follow the Bangna-Trat road or motorway out of Bangkok until you see Highway 344. Stay on the 344, looking out for police checkpoints as they like to stop drivers for no reason on this stretch of road. Join Highway 3 again near Klaeng and then, about 23km before Trat, turn left at the T-junction with 3156, signposted to Laem Ngop. 20 mins later you’ll be at the first of the ferry piers – ‘Koh Chang Ferry’. this is the better of the two car ferry companies, with a shorter crossing time and sailings every 30-45 minutes from 0700 – 1900 daily. To reach the cheapest ferry, Centerpoint, head about 5km east of Koh Chang Ferry. See this Google Map for the best route from bangkok to Koh Chang by car.
By Minibus/Bus
You may have thought that getting 4 Israelis with backpacks the size of ATM machines, 3 full figured Swedish chicks, a muscle bound German and a bewildered Japanese guy loaded down with camera gear into the back of a minivan was a physical impossibility. It isn’t as you’ll discover if you make the trip from Khao San Road to Koh Chang using this form of transport.
Taking the full size bus from Ekkamai bus terminal in Bangkok might not be as convenient but it mean you’ll still have some circulation in you legs when you get arrive at the ferry pier. Figure on 600 – 750 baht for the minibus experience, and around 250 baht for the regular bus to the ferry pier. Convenience is the main selling point of the minibus experience. as it will pick you up at or near your hotel in Bangkok. Taking the regular bus means getting to the bus station which can be a hassle if you are staying near Khao San Road, for example. Time wise you’re looking at about 4 and a half hours for the direct minibus and 5 hours for the big bus.
In mid 2009, a new minibus service between Victory Monument in Bangkok to Koh Chang Ferry pier started running with minivans departing from both locations every 2 hours from 0700 – 1900. Price 300 baht/person. Sounds like a good deal, and it is, providing you are travelling light as the vans don’t have any luggage space. The advertising for this service is all in Thai language at present and it isn’t always easy to find the minivans at Victory Monument - a huge roundabout, just north of the city centre in Bangkok. But it is a good option for getting from Koh Chang back to Bangkok quickly.
There are regular minibuses and public buses making the trip from Pattaya to Koh Chang. *Tip for independent travellers:- Don’t feel left out – rent a Thai g/f (or b/f) before boarding the bus. If not you’ll be the only person on there not playing ‘touchy feely’ with the neighbouring seat for the entire trip. To feel one of the crowd aim for a 20 year age difference between you & the partner of your choice.
By Taxi
It is possible to hop in a taxi at Bangkok Airport and go to one of the mainland ferry piers for Koh Chang. It’ll require some negotiations with the taxi driver and the cost will depend on both your haggling skills and how desperate the driver is to spend the next 10 -12 hours on a round trip. With a bit of luck you’ll be quoted around 3,500 baht, if you look wealthy or desperate expect the price to be nearer 4,500 or more. It’s worth bearing in mind that most Bangkok taxi drivers wont have ever driven to Trat before so you’ll have to have an idea of which direction you should be going in. The taxis usually won’t go onto the island, they’ll drop you off at the pier and then head back to Bangkok. So you’ll still have to buy ferry tickets and then hop on a crowded songtaew to your resort.
Private Transfer by car/minivan
Maybe you want to see a bit of Thai countryside after a long flight. Maybe you don’t enjoy jumping on and off public transport with suitcases and children. Maybe the cost of flying a family or a group is prohibitive. Whatever the reason, more people are now booking private transfers between Bangkok and Koh Chang. The cost for a van that will comfortable accommodate 6-8 people and their luggage is around 6,000 baht for a one way transfer., less for couples or smaller families. Since 2005 I have partnered with a reliable, well-known Koh Chang based tour agency to provide a private transfer service through this site. To date, several hundred couples, families and groups have used the service.
Ferries
In the old days, pre 2007, there was a wooden boat service from Laem Ngop, a less than riveting mainland fishing village, where travellers caught an over-crowded passenger boat (a converted wooden trawler) to Koh Chang. These have now stopped running. Everyone uses the larger, safer, vehicle ferries.
There are two car ferry companies running regular services to Koh Chang from piers on the mainland. These are ‘Koh Chang Ferry’ and ‘Centrepoint Ferry’ that run from piers about 5km apart on the mainland. Both run services from around 0700 – 1900. Several buses from Bangkok will stop at the piers and you can also catch a bus back to Bangkok from the mainland piers, rather than having to do a detour to Trat in order to get between Koh Chang & elsewhere.
