Field note · Thailand · Trat Province

Ko Chang

One vehicle ferry now carries almost everyone to Ko Chang – Ferry Koh Chang from Ao Thammachat near Laem Ngop to Ao Sapparot on the island, cash at the pier, no advance tickets – after the rival Centrepoint service stopped in July 2024; on the island the only public transport is a co-op of about 90 white songthaews working to a posted fare list down the west coast, the east side is barely served because the ring road was never finished, the island-hopping boats to Ko Wai, Ko Mak and Ko Kut mostly run November to April, and the Cambodian border at Hat Lek has been shut since mid-2025.

Researched: 22 September 2026
Reviewed: not yet
Ways of moving: 9, 30 sources
Not confirmed: 8
Fares seen: 2023–2026

How transport works here

9 ways of moving, each with its rule

We confirmed seven ways of moving to, from or around Ko Chang: three by water, three by road and one under your own steam, from 30 sources. Two entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. Two of them run only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be.

The fares were seen in 2023 to 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. One fare carries no year, because it could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 8 of the 9 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 22 September 2026, and ends with eight things we could not confirm.

3 ways

By water

ferry

Ferry Koh Chang, Ao Thammachat to Ao Sapparot

Ao Thammachat pier on the mainland (about 12.1871, 102.3014) to Ao Sapparot pier on the northeast of Ko Chang (about 12.1414, 102.2804)

Ao Thammachat is about 10 km west of Laem Ngop town and roughly 20 km from Trat; buses from Bangkok on the 999 service run right onto the pier. Tickets are sold only at the ticket offices at Ao Thammachat and Ao Sapparot, cash only, no cards, no QR, no online sale and no return tickets. Foot passengers always board the next boat to leave; drivers queue. Since Centrepoint stopped there is no useful alternative crossing, so the one remaining company is the whole story.

When: Published departures hourly at 45 minutes past the hour from 06:30 to 18:30 in both directions, with an extra 06:30 and a last boat at 18:30. In high season and on long weekends the timetable is ignored and boats go every 20 to 30 minutes, leaving when full.
Takes: 25 to 30 minutes on the smaller ferries, about 40 minutes on the largest
Fare 2026: Adult 90 baht one way from 10 April 2026 (80 baht for the previous ten years); child 90, student in uniform 30, monk 70; car 200, motorcycle under 150cc 90, over 150cc 150

Season365 days a year including Thai holidays. Cancellations are very rare because the strait is sheltered; the crossing is roughest in November and December when northerlies blow. In May 2026 a surge of visitors produced car queues reported at 7 to 8 km and waits of four to six hours, so arrive before 08:00 with a vehicle or leave the car on the mainland. BookingNone possible – cash at the pier on the day of travel. Run byFerry Koh Chang.

boat

Bang Bao wooden boat and Boonsiri catamaran to Ko Wai, Ko Mak and Ko Kut

Bang Bao pier in the south of Ko Chang (about 11.9697, 102.3141) to Ko Wai, Ao Nid on Ko Mak and Ao Salat on Ko Kut

Bang Bao is the fishing village on the southwest point, an hour by songthaew from the ferry pier, but the ticket price already includes a pick-up from your hotel so you do not make your own way there. The slow wooden boat is run by Bangbao Boat, taken over by Koh Kood Express in mid-2024. Boonsiri's 200-seat air-conditioned catamaran is faster, cheaper than the speedboats and has free wifi, but it only lands at the main pier on Ko Kut rather than at resort piers. On Ko Mak the wooden boat uses Koh Mak Resort pier, Boonsiri uses Ao Nid.

When: Wooden boat one departure a day: Bang Bao 09:00 for Ko Wai 10:00, Ko Mak 11:00, Ko Kut 12:00; returning Ko Kut 13:00 to Bang Bao 17:00. Boonsiri catamaran twice daily in high season at 09:00 and 12:30, once daily at 13:00 in low season.
Takes: Wooden boat: 1 hour to Ko Wai, 2 to Ko Mak, 3 to Ko Kut. Catamaran: 1 hour to Ko Mak, 1h 30m to Ko Kut.
Fare 2026: Wooden boat 400 baht Ko Wai, 500 Ko Mak, 700 Ko Kut. Boonsiri catamaran, live-priced for 15 December 2026: Bang Bao to Ao Nid 550 baht, Bang Bao to Ao Salat 900 baht, 950 baht with hotel transfer at both ends; low season (25 September 2026) Ko Kut drops to 800 baht.

SeasonWooden boat late October or early November to mid-May only. Boonsiri runs the inter-island route 1 October to 31 May and keeps a reduced low-season service; when it stops entirely the fallback is the car ferry back to the mainland, a shared pick-up to Krom Luang pier for Ko Mak or the 40 to 50 km drive to Laem Sok for Ko Kut. BookingAny hotel or tour agent on the islands, two or three days ahead outside peak season, or online at boonsiriferry.com. Run byBangbao Boat / Koh Kood Express; Boonsiri High Speed Ferries.

speedboat

Bang Bao and Kai Bae Hut speedboats

Bang Bao pier and Kai Bae Hut on the west coast (about 12.0280, 102.2897) to Ko Wai, Ko Mak, Ko Kham, Ko Rayang and Ko Kut

Kai Bae Hut's boat saves you the long pick-up ride south to Bang Bao and gives you the west coast and the Bang Bao peninsula from the sea. Both operators include the transfer from your hotel to the pier in the fare. On Ko Kut the speedboats drop passengers at resort piers along the west coast from Captain Hook in the northwest to Bang Bao Bay in the south, and will stop at the road bridge near Mark House for the Klong Chao resorts. On Ko Mak, Kai Bae Hut uses Makathanee Resort pier, Bangbao Boat uses Koh Mak Resort pier on the other side.

When: One boat a day each way per operator. Kai Bae 09:00 to Ko Wai 09:30, Ko Mak 10:00, Ko Kut 11:00; back from Ko Kut 12:00. Bangbao speedboat 12:00 to Ko Mak 12:30 and Ko Kut 13:00 or 14:00; back from Ko Kut 09:00.
Takes: 30 minutes to Ko Wai, about 1 hour to Ko Mak, 2 hours to Ko Kut
Fare 2026: Ko Wai 400 to 600 baht, Ko Mak 800 to 900 baht, Ko Kut 1,200 baht. Children under 3 free, 4 to 6 half price. Private islands Ko Kham and Ko Rayang charge a small landing fee.

SeasonKai Bae Hut 15 November to 30 April; Bangbao speedboat from late October or early November until the end of April or early May, ending earlier if the weather turns. Neither runs in the rainy season. BookingHotel or any tour agent on the island. Run byNor Nou Kai Bae Hut Speedboat; Bangbao Boat / Koh Kood Express.

3 ways

By road

bus

999 government bus from Ekkamai, and the Morchit and Trat services

Ekkamai Eastern Bus Terminal, Bangkok, straight to Ao Thammachat pier; other operators run to Trat bus terminal

Ekkamai station is under 100 m from Exit 2 of Ekkamai BTS. The 999 ticket office is on the left side of the building under the large digital hoarding, open from 06:30, and tickets can be bought the day before. The bus runs via Suvarnabhumi, Chanthaburi and Saen Tung and terminates on the pier itself – it no longer continues to Laem Ngop village since Centrepoint closed. Everything else (Cherdchai, Tanakawee, the Koh Chang Bangkok Minibus company, and buses from Morchit) drops you at Trat bus terminal, about 12.253, 102.514, from where a blue songthaew runs to the piers for 50 to 60 baht a head when it fills, or 200 to 300 baht if it is quiet.

When: 999 departs Ekkamai 07:45 and 08:45, and Ao Thammachat 13:30 and 14:30. Cherdchai runs Ekkamai to Trat at 05:00, 09:30, 11:30, 17:30 and an overnight 23:30 arriving Trat 05:00, half an hour before the first boat. Transport Co. runs Bangkok to Trat roughly every 90 minutes from 04:00.
Takes: 999 to the pier just over 5 hours; daytime services via the airport 6 to 7 hours; the overnight run under 6 hours
Fare 2026: 999: 292 baht one way, 552 baht return. Cherdchai 279 baht, Koh Chang Bangkok Minibus 290 baht, Pattaya to Trat second class about 200 baht. Add the 90 baht ferry and 50 to 200 baht for the island songthaew.

SeasonYear-round; the 999 fills on Thai public holidays, so buy ahead. BookingCounter at Ekkamai, or online at busonlineticket.co.th. There is no discount in the through bus-and-ferry ticket sold at Ekkamai, so buy the boat ticket at the pier instead. Run byTransport Co. Ltd (999), Cherdchai Tour, Tanakawee.

minibus

Shared minibuses and through tickets from the airports

Suvarnabhumi, Khao San Road, Pattaya and Trat Airport direct to hotels on Ko Chang, ferry included

At Suvarnabhumi, go to Entrance 8 on Level 1 and look for the Suvarnabhumi Burapha counter; the same service is sold as the 392 bus or the Lonely Beach Express. From Khao San, Boonsiri run a large bus at 08:00 that reaches Ao Thammachat around 13:00 and also serves Krom Luang and Laem Sok piers. At Trat Airport, Krungthep Limousine has the official desk in the terminal and Koh Chang Transport is cheaper but online-only; a pick-up truck taxi outside baggage claim will also take you to the pier with the ferry included, and the last ferry waits for delayed Trat flights. Shared minibuses do not serve the southeast of the island.

When: Suvarnabhumi departures at 07:00 and 10:00 or 11:00 depending on the source, returning from White Sand Beach at 10:00 and 13:00; Khao San 08:00; Trat Airport services meet the four daily Bangkok Airways flights
Takes: Bangkok to a Ko Chang hotel 6 to 7 hours; Trat Airport to the west coast about 90 minutes including the ferry
Fare 2026: Suvarnabhumi to Ko Chang 650 to 700 baht including the ferry, plus 100 baht for hotel pick-up. Trat Airport: Krungthep Limousine 800 baht one way, 1,500 return; Koh Chang Transport 650 one way, 1,300 return; a shared pick-up taxi from the airport to the pier 280 baht including the ferry. Bangkok shared minibus generally 800 to 1,000 baht.

SeasonYear-round, but there are fewer shared services than before 2020 and in low season some routes detour via Pattaya, adding a couple of hours. BookingOnline with the operator, through any tour agent on the island, or at the Suvarnabhumi and Trat Airport desks. Return pick-up from a Ko Chang hotel needs a couple of days' notice and costs 100 baht extra. Run bySuvarnabhumi Burapha Bus Co., Krungthep Limousine, Koh Chang Transport, Boonsiri.

songthaew

Island songthaew co-op

Ao Sapparot pier down the west coast through White Sand, Chai Chet, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and Bailan to Bang Bao and Klong Kloi; three runs a day across to Salakphet on the east

White pick-ups with a black roof, about 90 of them, run by a co-op with a rota that shares out the lucrative pier runs. There are no metered taxis, no tuk-tuks and no motorbike taxis on Ko Chang. A price list is posted inside every vehicle and there is a fare board at Ao Sapparot pier. To catch one, stand on the main road; vehicles heading for the boat carry a 'ferry pier' sign in the window. First runs leave Bang Bao 07:00, Kai Bae and Klong Prao 06:00 to 06:15, White Sand 06:15 to 06:30, roughly hourly until about 17:00. Nothing runs 01:00 to 07:00.

When: Pier runs meet each ferry; beach-to-pier runs roughly hourly 06:00 to 17:30. East coast: three departures from the piers to Salakphet at 09:00, 11:00 and 15:00, returning 10:00, 12:00 and 16:00.
Takes: Pier to White Sand 15 minutes, Klong Prao 25, Kai Bae 30, Lonely Beach 45, Bang Bao about an hour
Fare 2025: From the pier, per person: White Sand and Pearl 50, Chai Chet 60, Klong Prao 70, Kai Bae 80, Lonely Beach 100, Bailan 120, Bang Bao 150, Klong Kloi 200 baht. Between beaches 50 to 200 baht. Salakphet 100 baht. Add 50 baht per person for a side road off the main road, and 50 baht a journey after 22:00. Hiring an empty songthaew costs the same with a two-person minimum, so a solo traveller pays double.

SeasonYear-round, but in low season there may not be enough passengers for a driver to leave, so you either wait for the next boat or pay to go early. From around 17:00 many drivers switch to quoting taxi prices. BookingNone, pay the driver. Run byKo Chang songthaew co-operative.

One way

On foot, by bike, or otherwise

scooter hire

Scooter and car hire

The horseshoe main road, west coast and north, and the east side to Salakphet

Rental shops line the main road at White Sand, Klong Prao, Kai Bae and Lonely Beach; the better ones only display bikes in good condition. Check brakes and tyres before you ride off and test the brakes on the flat – if they are soft there, they will fail on a hill. Almost every shop now keeps your passport rather than a photocopy because of the number of crashes. Petrol stations are at Klong Son, Chai Chet and Klong Prao; a 91-octane automatic returns about 50 km a litre. Hotels can arrange a car, which is the sane option in the rains.

When: On demand, 24-hour rental periods
Takes: Two to three hours to ride the length of the sealed road and back
Fare 2026: 115 to 125cc automatic scooters 150 to 250 baht a day. Helmet included free; riding without one costs 200 baht at a police checkpoint.

SeasonYear-round, but the first rain after a dry spell is the most dangerous time and the steep hills in the north and southwest should be avoided at night and in rain. Accidents are frequent enough that riders regularly pass fresh ones; a four-wheel drive is worth having on some roads near Lonely Beach in the wet season. BookingNone, walk in; leave ID. Run byIndependent rental shops.

2 ways

Rules, permits and closures

border crossing

Hat Lek to Cham Yeam, Cambodia – closed

Trat to Hat Lek, then Koh Kong and onward to Sihanoukville or Phnom Penh

This was the standard onward route from Ko Chang into southwest Cambodia – minibuses every 45 minutes from the border to Trat bus station, about 90 minutes and 140 baht as of March 2023, sometimes a direct minibus or songthaew to Laem Ngop. It is not usable now. Thailand and Cambodia fought along the border in July 2025 and again in December 2025, and land crossings have been suspended since. The UK government advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the land border and warns of unexploded landmines. Boonsiri's combined boat-bus-boat service from Ko Chang to Koh Rong via Hat Lek, launched in October 2023, no longer appears in the live booking form even though Cambodian stops are still listed in the static page markup.

When: Suspended – no crossings as of September 2026
Takes: Not applicable while closed
Fare 2023: Historic: 140 baht Hat Lek to Trat bus station (March 2023)Seen in 2023: a floor, not a price.

SeasonClosed indefinitely. To reach Cambodia now, travellers go by air or via the Aranyaprathet–Poipet route, which is also affected; check current advice before planning. Run byThai and Cambodian immigration; minibus services were private.

service status

The missing east coast road, and the low season

The 10 km gap between Bang Bao in the southwest and Salakphet in the southeast

Ko Chang's road is a horseshoe, not a loop. Construction of the Bang Bao to Salakphet link started in the early 2000s and stopped in 2004; about 75% of the island is national park and the route crosses steep, unstable ground. The Salakphet end is still used to reach Wai Chaek beach but is in very poor condition and needs a four-wheel drive you do not mind scratching; the Bang Bao end goes nowhere and stops at a river whose bridge collapsed around fifteen years ago. So anyone visiting the east has to backtrack. Add the songthaew co-op's three-a-day Salakphet service and the fact that shared minibuses do not serve the southeast, and the practical answer for an east coast hotel is to have them collect you from the ferry.

When: Not applicable
Takes: Allow a full day and a return the same way for any east coast trip
Fare: Not applicable

SeasonThe Environmental Impact Assessment was finally approved in January 2026 and the land survey and structural design signed off in February 2026; a contractor has still to be hired during 2026, with completion estimated around early 2030. A separate mainland bridge proposal is not expected to start before 2029. Separately, the rainy season roughly May to October thins out the boats and songthaews: inter-island speedboats and wooden boats stop, and songthaew drivers wait for a full load. Run byDepartment of Rural Roads.

Not confirmed

What we could not find out

8 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.

01
The brief describes three competing ferry companies with separate landings. There is one. Trat Ferry, formerly Centrepoint, suspended service in July 2024 and had not resumed as of July 2026; Ferry Koh Chang (Ao Thammachat to Ao Sapparot) is the only regular crossing. The Dan Kao piers described on Wikivoyage are the old Centrepoint landings and are no longer served. A third option exists but is not a public ferry: the Santhiya Tree Resort speedboat from Ao Tan Khu, 900 baht for the boat or 1,250 baht with a Trat Airport transfer.
02
The brief lists Hat Lek as an onward route to Cambodia. It has been closed since the June to July 2025 border conflict and remained closed in September 2026.
03
Ferry fares conflict across sources: the operator's own timetable page gives 90 baht adult from 10 April 2026, while the same site's home page and iamkohchang still say 80 baht. Assume 90 and carry cash.
04
Suvarnabhumi Burapha departure times and fares disagree between sources: 07:00 and 10:00 at 650 baht on one page, 07:00 and 11:00 at 700 baht on another. Confirm at the Entrance 8 counter.
05
The published Ko Chang songthaew fare table is dated 2023–24 on the source site, though the pier-fare list was reconfirmed by traveller comments through 2025. Nothing newer was found; the fares are posted inside the vehicles and at Ao Sapparot pier, so check the board.
06
No timetable was found for the Kai Bae Hut speedboat direct to Ko Wai in the 2026–27 season; the two sources give different Ko Wai fares (400 and 600 baht) and it is unclear whether Kai Bae still serves Ko Wai at all.
07
Whether Boonsiri will restart any Cambodia service (Ko Chang to Koh Rong via Hat Lek) once the border reopens is unknown. Their static timetable page still lists Koh Kong, Koh Rong, Koh Sdach, Siem Reap and Battambang as stations, but the live search form no longer offers them.
08
Bangkok Airways flight counts differ: Wikivoyage says three a day to Trat, the ferry operator says four. Check with the airline.

In the planner

What the planner can route today

The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Ko Chang is this.

N: Scheduled flightsnearest airport DSY is 156 km away
Y: Trains and coachesTransitous carries 1 timetable feed for this country, 0 with real-time
Y: Ferriesท่าเรือไก่แบ้, 9 km, Siam Resorts Group; sailings estimated
Y: Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
N: Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
N: Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere

Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known. Nearest place with more: Chanthaburi, 70 km.