Around Island

Koh Chang By Scooter. Part 1: Ferry Pier to White Sand Beach

Riding a scooter on Koh Chang

Riding a scooter on Koh Chang

I thought it was about time I strapped a camera to my bike and headed out onto the open road in order to give you an idea about what it’s like to ride a scooter on Koh Chang.  Hiring a scooter or motorbike on Koh Chang is a very popular way to see the island.  Partly because it’s a fun way to do it and partly because public transport on Koh Chang is limited to ‘songtaews’ – which are white, shared pick-up truck taxis.

They ply a route from the ferry piers down the west coast of the island to Bangbao in the south.  It’s just a matter of flagging one down and hopping on. However, it starts to add up when you are taking several trips a day in order to see the island, and with a couple of exceptions there aren’t any services down the East coast.

So if you want some freedom then renting a scooter is a great way to get around.  The 115 or 125cc automatic scooters are cheap – from 150 – 250 Baht / day (24 Hours) and will get you up the hills without any problems ( usually).  It is possible to rent bigger bikes, there’s a place on White Sand beach that rents choppers and some rental places have 250cc off road bikes but there’s no need for them – you just end up looking like an attention seeking dick riding one.  So, stick with a scooter.

It turned out that the ride from the main ferry pier down the west coast down to Bangbao can easily be split into four sections each taking around 10 minutes.  ( Although the last video is a bit longer as I’ve included Klong Kloi Beach )

It would take too long to list all the hotels, businesses etc that you pass by on the ride, but to help you navigate and give you an idea of where you are, some resorts and point of interest are mentioned.

Real time scootering on Koh Chang . . . almost as much fun as the real thing and infinitely less chance of having an accident.

This first video is from Ao Sapporot Pier to White Sand Beach.

Ao Sapporot is the main ferry pier on Koh Chang.  (The other is a couple of kilometres south.)  There’s a small hill just past the pier which will get you ready for the aptly nicknamed ‘Big Hill’ that lies in wait just after you pass through Klong Son village.  If you’re nervous then don’t ride up it when there’s a lot of traffic that’s just come off the ferry.  Expect vehicles slowing to a crawl right in front of you and taking corners wide when they come in the opposite direction.  Take a lot of care coming down the hill – especially on the Klong Son village side if it’s been raining.  It can be very slippery.

Part 2  – From White Sand beach to Klong Prao village

 

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Koh Chang Island Guide For Independent Travellers