Bangkok to Koh Chang Travel Guide

As a relatively new destination on the tourist map, Koh Chang is still developing in terms of links with Bangkok and the rest of Thailand. There are two options to find your way to this, one of the finest islands in Asia. Those are by air or by road.

By Air to Trat

Bangkok Airways, who own and operate the airport, have 2 flights a day to Trat from Bangkok. From the airport it’s a 15 minute ride to the ferry service across to Koh Chang. There three ferry points on the mainland, the most popular being Centerpoint Pier

The flight from Bangkok is 45 minutes and departures are from Suvunarbhumi International Airport:

08.00am and 16.50pm daily. There are 2 extra flights on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 15.00pm or 15.30pm. This is the current summer schedule which will change later in the year. Check with www.bangkokair.com for the latest information and fares. Generally these are about 2-3,000 Baht one way including taxes.

By Bus

The bus station serving all the eastern seaboard destinations from Bangkok is at Ekamai, on Sukhumvit Road. The bus station is almost next to the Ekamai Skytrain stop, so it’s easy to find. Buses leave here for Trat every hour and the cost for an air conditioned regular service is approximately 300 Baht. The journey time is around 5 hours depending how long it takes to get out of Bangkok. Sunday journeys are recommended for this reason, when the traffic is lighter.

Also from Ekamai there is a bus direct to the ferry at Laem Ngop leaving at 07.30am and 09.30am. The service route number is 99.

From the airport, buses goe directly to Trat for around 250 Baht one way. There is a shuttle bus service from the terminal across to the ‘public bus’ station at Suvunarbhumi, and the no 99 stops at the airport for a direct run through to the ferry

By Car

If a road journey is contemplated in a rental car, its an easy route from Suvunarbhumi Airport along route 3 towards Chonburi and then continue south, on the 334 to Klaeng and pick up the route 3 again south to Trat. The road direction signs are in Thai and English. It’s not an overly long journey, but for a driver unfamiliar with Thai driving, it could be an idea to stop in Pattaya en route and finish the journey the second day. For information on Pattaya: www.mypattaya.com

All the main rental companies operate from the airport, such as Avis, Hertz, Budget, Alamo, Europcar and the Thai local company Thai Rent A Car (Off airport). All can be booked online. The car can be taken across to Koh Chang at no cost, but the passengers pay 30 Baht each.

Taxi

For a group travelling together it is worth looking into hiring a taxi or a small van. The cost would be in the region of 4,000 Baht for a van and 3500 Baht for a nice car, one way. Toll way costs are extra, so allow around 150 Baht for this. Journey time may be faster than the bus, but the chances are the driver will want to make a stop for obvious reasons en route.

Try http://www.travelconnecxion.com/private_transfer_service_thailand.php for information on this, although there will be other transfer services available at the airport, and even a standard taxi could be hired from the public taxi stand. As a guide the regular taxi fare to Pattaya using a metered taxi is 1,800 Baht so double that for Trat, and add a bit more should give a rough figure to negotiate with. The driver will not use the meter on a long journey such as this, so the price must be agreed beforehand.

Ferry Services to Koh Chang

Laem Ngop is 17 Kilometers from Trat with a journey time of 30 minutes. Songthaeows (open back pick ups) leave from the bus stations when full. The piers serving the island are from Laem Ngop at Centerpoint Pier and Thammachat Pier and during the high season November to March there are ferries every 30 minutes from 6am to 9pm. The island has a number of arrival points, on both the north west and west coast of the island.

The ferry fare is 30 baht one way per foot passenger, cars go free!