Sponsored by
Save up to 80% Hotel Online Booking.
Koh Chang Travel Guide
Koh Chang is the second largest island of Thailand, located on the Thai east coast 310 km away from Bangkok near the border to Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand. The name means Elephant Island. Koh Chang was named for the elephant shape of its headland, although elephants are not indigenous to the island. At present, there are 8 villages in total. It is a mountainous island and Khao Salak Phet is the highest peak of all at 744 metres. Visitors are also met with several waterfalls, splendid reefs and rainforests. The island has an area of approximately 217 square kilometers. Koh Chang was previously an unsettled island but it is now important as a harbour for ships to escape from the monsoon, and dietary or fresh water resources, especially at Ao Salak Phet or Ao Salat which is well known to pirates, Hai Lam Chinese and Vietnamese.
The island is part of the Mu Koh Chang Marine National Park. During World War II, when Thailand was occupied by the Japanese, Koh Chang was the scene of a naval battle between the reluctant Royal Thai Navy and a Vichy France squadron, in which the Thais were decisively beaten.
Until the mid-1980s the infrastructure on the island was undeveloped, but tourism has increased significantly since then. Around the year 2000, malaria was eradicated, the area became a national park. The island now receives 655,000 visitors annually, about two thirds of them Thai. Koh Chang is one of the few places with virgin forest, but the mad rush to cash in on tourism has had a heavy toll on its virgin forests. Land prices have skyrocketed, there are also beautiful if not high end resorts now popping up all over the island.
Koh Chang Nightlife
Koh Chang Shopping
Koh Chang Attractions
Getting to Koh Chang
By plane
Bangkok Airways flies three times a day from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Trat. The flights takes about 1 hour.
Direct door-to-door minibus transfers from Trat airport to Ko Chang resorts cost about 500 baht/person one way and 1000 baht/person return including the ferry crossing.
From Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, take the free express shuttle bus from outside the arrivals concourse to the airport’s own bus terminal, and from there the next available bus to either Trat or Chanthaburi, then proceed as described below.
By bus
From Bangkok the easiest, most direct, and most economical way to get to Laem Ngop (where the Ko Chang ferry piers are) is to take a 1st class bus from the Eastern (Ekamai) Bus Terminal direct to the Centrepoint pier. The fare is 268 baht and takes just over five hours. Departures from Ekamai are at 07:45 & 09:45, and return at 14:00 and 16:00.
Alternatively, there are 1st class (approx. 5 hours, around 250 baht) and 2nd class services from both the Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai) and Northern Bus Terminal (Moh Chit) direct to Trat, and frequent songthaew services from Trat to Laem Ngop (approx. 30 minutes, 50 baht/person). Departures from Ekamai are more frequent than from Moh Chit. If coming by bus from the south, the #511 air-con bus can be used to connect directly between Bangkok’s Southern (Sai Tai Mai) and Eastern (Ekamai) bus terminals.
Connection in Trat can also be used if coming from Pattaya (2nd class bus, 4 hours, around 200 baht).
There are direct minibus services to Laem Ngop from Pattaya, Ban Phe (gateway to Ko Samet), and Bangkok’s Khao San Road. They, however, are less comfortable and spacious than public buses, and you may be charged significantly more by travel agencies selling tickets to these, as often with any tourist-oriented transportation in Thailand.
It may also be possible to proceed directly to Laem Ngop by minibus or songthaew from the Hat Lek / Koh Kong border crossing with southern Cambodia, depending on the time of year, time of day, etc – enquire locally. Price around 120 baht (one way) from the border to Trat bus stationBy boat
By boat
Most ferries operate from Laem Ngop, which has three piers . The Laem Ngop (Tha Khrom Luang or Tha Laern Ngop) pier is approximately 700 metres west of Laem Ngop. The ‘Centrepoint’ (Tha Centre Point) pier is located about 3.5 km north-west of Laem Ngop. These piers serve both vehicle and passenger ferries.
Koh Chang vehicle ferry pier is located in Thammachat Bay (Ao Thammachat), around 15 km west of Laem Ngop.
All piers on Ko Chang are situated on the eastern side of the island. The major piers are the two Dan Kao piers, Tha Dan Kao and Tha Ferry Dan Kao, who handles most of the traffic. To take a boat from Laem Ngop to the Dan Kao piers take around 45 minutes. The car ferry from Laem Ngop take around 1 hour and arrives at the Tha Ferry Dan Kao pier, situated 400 minutes southeast of the Tha Dan Kao pier. The car ferry from Thaachat Bay stops at the Ko Chang Ferry Pier (Tha Ferry Ko Chang) in the Sapparot Bay (Ao Sapparot), 3 kilometres northwest fom the Dan Kao piers.
Light meals, fruit, fruits and beverages are available at all the piers and on the car ferries.
By taxi
From Bangkok or Suvarnabhumi international airport the ride takes a total of about 5-5.5 hours by Limousine or Taxi. Most Taxi’s will decline this ride as the risk of empty return is too high for them. Most (airport) limousines will deliver you at the hotel or resort on Koh Chang, especially if they can make it back to the mainland before the last ferry sails.
