Koh Chang (Elephant Island) Car Ferry Thailand | เกาะช้าง

Located in Trat province, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of Bangkok near the Cambodian border, Koh Chang is Thailand’s second-largest island. 70% of the island is covered by rainforest and locals are only gradually becoming involved in tourism so much remains undeveloped.

Ferry tickets cannot be bought in advance, only at the pier, and dogs are allowed on the boats. Prices are the same for foreigners & Thai alike, approximately $3 USD per person plus $4 per regular sized car or truck. For some reason the price to return to the mainland was slightly more but not by much.

There are two car ferry companies that service Koh Chang from piers on the mainland, "Ferry Koh Chang" and "Trat Ferry." Both operate from piers at small ports about 5Km apart from each other near the village of Laem Ngop, Trat. Also on the same stretch of coastline is Krom Luang pier which is used by speedboats headed to Koh Mak.

As of September 2024, ferries to and from Koh Chang run daily from 06:30 – 18:30. Ferry Koh Chang departs about every 20 – 30 minutes but waiting time can be up to an hour. We were lucky and arrived perfectly on time both ways with minimal wait. Trat Ferry (formerly Centrepoint Ferry) has only four trips per day in each direction.

At the time of this writing the ferries dock on Koh Chang at two different ports. The ferry we used was Ferry Koh Chang which has the shortest crossing and heads to Ao Sapporot ("Pineapple") pier on the northeast coast of the island. Trat Ferry moors at their pier in Dan Kao, a couple of kilometers to the south. Both ports have food & snacks, public toilets and of course car parking.

If you are driving there is no need to leave your car on the mainland as the roads on Koh Chang are paved and in decent condition. Roads can get steep and curvy in places so drivers need to be very careful, especially in the north and southwest areas of the island. Stay tuned for Dagwood's video on driving the island.

Elephant Island is home to a wide range of wildlife including native birds, snakes, deer, and of course, elephants, one of which we saw frolicking in the waves near our hotel.