Getting to Koh Chang
Koh Chang is 315 kilometres away from Bangkok in the province of Trat. There are
several ways of getting there: by air, air-conditioned bus, taxi, hire car or
motorcyle.
 By
air
Bangkok Airways flies from Bangkok, Phuket and Ko Samui to a new airport at
Trat. There are flights out of Bangkok day which takes about 45 minutes. Onward
flights leave at 8:30 (PG310) and 16:10 (PG316) and return at 9:40 (PG311) and
17:20 (PG317), costing around 4,000 baht for the return journey. For reservations,
call the Bangkok office on +66 (0) 2265 5555 and Trat +66 (0) 3952 5299-300.
For more information and bookings, see Bangkok Air.
By air-conditioned bus
First/second-class and VIP air-con buses leave from the Eastern Bus Terminal at
Ekkamai, on Sukhumvit Road, which is conveniently serviced by the BTS Skytrain.
The return fare to Trat — the stopping off point for Koh Chang — ranges from 147
baht for second-class coaches to 420 baht for the VIP coach. From the Trat bus
terminal, take a cab or minibus to the ferry at Laem Ngop, which should cost you
around 200 baht.
By taxi
Getting out of Bangkok is always going to be troublesome unless you leave very
late at night or early in the morning. But one of the most painless ways to
travel is order a taxi that will take you all the way to the ferry port at Koh Chang. If you're a good negotiator, you can pay as little as 2,500 baht one
way.
By private car or motorbike
By hiring a private car or motorbike, you make the decisions as to how and when
to travel. However, do make sure you bring an International Driving Permit with
you or any hassles you encounter are entirely of your own making. Simply, the
best way out of Bangkok is to take Highway 3 on the Bangna-Trat road until you
reach the Chonburi bypass. Continue along this road, or take the elevated tollway,
then take the exit for Klaeng on Highway 344. When you reach Klaeng, get back
on to Highway 3 again (Highway 3 goes via Pattaya and Rayong, which you don't
want). Continue on through Khlung and, from here, about half-way to Trat, turn
off on to Highway 3156, the Laem Ngop-Saen Tung road, which will take you along
the coast to the ferry ports.
 Ferry
services and times
Ferries leave from one of three piers every 30 minutes from 7am to 7pm. Probably
the most popular is the Centrepoint Pier. A motorcycle or car are free while
foot passengers are charged Bt30. Once on the other side, sawngthaews are available
during the day, the fare ranging from around 20 to 70 baht depending on the
distance.
The Island Hopper
The only regular ferry service to the other islands is the Island Hopper (see
website for more details). It's a 65ft sleek, comfortable, quiet and fast beautiful
boat and has an English-speaking crew. They run a daily ferry service and have
many 'mini hopper packages' to choose from, enabling you to stay on the islands
for a few days.
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