Getting around Koh Chang.

The short version

Koh Chang has no airport and no bridge to the mainland — every car, scooter and passenger reaches the island via the Ao Thammachat–Ao Sapparot car ferry, a roughly 30-40 minute crossing from the Trat mainland. The nearest airport, Trat (TDX), is served by Bangkok Airways from Suvarnabhumi. Once you're on-island, a rented scooter is the default way most residents get around, though the steep mountain roads between Klong Son–White Sand Beach and Kai Bae–Bang Bao make Koh Chang one of Thailand's more demanding islands to ride, and many residents prefer a car or SUV instead. Songthaews cover the main beach road cheaply but aren't metered, and boat charters from Bang Bao handle island-hopping rather than beach-to-beach commuting.

Trat Airport (TDX) & flying in

Koh Chang has no airport of its own — the nearest is Trat Airport (TDX), about a one-hour flight from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi. It is a genuinely small operation and worth understanding before you build a life around it: Trat is a privately owned airport, built, owned and run by Bangkok Airways itself rather than by Airports of Thailand or the Department of Airports, and Bangkok Airways is the only airline that serves it. There is exactly one scheduled route — Suvarnabhumi and nothing else — flown twice a day in each direction, seven days a week, on 70-seat ATR 72 turboprops. Southbound departures from Trat are currently PG306 at 13:10 and PG308 at 17:50. From the airport it is about a 20-30 minute drive to the Ao Thammachat ferry pier on the mainland, before the crossing to the island itself.

• Because one carrier owns the airport and flies the only route, there is no low-cost competition on it and no Don Mueang service — AirAsia, Nok Air and Thai Lion Air do not fly to Trat. Fares behave accordingly, and they harden sharply in high season (November–April).
• Fourteen flights a week each way, on 70-seat aircraft, is roughly a thousand seats a week in each direction for the whole Koh Chang–Koh Mak–Koh Kood archipelago. Book early around Thai public holidays, and keep the 5-6 hour road option from Bangkok in reserve rather than assuming a seat exists.
• Bangkok Airways is part-way through a THB 400 million first-phase upgrade of Trat: the terminal grows from 2,100 to 3,400 sqm and up to 250,000 passengers a year, and the runway from 1.8 km to 2.0 km with new stands able to take small and medium jets. The airline has said the first phase was targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2026, and has floated reviving the long-dormant Trat–Koh Samui and Trat–Krabi routes if traffic supports it. Treat both as plans, not timetable.

The Ao Thammachat–Ao Sapparot car ferry

Every car, scooter and passenger reaches Koh Chang via the car ferry between Ao Thammachat Pier on the Trat mainland (near Laem Ngop) and Ao Sapparot Pier on the island's eastern coast. Ferries run daily, roughly 06:30 to 18:30, departing every 30-60 minutes, with the crossing itself taking about 30-40 minutes. Tickets are cash only, bought at the pier on the day, with no advance booking for standard car-ferry travel. The fares are no longer the token amounts most guides still quote: on 10 April 2026 the Trat provincial authorities approved the first increase in ten years, and it was a large one — an adult foot passenger went from THB 80 to THB 130, a motorcycle from THB 40 to THB 130, and a four-wheel car from THB 120 to THB 280. The full tariff is below.

• The Centrepoint (Cenferry) pier and route has been suspended since mid-2024 and remains out of service — all standard car and passenger traffic now runs via Ao Thammachat–Ao Sapparot only.
• The new fares are set by an oil-price-linked formula rather than fixed by statute, and were approved on the basis of diesel at roughly 50 baht a litre. They can move again in either direction, so treat the figures here as the April 2026 tariff and the board at the pier on the day as the number that actually applies.
• Arrive with a buffer, especially on weekends and during high season, since sailings aren't fixed to a rigid timetable and queues build at peak times.
• Budget the crossing as a recurring household cost, not a one-off. A resident who drives to Trat town and back once a week is now spending about THB 560 a week on the car alone, before fuel — roughly THB 2,400 a month, where the old tariff came to about THB 1,040.

Scooters & motorbikes

A rented scooter is how most residents get around day to day. A 115-125cc automatic typically runs 150-250 baht for 24 hours, with some shops charging up to 450 baht depending on the model and which beach you rent from; larger bikes are available from around 500 baht a day at specialist shops near White Sand Beach. Koh Chang's terrain makes this one of the more demanding islands to ride: two mountain passes — between Klong Son and White Sand Beach, and between Kai Bae and Lonely Beach/Bang Bao — have steep gradients, sharp bends and hairpins that get genuinely slippery after rain.

• An International Driving Permit endorsed for motorcycles, plus your home licence, is legally required, and a helmet is essential — travel insurance frequently voids motorbike claims without both.
• Koh Chang and Koh Phangan are commonly cited as having Thailand's highest island scooter-accident rates; most serious injuries happen to inexperienced riders attempting the mountain sections between Kai Bae and Bang Bao, so consider a car or 4x4 if you're not a confident rider.

Renting or buying a car / 4x4

For families, less confident riders, or anyone who'd rather not tackle the mountain roads on two wheels, a car or SUV is the practical choice. Daily rental typically runs 1,000-2,000 baht, with SUV-style vehicles available from around 1,600 baht a day and better rates for weekly or monthly hire. Because of the steep, sometimes muddy hill sections, an SUV or 4WD is the most popular rental choice on the island rather than a standard sedan.

• Confirm your rental's insurance includes first-class cover with a low excess, not just the compulsory minimum — the mountain roads are where most claims originate.
• Thailand drives on the left; the coastal road between the main beaches is easy going, but budget extra care and time for the Klong Son–White Sand Beach and Kai Bae–Bang Bao mountain sections.

Songthaews (shared taxi trucks)

Songthaews — open-sided pickup trucks — are Koh Chang's closest thing to public transport, shuttling along the main beach road between the ferry piers and the island's beaches (White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and on to Bang Bao). They aren't metered: quoted per-person fares (commonly cited around 150 baht for some routes) generally assume at least two passengers sharing, and drivers may charge double if you hail one empty or ride alone — agree the fare before you get in.

Trat Airport & Bangkok transfers

From Trat Airport, a private minibus for up to four adults typically costs around 2,300-2,500 baht to the central beaches, with roughly 100 baht per extra passenger; a shared minibus runs about 950 baht per person one-way (ferry ticket included) or around 1,800 baht per person for a round trip. The budget option is a songthaew from the airport to Ao Thammachat pier for about 280 baht per person including the ferry ticket, with roughly 200 baht more for destinations from Lonely Beach down to Bang Bao. Driving directly from Bangkok, budget 4-4.5 hours from Suvarnabhumi Airport (or 5-5.5 hours from central Bangkok) to reach Ao Thammachat pier, plus the 30-40 minute ferry crossing — call it 5-6 hours door to pier in total.

Boat trips & island-hopping

Longtail boats and speedboats are chartered — mainly from Bang Bao, the stilted fishing village at the island's southwest tip — for trips to nearby islands such as Koh Wai, Koh Mak and Koh Kood, plus snorkelling and diving day trips. This isn't a scheduled beach-to-beach taxi service; the coastal road and songthaews already cover getting between White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and Bang Bao by land.

The car-ferry tariff — and the April 2026 increase

Koh Chang's ferry fares had not moved since 2016. On 7 April 2026 the Trat governor chaired a meeting with the operators, who argued that diesel at around 50 baht a litre had pushed the crossing into loss, and approved a new oil-price-linked tariff that took effect on 10 April 2026. Most guides — and, until this update, this one — still quote the old numbers. These are the current ones.

One-way, per crossing, cash at the pier. Approved by the Trat provincial fare meeting of 7 April 2026, effective 10 April 2026, on a formula linked to the diesel price — so it can be revised again. Confirm at the pier on the day.

Typical journey times

Indicative off-peak times by road and scheduled ferry; high-season car-ferry queues, mountain-road conditions and rainy-season weather can add significant time.

Koh Chang transport FAQ

Related Koh Chang guides

Koh Chang neighborhood & areas guide · Koh Chang immigration office guide · Koh Chang visa run & border guide · Koh Chang hub