Daily
Budget (except tours): $11
Ko Chang is
an island in the Province of Trat, Thailand sitting on the Central west of the
country on the border to Cambodia; Hence a good stop for those going to or from
Cambodia.
There are
packaged transfers available from travel companies in Silhanoukville, Cambodia
costing around $27. These are not direct though, meaning one transport vehicle
dropping you all the way to Koh Chang; Buying this will mean doing the same
transfers as if doing it yourself,
except that the driver of the next vehicle will be on the lookout for you if
you’ve taken this package.
Meanwhile,
It will be best to get a ticket only to the Koh Chang border for $9.
Alternatively, you may take your own transport to the Bus Terminal and wait for
the same bus to Trat in this bus station. Get ticket only to Koh Kong for $5.
(While your ticket is supposed to get you off in the bus station in Koh Chang,
this is the same bus that will drop other passengers to Trat. Don’t get off
from Koh Kong though, even if they call so, and wait until the next kilometer
to the border. Whole trip from Silhanoukville to Border shall be 4 to 5 hours,
with one stop after 1.5-2 hours. From
the border, there is a Van going to Trat Bus Station (120THB<4$) and then a
Song Thaew from Bus Station to Laem Ngop (50B<$1.50); Then a ferry from Leam
Ngop to Ko Chang, 80THB<$3.00, and a finally a Shared Taxi (Song Thaew pick
up car) ranging from 60-150THB depending on where in the island you will be
dropped.
Trat Bus Terminal |
There are
several beach destinations in Koh Chang to choose from, though White beach is
certainly not within the boundaries of budget travelers. It may be a challenge
looking for accommodation below 600THB a night, except for some inner island
guesthouses that are quite a walk from the highway. It can also get very dark
walking towards these guesthouses as night.
Lonely
beach is what budget travelers will most likely fall onto. There are rooms for
250B but for the same price, you can have a bungalows for P250/night at Siam
Hut (high season; low season price seems 150B), beachfront, with pool, and
around 300m away thru the highway is the village where you can find the parties
and cheap food 40B up. There is a hostel in the village but rate is the same as
the room and bungalow mentioned, and not necessarily better. You may also
consider the beach past bang bao port at the far end of the island (right where the road almost ends) where you can find the
same rate of accommodation/bungalows, and a nice (comparative with the other) beach.
Siam Hut, Lonely Beach, Ko Chang, Trat, Thailand |
beachfront of Siam Hut, Lonely Beach, Ko Chang, Trat, Thailand |
food stalls in the village street in Lonely Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand |
menu in food stalls in the village street in Lonely Beach, Ko Chang, Thailand |
Farther
away, I even found a resort that offered 150THB room, but don’t have
access to a beach.
You may
also coordinate with the Park Administration as they have camping facilities
right next to the office. However, tourist bars and restaurants are not on this
side of the island, so access to these services may be very limited.
Camping site in Koh Chang, Trat, Thailand |
From the
island, you can rent a motorbike for 150-200B/day to go around the island and
the other beaches. Gasoline in the island is 40B and may go up at night when
gas pumps are closed. The roads can get very steep, so extra caution when
driving.
From the
island, you may take trips to the other neighboring islands such as Koh Wai, Maak, Thong Lang, Long, and Rang
From Pier 1
in Koh Chang, you can get direct van to Pattaya and Bangkok for just P250. Be
sure to get to the ferry at around 3pm, even though they’d advice that last
trip is at 5pm.
Anywhere in
the island, you may flag the passing shared songthaews (ask around where to
wait for the shared one, rather than paying taxi service).
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