Koh Chang Boats Ferries

Koh Chang Boat & Ferries

Koh Chang is the second largest island in Thailand, after Phuket, 30 km long by 14 km wide, with a total area of 429 square kilometres. The beautiful island lies just off the coast of Trat and it is the main island of a beautiful archipelago consisting of 180 pristine coral islands and islets, most uninhabited, which stretches from north to southeast on easternmost coast of Gulf of Thailand near the Cambodia border, about 310 km from Bangkok. Koh Chang is connected to mainland with regular ferry services throughout the year that leave from the Laem Ngop piers located along the coast of Trat. During high season Koh Chang is also connected to Koh Mak, Koh Kood and Koh Wai by other ferry services that leave from two small piers in Bang Bao Village and Kai Bae Beach, both on the southern tip of island. To reach Koh Chang you can choose between two travel options, one that provides the use of planes and a more economic that provides the use of the buses, plus the ferries of course. Trat Airport serves the city of Trat and the homonymous province which includes the islands of Koh Chang, Koh Kood, and Koh Mak. The airport consists of a small asphalt runway and an open-air terminal. It is owned by Bangkok Airways, which carries three daily flights to/from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport. Tickets are quite expensive, considering only an hour’s flight, and have rates of about 3,100 to 3,500 THB per person, depending on the time of year. Trat Airport is located 19 km from the Koh Chang's piers at Laem Ngop, which can be reached by minibus in about 20-25 minutes. The minibus fare from Trat Airport to Koh Chang is around 500 THB per person, with the ferry ticket included.
Buses are definitely the preferred mode of transportation by tourists to approach Koh Chang from Bangkok, but also from Chiang Mai or from the even closer Pattaya. Buses are cheaper of flights, also less than a sixth of the price, and considering the time needed to go to the airport in Bangkok and from Trat Airport to the piers for Koh Chang, in the district of Laem Ngop, the time difference is not significant. Several private companies, and even the governmental, offer different choices to get to Koh Chang, with direct lines to the piers Ao Thammachat and Centrepoint, or in alternative to the bus terminal in Trat, the provincial capital, about 20 kilometres away. VIP buses, with few comfortable seats, toilet and air conditioning, first-class buses or minibuses depart from three terminals in the capital, Ekkamai, Mo Chit and Suvarnabhumi Transportation Centre, but also from Khao San Road in Bangkok, Arcade Bus Station Chiang Mai and North Pattaya Bus Station. You can buy tickets directly at the departure terminal or at any travel agency, prices are not negotiable. The companies are different but the service is the same, with a comfortable non-stop journey until the starting docks in Laem Ngop. The bus service from Khao San Road usually includes the cost of the ferry until Klong Son, the first small harbor village on Koh Chang. The trip from the terminals in Bangkok to the piers is about 5-6 hours, four hours from Pattaya and seventeen from Chiang Mai, same travel times to reach the Trat bus terminal. The provincial bus station is located just off Sukhumvit Road to the northeast of town, about thirty minutes journey by a shared song-thaew to travel 18 km until the piers, about 50 THB. The private company Burapha offers an excellent bus and minibus service from Suvarnabhumi Airport, and Pattaya, direct up to the Koh Chang's beaches. A bus with 40 comfortable seats run daily up to Klong Son, the arrival point in the island, then passengers is transferred by vans or song-thaews to the various resorts on the island up to Lonely Beach, there is an extra for Bang Bao and the east coast. The starting point of bus is at Gate 8 on the 1st floor of airport; on way to Koh Chang bus stops in North Pattaya Bus Terminal, Chantaburi and Trat. On return the company organizes the trip in vans from the beaches to Klong Son for 100 THB, from which depart the buses to Suvarnabhumi. Minibuses make the usual service, with several departures during the day from Suvarnabhumi and Pattaya, but go directly to the various beaches without the transfer of passengers on vans or song-thaews. For more information on timetable and fares please see our web page Koh Chang-Trat Bus Terminal. Read More