Free · 8 chapters · English

Koh Chang Travel Guide

Thailand's second-largest island is five hours from Bangkok and then a ferry — three separate journeys, not one. This guide starts with the crossing, because that is what decides the trip, and tells you plainly what shuts when the rain comes.

Forested island hills rising behind a calm bay in the eastern Gulf of Thailand — Thailand's second-largest island, and still mostly forest

Part one · Getting there

The leg that decides everything after it.

Getting to Koh Chang: Piers, Ferries and Real Travel Times

Koh Chang takes three separate legs: Bangkok to the Trat ferry pier by road (4 to 4.5 hours), the ferry from Ao Thammachat to Ao Sapparot (25 to 35 minutes), then a songthaew or car to your beach. The last ferry leaves at 18:30. Airport to a west-coast beach takes 7 to 8 hours.

3,739 words · about 17 min

Part two · Where to be

Which stretch of coast, and in which months.

Which Koh Chang Beach Is Right for You

Koh Chang's main beaches run down one west-coast road. White Sand is busiest, Klong Prao longest and most resort-heavy, Kai Bae the family default, Lonely Beach the party end, and Bang Bao a pier village with no beach at all. Book near the north end of whichever bay you pick — the water is deeper there.

3,265 words · about 15 min 03

Koh Chang by Season: Monsoon, High Season and What Closes

Koh Chang's high season is November to March — calm sea, every boat running, highest prices. From late May to October the rain arrives in a block and the island-hopping and snorkelling boats stop, though the mainland ferry keeps running. November is the best-value month of the year.

3,087 words · about 14 min

Part three · Worth the money

The boats, the water and the inland half of the island.

Snorkeling, Diving and Island Hopping from Koh Chang

The snorkelling worth paying for is at Koh Rang, over an hour by boat from Bang Bao. A shared day trip costs 750–1,200 THB (about US$23–36) plus a 200 THB park fee, and puts you in the water for two to three hours. The coral is patchy; the fish are better than the coral.

3,040 words · about 14 min 05

Inland Koh Chang: Waterfalls, Viewpoints and Jungle

Klong Plu is the one waterfall most visitors should do: 200 THB (about USD 6), a 15-minute walk, a pool you can swim in. The same ticket covers Than Mayom on the same day. Every other fall on the island is free. No elephant venue on Koh Chang is observation-only — every camp still sells rides.

3,324 words · about 15 min

Part four · Living there

Getting about, eating, and what a day actually costs.

Getting Around Koh Chang: Songthaews, Scooters and Those Hills

Koh Chang has one main road down the west coast, shared songthaew pick-ups that charge 50 to 200 THB (about US$1.50 to US$6) per person per hop, and scooters for hire from 150 THB a day. Songthaews largely stop around 17:00. Two steep hill sections account for most scooter crashes.

3,275 words · about 15 min 07

Eating, Sleeping and Practical Koh Chang

Koh Chang runs on cash — the ferry, songthaews and most kitchens take notes only, and there is no ATM at Klong Kloi, Salak Kok or Chek Bae. Rooms run from 300 THB a night to five figures and food from 40 THB a dish to 500 THB a head, with beach frontage carrying most of the markup.

4,013 words · about 18 min

Part five · Putting it together

Whole trips, built backwards from the last ferry.

Koh Chang Itineraries: 3, 5 and 7 Days

Three nights is the minimum that repays the journey from Bangkok — four to four and a half hours by road each way, plus a ferry. Five nights adds Koh Rang and the interior without rushing. Seven nights lets you sleep a night on Koh Mak or Koh Kood. A day trip from Bangkok does not work.

4,043 words · about 18 min

Road transfer · Bangkok, Pattaya → Ao Thammachat pier

Chapter one is also the part we sell.

Fixed-price private transfers from Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Pattaya to the mainland ferry pier, timed against the 18:30 boat. The crossing and the island leg stay your own arrangement — neither can be booked ahead by anyone, which is the first thing chapter one explains.

Book a transfer Check a flight against the boat

Images in this guide are illustrative scenes generated with AI. They show the kind of landscape, wildlife and setting described in the text, not photographs of a specific named landmark.