GETTING THERE

To reach the Koh Chang Marine National Park you need to travel eastbound to Trat, the easternmost province in the Gulf of Thailand that borders Kampuchea. This is the jumping-off point to the islands. Most visitors take the Bangna-Trat route. However, visitors who are already in Pattaya, Rayong or Koh Samet can conveniently link to Trat as well, either by road or by sea.

Trat is accessible by three main routes from Bangkok. Travelling time is about 4 hours. For convenience and better road surface use the elevated Bangkok-Chonburi Tollway until its final exit or the Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway and exit for Ban Bung-Klaeng-Chantaburi.

BY PRIVATE CAR

ROUTE 1 : Bangna-Chonburi-Ban Bung-Klaeng-Chantaburi-Trat

DISTANCE : 315 KILOMETERS
This is the more preferred route with the following details:

(a) Take highway No.3 (Bangna-Trat Road) until you reach the Chonburi by-pass. You can either take the normal road or the new elevated Bangkok-Chonburi Tollway which is right above it. Toll fee is 55 Baht.

(b) Exit from the main road,head to the left and follow the Chonburi by-pass that reads Pattaya-Rayong.

(c) Head for Rayong until you see the Ban Bung-Klaeng-Chanthabun and the Bang Saen-Pattaya Signboards.

(d) Take the Ban Bung-Klaeng-Chanthabun route on your left.You are now on highway no.344

(e) Turn right at the Ban Bung-Klaeng intersection and head for Kleang only until you reach the Chanthaburi-Rayong junction. Take the left route to Chanthaburi but do not enter the town which is on your right. This is again highway No.3. Instead go forward until you reach the Sa Kaew-Trat junction.

(f) Take the right turn and go all the way to the town of Trat.

(g) Altematively,you can head directly to the three piers without passing through Trat town.Look for the signboard Laem Ngop at the Laem Ngop-Trat junction.Notice there is a PTT petrol station to your left before the junction.Tum right to Laem Ngop.This is Highway no. 3156 (Laem Ngop-Sahn Tung Road).You will reach Ao Thammachat followed by Centre Point and Kromalung Chumpom Piers.

ROUTE 2 : The Motorway is another altemative. Starting from Rama IX Road and onto Srinakarin Road exit after paying the second toll that leads to Ban Bung, Klaeng, Chantaburi and finally Trat. The total toll fee is 60 Baht.

ROUTE 3 : Bangna-Chonburi-Rayong-Chanthaburi-Trat

DISTANCE : 385 KILOMETERS
This is the other route using the same highway no.3 but can take longer as you need to pass through the province of Chonburi.

By Air - Conditioned Bus

1. The Ekamai Bus Terminal is the main terminal for the eastern provinces. It is located at Ekamai section of the Sukhumvit Road which is also easily accessible by the BTS Skytrain. Air-conditioned and ordinary buses depart almost every hour . The trip is about 5 hours.

2. The Northern Bus Terminal (New Morchid) is the other route. lt is located at New Morchid of the Kampaeng Petch Road. The trip is also about 5 hours.

BY VAN

There are many vans plying between Bangkok and Laem Ngob. They are found on Khao San Road near the Vieng Tai Hotel, departing at 8:00 a.m. daily and leaving Laem Ngob at 11:00 a.m. daily. The one-way fare is 250 to 350 Baht / person depending on the season.

MOVING AROUND TRAT

The main transportation in Trat is by Songthaew which literally means two rows. Songthaews are pick-up trucks modified for public transportation. Essentially they have two rows of seats at the back of the truck where passengers sit face to face.They can accommodate up to 8 or 10 people depending,of course,on the size of the passengers. The following serves as a guideline on the route and approximate costs.

FROM TRAT TO KOH CHANG

THERE ARE 3 PIERS SERVICING KOH CHANG.

All of them are located in the Amphur (district) of Laem Ngob.To go to these piers take one of the Songthaews in Trat. They can be easily found around the municipal market from as early as 6.00 am. The fare is about 20 Baht per person. Vehicle-carrying ferries and taxi or chartered boats are ready to take you to Koh Chang.

THA LAEM NGOB(LAEM NGOB PIER) - ALSO CALLED KROMALUANG CHUMPORN PIER

This is the main pier at Laem Ngob. Ferries from this pier land at Tha Dan Kao (meaning Old Post Pier). The ferries depart every hour during the high season (November to April) and long weekends starting from 7.30 am till 5.00 pm. The frequencyis less during othe rtimes of the year depending on the crowd, and the weather.

However, you can expect a ferry to depart at least every 2 hours. Travelling time is about 30 to 45 minutes and the cost is 60 Baht for each return ticket and 150 Baht per vehicle inclusive of the driver.Other passengers in the same vehicle are charged 60 Baht per person.

It is worth noting that all ferry fares should be the same no matter which pier you go to, a legacy of open competition! On arrival at Koh Chang you will find some Songthaews ready to take you to anywhere in Koh Chang. The fare ranges from 40,60 to 80 Baht per person depending on the distance. This applies to other piers as well.

As the main pier, Laem Ngob has a good supply of boats to different parts of Koh Chang and other islands especially Koh Wai, Koh Mak, and Koh Kham. Taxi boats leave for Tha Dan Kao every hour during the high season from November to April and 5 times a day during the low season.

There are taxi boats leaving for Tha Dan Mai (New Post pier) and Tha Than Mayom as well but with less frequency. Chartered boats are also available.

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