Koh Chang and Koh Kood
These are jungle-and-beach islands on a different gulf from Samui. Chang is the car-ferry stay. Kood is the slower boat from Laem Sok.
Chang and Kood are Trat islands: west-coast beaches, jungle hills, and an eastern Gulf calendar. Do not apply Samui dates here. Samui and Tao are easier January to September. The dry, busy window off Trat is November to February. May to October is rain, thinner boat lists, and closed beach bars. You can still cross to Chang most days. Kood boats drop to one or two sailings in June to September.
Trat Airport (TDX) is about 17 km from Ao Thammachat and about 60 km from Laem Sok. Bangkok is a five to six hour road. Bangkok Airways is the usual TDX carrier; check the day's last boat before you book an afternoon flight. Centrepoint / Trat Ferry to Dan Kao has been suspended since 2024. Plan on Ferry Koh Chang from Ao Thammachat unless an operator is back. Check on arrival.
Koh Chang stays
Sleep on the west coast. The east is ferry logistics and jungle. Songthaews from Ao Sapparot run the west-coast road; prices rise as you go south. The hills between beaches are real.
| Area | Who it fits | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao) | First nights, sunset bars, easiest songthaew | The loudest strip on the island |
| Klong Prao | Families and longer beaches | Spread out. You will ride between dinner and the room. |
| Kai Bae | A middle stop with a village | Small beach at high tide |
| Lonely Beach | Budget nights and a late bar | The name is historic. It is not lonely on a Saturday. |
| Bang Bao | Divers and the boat to Kood or Mak | A working pier village, not a swim beach |
Koh Kood stays
Kood is the quieter, pricier island. Boonsiri and Koh Kood Express sail from Laem Sok in about 1 to 1.5 hours. From Chang, the Bang Bao catamaran is the short sea path when it runs; the reliable wet-season path is back to the mainland and down to Laem Sok.
Klong Chao is the village-and-waterfall base. Ao Tapao and the west bays are the resort line. ATMs are few. Soneva Kiri is the ultra-luxe reason some people skip Chang entirely; it lives on the resort-living page.
Monsoon note
Eastern Gulf, not Andaman, not Lower Gulf. November to February is the photograph. March and April are hot. May to October is rain and short boat lists. Chang's car ferry is the resilient crossing. Do not treat a July Kood booking like a July Tao booking.
Keep going
Book
- Koh Chang staysWest coast only
White Sand for a first night. Klong Prao for space.
Search stays - White Sand BeachHat Sai Khao
Closest useful strip after the car ferry.
Search stays 
Koh Kood staysLaem Sok boatsBook the boat before the villa. June to September lists shrink.
Search stays- Chang and Kood boatsRail and ferry
Car ferry is cash at Ao Thammachat. Kood tickets are the ones to prebook.
See tickets
Common questions
- Koh Chang or Koh Samui?
- Samui if you want an airport on the island and the January to September Gulf window. Chang if you want Trat, a car ferry, and a November to February week that is not Phuket.
- Do you need both Chang and Kood?
- No. Pick Chang for choice and songthaews. Pick Kood if the resort is the trip. A Bang Bao link works in high season; do not force both islands into four nights.
- Is Centrepoint still running?
- It has been suspended since 2024. Use Ferry Koh Chang at Ao Thammachat unless a desk on the ground says otherwise. Tickets are typically cash at the pier. Check on arrival.