Destination guide · Koh Chang
Koh Chang Travel Guide
Thailand's jungle island, five hours from Bangkok and a decade behind the others
- Budget
- ฿1,100–2,800/day
- Best for
- couples, families
- Logistics
- Easy
- Updated
- 1 Oct 2026
Koh Chang in one paragraph
Koh Chang is Thailand's third-largest island, a steep, jungle-covered 217 square kilometers in Trat province about 300 km east of Bangkok, and the one big Thai island that still feels like the others did twenty years ago. There is no airport. You come by bus or minivan from Bangkok to the ferry pier in five to six hours, or fly to Trat in an hour and drive twenty minutes to the same pier, then cross on a car ferry in 30 to 45 minutes. Almost everything you need is on the west coast, a single road linking five beaches that run from busy to barefoot north to south, White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and the fishing pier at Bang Bao. Pick the beach first, because that decision is the holiday. Then give it three nights minimum, go between November and April, and read the scooter warning below before you rent one.
Where to sleep
Where to stay in Koh Chang
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Key Facts (2026)
Bus and ferry from Bangkok takes five to six hours, or fly to Trat in one
Buses and minivans run from Ekkamai and Mo Chit to the Ao Thammachat ferry pier; combined bus-and-ferry tickets cost about ฿300–500. Bangkok Airways flies to Trat (TDX), twenty minutes from the pier. The car ferry crossing takes 30–45 minutes and runs roughly hourly in high season.
November to April is the season, and July brings over a meter of rain
The Trat station's climate normals give Koh Chang 1,024 mm in July, the wettest month at any of the eight stations we track and nearly three times Phuket's worst. June to September brings rough seas, canceled snorkeling trips and closed west-coast businesses. May and October are quiet, green and discounted.
Klong Prao for couples and families, White Sand Beach for walkability, Lonely Beach for budget
White Sand Beach has the most hotels, restaurants and nightlife within a walk. Klong Prao is long, quiet and mid-range. Kai Bae sits between the two and is handy for the boats. Lonely Beach is the backpacker and party strip. Bang Bao and the far south suit divers and island-hoppers.
The roads are steep and the scooter accidents are real
The hills between beaches have tight hairpins, and reviewers have come off their bikes on them, often because oncoming cars drift wide. Rentals run about ฿200–300 a day. If you're not a confident rider, use the shared songthaews along the west-coast road and taxis from the pier.
A comfortable day costs about ฿1,100 on a budget or ฿2,800 mid-range
Hostel beds from about ฿300, budget rooms ฿700, mid-range hotels ฿1,800; a street-food plate ฿50 and a restaurant meal ฿200. Carry cash, because card payments usually carry a surcharge of three percent or more.
Is Koh Chang Worth Visiting?
Yes, for the right trip. Koh Chang is the island for people who want jungle as well as sand, who would rather take a five-hour bus than a connecting flight, and who are happy with a beach that has a few restaurants rather than a strip. The interior is Mu Ko Chang National Park, steep rainforest with waterfalls, viewpoints and hornbills, and the west-coast beaches each have a distinct character, which is rarer than it sounds on Thai islands. Prices are lower than Samui or Phuket at every level, and the island pairs naturally with Bangkok or an overland run to Cambodia.
It is not the island for everyone. The water is good rather than Andaman-clear, and the best snorkeling is a boat trip away at Koh Rang rather than off the beach. There is no airport, the roads are hard work, and from June to September the island half-closes. If your dates are fixed in those months, go to the Gulf islands instead. And if the holiday you want is a resort with everything inside the gates and a dozen restaurants outside them, Samui does that better; our Koh Samui vs Koh Chang comparison goes through it.
Is it touristy? Less than any other island of its size. White Sand Beach in high season is a proper resort strip and the Russian and northern European winter trade is visible there and on Klong Prao's bigger resorts, while Lonely Beach draws a younger international crowd and the east coast has almost nobody. The island as a whole never feels full, which is exactly what people who choose it are looking for.
Which Koh Chang Beach Should You Stay On?
| Beach | Best for | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao) | First visits, walking to dinner | The busiest strip, a dense row of hotels and open-air restaurants behind a narrow beach, the best sunsets and the most nightlife |
| Klong Prao | Couples, families, mid-range resorts | The longest beach on the island, open and quiet, with the better resorts and a lagoon at one end |
| Kai Bae | A bit of both, boat trips | Smaller and calmer, between the two above, handy for the viewpoint and the Bang Bao boats |
| Lonely Beach | Budget, backpackers, nightlife | Quiet by day and social by night, with the island's beach bars and cheapest rooms |
| Bang Bao and the south | Divers, island-hoppers | A stilted fishing village on a pier where the dive and snorkeling boats leave; a songthaew ride from the main beaches |
| The east coast | Mangroves, fishing villages, nobody | Salak Phet and Salak Khok, kayak trips through the mangroves and a handful of places to sleep |
Every beach is on the one west-coast road except the east coast, which is a separate drive around the north of the island. Shared songthaews run the west road; taxis and hotel transfers meet the ferry.
The beaches, north to south
Ordered the way you meet them from the ferry pier, not ranked, because the right one depends on who is traveling. Each has its record behind it and a dated hotel search for that stretch.
1. White Sand Beach, Northwest coast
Most hotels, restaurants and nightlifeThe first beach south of the pier and the most developed strip on the island, backed by a dense row of hotels, guesthouses and open-air restaurants. The beach itself is narrower than the name suggests and feels intimate rather than expansive, and the atmosphere is laid-back rather than party. It is the natural first-timer's base, because everything is a walk.
KC Grande at the northern end is the island's biggest resort, with four pools, a spa and the sand right there, and the night food market behind the strip is the cheapest dinner on the island. The trade-off is that in high season this is the one beach that reads as a resort town.
- Getting there
- Ten minutes by songthaew or taxi from the ferry pier at Ao Sapparot.
- When to go
- November to April. Sunsets are the daily event.
2. Klong Prao Beach, West coast, center
Couples and familiesThe longest beach on the island, large and open, with the best sunsets and the resorts that couples and families end up choosing: Centara's Tropicana sits right on the sand with no road to cross, Santhiya Tree is the calm beachfront base built for people who plan to barely leave the grounds, and Awa is the modern one with three restaurants and a spa.
A lagoon and river mouth break the beach into sections, which is why it stays quiet even when the resorts are full. Klong Prao village on the road behind has the supermarkets and a decent spread of restaurants, and Khlong Phlu waterfall is a few minutes inland.
- Getting there
- About twenty minutes south of the pier on the west-coast road.
- When to go
- November to April. The lagoon end is the quietest sand on the west coast.
3. Kai Bae Beach, West coast, center-south
Calm water, the viewpoint, the boatsA relaxed, smaller beach with calm water and a quieter feel than White Sand Beach, sitting between Klong Prao and Lonely Beach and close to both. It has its own village strip of restaurants and rentals, and Kai Bae Viewpoint on the headland just south is the island's sunset spot, free to visit, with bold monkeys working the parking lot.
It is the compromise beach: quieter than the north, more grown-up than Lonely Beach, and the handiest base for the Bang Bao boats without sleeping at the pier.
- Getting there
- Roughly thirty minutes from the pier.
- When to go
- November to April. Go up to the viewpoint for the last hour of light.
4. Lonely Beach, West coast, south
Budget rooms and nightlifeThe backpacker beach, white sand and palm trees with the island's cheapest rooms in the village behind it, quiet by day and social by night. Beautiful Bar on the sand runs from morning until midnight and Ting Tong Bar never quite closes, so this is where the island's nightlife, such as it is, lives.
The beach itself is short and the swimming is better at the northern end. If you want the price and the people without the noise, Bailan Bay just south has a handful of quieter places and Nanny Restaurant, one of the best-value kitchens on the island.
- Getting there
- About forty minutes from the pier; the hairpins between Kai Bae and Lonely Beach are the steepest on the road.
- When to go
- November to April. Weeknights are quieter than you'd expect.
5. Bang Bao, Southwest tip
Divers and island-hoppersA fishing village built on stilts along a long pier, with seafood restaurants over the water, dive shops and the boats for snorkeling and island-hopping. BB Divers and Thai Ocean Academy both run PADI courses from here, and the day trips go out to the reefs around Koh Rang in the national park, which is where the island's clearest water is.
People sleep here for the boats, not the beach; the sand is around the corner at Khlong Kloi. It is a songthaew ride from the main beaches, so base here only if the water is the point.
- Getting there
- Forty-five minutes to an hour from the pier, at the end of the west-coast road.
- When to go
- November to April. Snorkeling trips stop running in the monsoon.
6. Long Beach and the east coast, Southeast coast
Getting away from everyoneA relaxed stretch of sand on the island's quieter southeastern coast, reached by the separate east-coast road, with a naval memorial nearby and very little else. The east coast as a whole is a different island, mangroves, fishing communities at Salak Phet and Salak Khok, and the Salak Khok boat and kayak trips through the mangrove waterways, which are the one east-coast thing worth a specific detour.
Come here for a day with your own wheels, or sleep here if your idea of a holiday is a beach with nobody on it and dinner at the one restaurant.
- Getting there
- Around the north of the island and down the east-coast road, about an hour from the pier.
- When to go
- November to April.
Things to Do on Koh Chang
The island does three things well, and a good stay does all three: a waterfall day in the interior, a boat day to the outer reefs, and a sunset at Kai Bae Viewpoint. Everything else is a bonus.
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
The island's main waterfall, inland from Klong Prao, where a short jungle walk ends at a big, cold swimming hole. Go early, before the day-trippers land; by late morning the pool is busy. It sits inside Mu Ko Chang National Park, so there is an entrance fee at the gate.
Kai Bae Viewpoint
Sunset over the Gulf from the headland south of Kai Bae, free, with the small islands offshore in the frame and monkeys in the parking lot who will take anything you leave unattended. The island's best photograph for the least effort.
Boats from Bang Bao
Snorkeling and island-hopping day trips leave Bang Bao pier for the reefs around Koh Rang and the small islands of the national park, and the two PADI dive schools on the pier run courses and fun dives. Wind and cloud can shut both down, so book the boat for your first clear morning rather than your last day.
The east-coast mangroves
The Salak Khok boat tour takes you through the mangrove waterways by boat or kayak on the undeveloped east coast, the quietest afternoon on the island. Wat Salak Phet nearby is the island's historic temple, with royal connections going back over a century.
Jungle adventure
Tree Top Adventure Park runs zip-lines and an obstacle course through the rainforest canopy, and ATV Monster Adventure runs jungle trails; both are inland from the west-coast road and both suit a rained-off beach day.
The places this guide names
Kai Bae Viewpoint
Sunset over the Gulf, free to visit, with bold monkeys working the parking lot.
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
A short jungle walk ends at a big, cold swimming hole. Go early, before the day-trippers land.
BB Divers – PADI 5 star Dive Center Koh Chang
A PADI 5-star dive center on Koh Chang offering courses and guided dives for all experience levels.
Salak Khok Boat Tour
Explore Koh Chang's scenic mangrove waterways by boat or kayak on this peaceful coastal tour.
Chef Kho Chang
A highly rated budget-friendly local eatery on Koh Chang serving Thai food daily from 10am to 9pm.
Nanny Restaurant
A budget-friendly Bailan Bay restaurant on Koh Chang, open daily from breakfast through to late evening.
How Many Days Do You Need on Koh Chang?
Three nights is the minimum. The journey from Bangkok eats most of a day each way, so two nights gives you one full day on the island, which is not enough to do a beach, a waterfall and a boat. Three nights gives you two full days and is the shape most people settle on.
Four or five nights is the comfortable version: a day to do nothing on your beach, a waterfall-and-viewpoint day, a boat day from Bang Bao, and an afternoon on the east coast. Beyond that, move rather than stay. Koh Mak is a short boat ride south, flat and quiet with bungalows on long empty beaches, and Koh Kood beyond it has the best beach in reach of Bangkok; a week that splits Koh Chang with one of them is better than a week on Koh Chang alone.
Getting to Koh Chang from Bangkok
There is no airport on the island, so every route ends at a ferry pier on the Trat mainland. Buses and minivans leave Bangkok's Ekkamai and Mo Chit terminals for the Ao Thammachat pier in five to six hours, and combined bus-and-ferry tickets, sold at Ekkamai and online, cost about ฿300–500. The car ferry crossing takes 30 to 45 minutes and runs roughly hourly in high season; it lands at Ao Sapparot on the island's north coast, where songthaews and hotel transfers wait.
The fast option is Bangkok Airways from Suvarnabhumi to Trat (TDX), about an hour in the air, then a twenty-minute transfer to the pier. It turns a travel day into a travel morning and is worth the fare for a short trip. From Pattaya, minivans run east along the coast to the same piers in about half a day; from Cambodia, the Hat Lek border crossing is about an hour and a half from Trat.
Bookable departures · refreshed daily
Bangkok → Koh Chang: departure times you can book now
Every departure currently on sale through 12Go for this route, by class. Fares are the spread across the classes shown; the exact price for a seat and date is on the booking page.
Bus
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Minibus + ferry | 05:30, 07:00, 09:00, 11:00 |
Minivan
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Minivan + Ferry | 08:00, 09:00, 09:30 |
Ferry & speedboat
| Class | Departures |
|---|---|
| Express | 06:00, 07:30 |
Times and fares as sold on 12Go, refreshed daily. Services sold only locally — ordinary trains, weekend excursion trains, walk-up pier tickets — are not listed; see the table above for those. Sponsored link: we may earn a commission when you book, at no extra cost to you.
Bangkok → Koh Chang
Book the bus and ferry to Koh Chang
12Go sells the combined Bangkok to Koh Chang tickets, bus or minivan to the pier plus the ferry, so you can see the departure times and hold a seat before the high-season minivans fill.
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Getting Around the Island
One road runs down the west coast through every beach, and shared songthaews ply it all day; flag one down and pay by distance. Taxis and hotel transfers meet the ferry. The east coast is a separate road around the north of the island.
Scooters are cheap, about ฿200–300 a day, and they give you the run of the place, but the hills between beaches have tight hairpins and the accidents in the reviews are real, often because oncoming cars drift wide on the bends. If you are not already a confident rider, this is not the island to learn on. Carry cash wherever you go; cards are accepted patchily and usually with a surcharge of three percent or more.
When to Go
November to April, and the island is at its best from December to March. Koh Chang runs on the Andaman calendar rather than the Gulf one despite being on the eastern side of the country: the Trat station's climate normals give July 1,024 mm of rain, the wettest month at any of the eight stations we track and nearly three times Phuket's worst, and June to September brings rough seas, canceled snorkeling trips and a fair share of closed west-coast bars and bungalows.
May and October are the shoulder: green, quiet, heavily discounted and usually fine, with the odd storm. If your dates are fixed in June to September, Koh Samui and the Gulf islands have better weather, and our month-by-month weather guide shows the two coasts side by side.
What Koh Chang Costs Compared With the Other Islands
Typical daily figures from our cost index, in baht. Koh Chang is the cheapest of the big beach islands at every level, and the gap to Koh Lipe or Koh Samui is wide enough to fund the extra nights the journey deserves.
| Destination | Hostel bed | Budget room | Street meal | Local transport | Budget day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Chang | ฿300 | ฿700 | ฿50 | ฿60 | ฿1,100 ($34) |
| Koh Lanta | ฿300 | ฿700 | ฿50 | ฿80 | ฿1,200 ($37) |
| Koh Phangan | ฿300 | ฿700 | ฿60 | ฿100 | ฿1,200 ($37) |
| Koh Tao | ฿300 | ฿800 | ฿60 | ฿80 | ฿1,200 ($37) |
| Koh Samet | ฿350 | ฿900 | ฿60 | ฿50 | ฿1,300 ($40) |
| Phuket | ฿400 | ฿1,000 | ฿60 | ฿100 | ฿1,500 ($46) |
| Koh Lipe | ฿450 | ฿1,200 | ฿80 | ฿40 | ฿1,600 ($49) |
| Koh Samui | ฿400 | ฿1,000 | ฿60 | ฿150 | ฿1,600 ($49) |
Daily budgets assume a hostel or budget room, street food and local transport (budget) or a mid-range hotel, restaurant meals and a scooter or taxis (mid-range).
Koh Chang on Video
Three other people's trips, for a feel of the beaches, the roads and the rainy season before you book. None is mine; each is credited to its channel.
Plan the rest of the trip.
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Written by
Mac Kiley
I lived in Bangkok for four years and traveled the country from there. The guides are my own opinions, written the way I'd explain them to a friend planning a trip.
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