Koh Chang Beaches Guide 2026: White Sand Beach, Klong Prao and Bang Bao Explained
Koh Chang covers about 217 square kilometres, making it Thailand's second-largest island, lying off Trat province in the east, with more than 70% of its area mountainous and a high point of about 744 metres. The beaches concentrate on the west coast, where the 6 main stretches sit along a single coast road 2 to 12 km apart.
The beaches read as 3 stretches: White Sand Beach in the north has the densest services and the highest rates; Klong Prao and Kai Bae in the middle have the widest sand and suit families; Lonely Beach and Bang Bao in the south serve backpackers and island-hopping departures, with Bang Bao itself a fishing village pier rather than a beach.
2026 seasons: some venues close from May to October
November to April is high season, with swell mostly under 1 metre and all sailings running. In the May to October rainy season rain concentrates after 15:00, some resorts and restaurants close for the season, ferries and island-hopping boats are reduced, and the proportion of closures is highest around Lonely Beach. Confirm the current situation with your accommodation first.
Beach conditions: Klong Prao the longest at 3 km, White Sand the steepest
Klong Prao runs about 3 km, the longest stretch on the west coast, with a river mouth splitting the sand in two partway along; White Sand Beach runs about 2 km on a steeper gradient, unsuited to swimming in bigger swell; Kai Bae runs about 1.5 km and exposes reef rock at low tide. The gentlest gradient is Klong Kloi at the southern end. Confirm water conditions against the flags and signage on site.
Park fees: about 200 baht for waterfalls and trails
The island's central highland falls inside the national park, so entering the waterfalls and trails costs about 200 baht for foreign visitors, half price for children, with booths at each waterfall entrance. The beaches themselves are free. The 3 main waterfalls open roughly 08:00 to 17:00. Confirm fees and hours against the park notice on site.
Reaching Koh Chang: 4 options and what they cost
Koh Chang has no airport, so the route runs via the piers around Laem Ngop in Trat province and then by ferry. There are no buses on the island, so moving around means shared songthaews, rented scooters or a charter. The west coast road is single-lane with some gradients over 15%. Confirm fares against current station notices.
Combined bus and ferry tickets: 6 to 7 hours in total
Combined tickets from Bangkok's eastern bus terminal cover the coach and the ferry at about 400 to 600 baht per person, mostly departing between 07:00 and 08:00 and arriving in the afternoon, 6 to 7 hours in total. Minivans run more often and are about 30 minutes quicker. Confirm fares and departures at the terminal.
Flying plus transfer: 1 hour to Trat, then 1.5 hours by road and boat
Bangkok to Trat airport runs about 3 times a day with a flight time of about 1 hour, and the airport sits 40 minutes by road from the pier, about 1.5 hours in total including the ferry. Airport shuttles cost about 300 to 500 baht per person and must be booked. Confirm fares and schedules against the airline notice.
Ferries: 30 to 45 minutes, 80 to 100 baht per passenger
Two piers around Laem Ngop serve Koh Chang, taking 30 to 45 minutes, at about 80 to 100 baht per passenger with vehicles charged separately at about 100 to 150 baht. High-season headways run about 45 minutes, first boat 06:30 and last 19:00, with sailings reduced in the rainy season. Confirm fares and departures against the pier notice.
Island songthaews and scooters: 50 baht a trip, 200 baht a day
Shared songthaews run about 50 to 80 baht per person from White Sand Beach to Kai Bae and about 100 to 150 baht to Bang Bao, departing once 6 to 8 passengers fill, with services clearly thinner after 22:00. A 125cc scooter runs about 200 to 300 baht a day against a passport, and the west coast road has continuous steep gradients and tight bends. Confirm fares and rates on site.
Koh Chang's beaches in 2026: 8 stretches and sights explained
These are ordered north to south along the west coast, each with its length and service density. Hours and prices can change, so confirm each venue's notice on site.
White Sand Beach: 2 km with the most complete services in the north
White Sand Beach runs about 2 km and 15 to 30 metres wide, with about 80 restaurants and shops along the sand mostly trading to 23:00, making it the one zone on the island that needs no vehicle at night. The sand is fine and white, but the gradient is steeper and swimming is unsuited when swell passes 1 metre.
The northern end is quieter and the southern end has the densest commerce. Beach chairs rent for about 100 baht including an umbrella. The ferry pier is 20 minutes and about 12 km by road. Confirm prices and trading hours on site.
Klong Prao Beach: 3 km and the widest sand in the middle
Klong Prao runs about 3 km and 20 to 40 metres wide, the longest and widest stretch on the west coast, with a river mouth splitting the sand in two partway along, where the water is deeper and crossing is not advisable. Lodging is mostly resorts on grounds of a hectare or more.
About 50 places to eat mostly close by 22:00, with 3 convenience stores. The gradient is gentler than White Sand Beach, which suits families. White Sand Beach is 10 minutes and about 5 km by road. Confirm hours with each venue.
Kai Bae Beach: a sunset bay with reef at low tide
Kai Bae runs about 1.5 km with 3 small islands offshore and is the most common sunset viewpoint on the west coast. At low tide about 50 metres of reef is exposed in front of the sand with water under 50 cm deep, so rubber-soled water shoes are advisable.
About 40 places to eat along the sand mostly close by 22:00, and there is one small market. Klong Prao is 8 minutes and about 4 km by road. Confirm hours with each venue.
Lonely Beach: the southern sand where backpackers gather
Lonely Beach runs about 800 metres, with lodging weighted towards hostels and budget guesthouses in the island's lowest rate band. The gradient is moderate, and the southern end has a marked drop-off where rip currents have been reported, so stay inside the flagged area when swimming.
About 30 places to eat operate, with a higher proportion closed from May to October. Kai Bae is 10 minutes and about 6 km by road. Confirm the current situation with your accommodation first.
Bang Bao: the pier for island hopping and diving
Bang Bao is a fishing village and pier rather than a beach, built around a timber jetty about 600 metres long with roughly 60 shops and restaurants along both sides. Island-hopping and dive boats for the southern islands mostly leave from here, the first around 09:00.
Restaurants mostly trade 09:00 to 21:00 and seafood is priced on the day's catch. White Sand Beach is 30 minutes and about 12 km by road, and this is the southern end of the west coast road. Confirm prices and trading hours with each venue.
Klong Kloi: the gentlest gradient at the southern end
Klong Kloi sits about 3 km east of Bang Bao with about 700 metres of sand on the gentlest gradient, where water under 1 metre deep often extends 30 metres or more and runs shallower at low tide, making it the best stretch on the island for small children.
Facilities along the sand are few, with about 10 places to eat and a handful of guesthouses, and no convenience store. Most visitors come for half a day and return. Confirm hours with each venue.
Klong Plu Waterfall: a park waterfall on a 600-metre trail
Klong Plu Waterfall sits about 3 km inland from Klong Prao with a drop of about 20 metres and a pool below about 2 metres deep that can be swum. The trail from the ticket booth to the falls runs about 600 metres on a gentle gradient. The park fee runs about 200 baht.
Hours run roughly 08:00 to 17:00. Access closes at times when flow is high in the rainy season, and flow drops clearly in the February to April dry months. Klong Prao Beach is 10 minutes by road. Confirm fees and access status against the park notice.
The southern islands: the Koh Wai and Koh Rang route
Day trips from Bang Bao to the southern islands take in 3 or 4 stops, 45 to 90 minutes one way, where underwater visibility often reaches 10 to 15 metres in high season, the best snorkelling available from the island. Trips cost about 1,000 to 1,600 baht per person.
Boats leave at 09:00 and return at 16:30, with quotes mostly including lunch and snorkel gear but not the park fee. Sailings are often suspended from May to October because of swell. Confirm prices and sailings against the operator's notice.
What Koh Chang costs: the price structure
Spending splits into 3 categories: transport, park fees and equipment rental. The one-way trip from Bangkok at about 400 to 600 baht per person is the largest single item. The ranges below are typical and move with the season, so confirm each venue's notice on site.
Transport: 400 to 600 baht for a through ticket, 50 baht a trip on the island
A combined bus-and-ferry ticket from Bangkok runs about 400 to 600 baht per person, with the ferry alone about 80 to 100 baht per passenger and vehicles charged separately at about 100 to 150 baht. Island songthaews run 50 to 150 baht a trip and scooters 200 to 300 baht a day. Confirm fares against station and on-site notices.
Park fees and rentals: waterfalls 200 baht, beach chairs 100 baht
The park fee for waterfalls and trails inside the national park runs about 200 baht, half price for children. Beach chairs rent for about 100 baht including an umbrella; a kayak about 300 baht an hour; an hour of massage on the sand about 300 to 400 baht. Confirm costs against the notices on site.
Where to stay on Koh Chang: picking a zone by beach
The zone decides evening movement and swimming conditions: White Sand Beach for services, Klong Prao for space and family facilities, Lonely Beach for lower rates, Bang Bao for island hopping. White Sand Beach to Bang Bao takes about 30 minutes, so confirm drive times against the day's road conditions.
White Sand Beach: the one zone that needs no vehicle at night
White Sand Beach has about 80 restaurants and shops along the sand mostly trading to 23:00, the only zone where dinner is solved on foot after dark. The trade-offs are the island's top rate band in high season and a steeper gradient, with red flags barring swimming on some dates in bigger swell. Confirm live rates on your booking platform.
Klong Prao and Kai Bae: wide sand, suited to 3 nights or more
Klong Prao's sand runs 20 to 40 metres wide with lodging mostly resorts on a hectare or more, while Kai Bae is the sunset viewpoint, and rates in both mostly run 10% to 20% below White Sand Beach. The trade-offs are about 40 to 50 places to eat in each, mostly closing by 22:00, which means a songthaew at night. Confirm hours with each venue.
Sequencing: fix the ferry slot first, keep a spare day in the rainy season
High-season ferry headways run about 45 minutes with the last boat mostly at 19:00, so allow 2 hours of slack on the return. Booking the 09:00 island-hopping departure gives steadier swell. Sailings are reduced from May to October, so keep 1 spare day for rescheduling. Confirm the day's sailings with the operator.
Kit and safety: steep gradients and water shoes
The west coast road has continuous steep gradients and tight bends and turns slippery in the rainy season, so it does not suit first-time scooter riders. Kai Bae and Klong Prao expose reef at low tide, so rubber-soled water shoes are advisable. Shade on the beaches is limited, so a hat and 2 litres of water are the baseline. Confirm the flags and signage on site before entering the water.
FAQ
Q. How do White Sand Beach, Klong Prao and Bang Bao compare?
It depends on the need. White Sand Beach runs 2 km with the densest food and the highest rates; Klong Prao runs 3 km with the widest sand and suits families; Bang Bao is a fishing village pier rather than a beach and is the departure point for island hopping and diving. All three sit within 12 km along the west coast road. Confirm live rates on your booking platform.
Q. How long does Bangkok to Koh Chang take?
About 310 km and 5 to 6 hours by road, then 30 to 45 minutes by ferry. A combined bus-and-boat ticket runs about 400 to 600 baht per person, mostly departing between 07:00 and 08:00. Flying to Trat takes about 1 hour, then 1.5 hours by road and boat. Confirm fares and departures at the station.
Q. Are many places closed in the rainy season?
From May to October some resorts and restaurants close for the season and sailings are reduced, with the highest proportion of closures around Lonely Beach. White Sand Beach and Klong Prao have more venues trading year-round. Confirm the current situation with your accommodation first.
Q. How do you get around without a vehicle?
Shared songthaews: White Sand Beach to Kai Bae runs about 50 to 80 baht per person and to Bang Bao about 100 to 150 baht, departing once 6 to 8 passengers fill, with services clearly thinner after 22:00. A 125cc scooter runs about 200 to 300 baht a day, but the west coast road has continuous steep gradients. Confirm the fare before boarding.
Q. When is the national park fee payable?
On entering the waterfalls and trails inside the national park boundary, at about 200 baht for foreign visitors and half price for children; the beaches themselves are free. Booths sit at each waterfall entrance. Fees and coverage can change, so confirm the park notice on site.
Q. Is Koh Chang good for snorkelling?
Visibility along the island's own shore is ordinary, so snorkelling mostly means a boat to the outer islands to the south, such as Koh Wai and Koh Rang, 45 to 90 minutes one way, with day trips at about 1,000 to 1,600 baht per person. Visibility is better in the November to April high season. Confirm prices and sailings against the operator's notice.