I had an amazing 3 nights in Koh Chang exploring the beaches, viewpoints, temples, hiking, and enjoying the nightlife. In this article, I will share my itineraries on how to spend 3-4 days in Koh Chang and my opinion on how many days in Koh Chang is enough?
Koh Chang is a popular tourist destination in the east coast of Thailand, very close to the border with Cambodia. The island is known for its beautiful beaches and lush jungles. You can enjoy hiking, sightseeing, and beach activities such as swimming, diving, or snorkeling.
How Many Days in Koh Chang is enough?
In my opinion, 3 to 5 days is a good amount of time to spend on Koh Chang to enjoy some beach activities, do some trekking, explore viewpoints, temples, and mangrove forests. If you just want to chill on the beach or you’re slow travelers, spend as much time as you want.
Here are my recommendations on what to do on Koh Chang without renting a scooter/ car or hire a private driver and how long to do these activities:
#1. Around the island tour. This is a one-day sightseeing tour taking you to major points of interest on the island. On this tour, you will visit White Sand Viewpoint, Chinese Shrine, Wat Salak Phet, Mangrove Forest, Salak Phet Viewpoint, Klong Plu Waterfall, Kai Bae Viewpoint, and the Ghost ship.
You can easily book this tour from your hotel or a local travel agency when you arrive on the island. You can book a similar tour in advance online. I recommend this tour for those who don’t rent a scooter.
#2. Jungle trek. There are several hiking routes on Koh Chang. If you like hiking, I recommend taking a full day hiking to the summit of Mount Salakphet in the south of the island.
#3. Island hopping. There are many island hopping tours from Koh Chang where you can enjoy swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, and diving. You can do half day 3 island tours, full day 4-5 island tours. These tours take you to nearby islands such as Koh Yak Lek, Koh Rang, or Koh Wai, or Koh Ngam.
See more: 19 Exciting Things to Do in Koh Chang
Getting to and Around Koh Chang:
There are two piers on the mainland that have boats to Koh Chang including Ao Thammachat pier and Trat/Centerpoint Pier. The boat will arrive at either Ao Sapparot pier or Centre Point Pier on Koh Chang.
Koh Chang does not have an airport. You’ll need to get to a nearby airport and pier on the mainland and take ferries/speed boats to get to the island.
The closest airport to Koh Chang is in Trat, from where you can book a taxi to the pier, then boat to the island. You can also get from Bangkok to Koh Chang by bus or minivan from Ekkamai bus terminal to Trat Bus Station, then taxi/songthaews to the pier.
Once on the island, you can get around by songthaews, walking, renting a scooter or car. I only recommend renting a motorbike if you are an experienced driver. I did not rent a scooter on Koh Chang, and was able to explore most things on guided tours and foot.
See more: How to get to Koh Chang & Get Around
Best time to visit Koh Chang:
Koh Chang is a year round destination but the best time to travel to the island is from November to February. This time has pleasant weather with little rain and lots of sunshine, ideal for beach activities.
Just be mindful that this is the high season, so prices for hotels and tours can get more expensive than normal time. Be sure to book in advance if you are visiting the island this high season.
The low season is the rainy season which typically starts from May to October. This is a good time to visit for budget travelers. March to May is still a good time to visit Koh Chang but it can be very hot with temperatures ranging from 33°C to 35°C.
Top areas to stay in Koh Chang for tourists:
The West coast is more developed than the east coast and most visitors choose to stay on the west coast. White Sand Beach is the most popular place to stay on the west coast and entire island. Here you’ll have a range of hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars, and shops.
Toward the south, you have Lonely Beach, which is a great place for backpackers and has a good nightlife scene in the high season.
Bang Bao Beach, at the southern coast, is home to a traditional fishing village and a pier for boat trips to nearby islands of Kooh Mak and Koh Kood. You can try good local seafood here. See more: Where to Stay in Koh Chang.
Here are the brief of my 3-4 days in Koh Chang itinerary:
How to Spend 3-4 Days in Koh Chang Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival and White Sand Beach
I came to Koh Chang from Koh Samet. I left Koh Samet at 9am by speedboat to Nuan Thip Pier in the mainland, then transferred to a shared van to get to Ao Thammachat Pier, and finally to big boat to Koh Chang. I arrived at Ao Sapparot Pier on Koh Chang around 1pm.
Getting from Ao Sapparot Pier to my hotel in White Sand Beach
When you get off the boat at the pier, you will have to walk all the way to the taxi point toward the “Welcome to Koh Chang” sign. You will see many songthaews waiting here to take passengers.
He charged me 100 baht to take me to a point on the main road near my hotel on White Sand Beach. I shared the ride with other people (full people on the truck).
When the driver dropped off other passengers at the main road on White Sand Beach (this is also the closest point on the main road to my hotel), they only gave the driver 50 baht. I was thinking that he ripped me off.
My hotel is located 500m from the main road but it is uphill, so I asked him if he could drop me off at my hotel, and he agreed. I’m glad that I didn’t have to drag my suitcase uphill after a long day of traveling.
There is a board with a fee for using songthaews but I guess that the drivers just charge whatever he want. You need to bargain. The private car to White Sand Beach (closest beach town to the pier) is 500 baht, the shared songthaew for 10 people is 50 baht. The private car to Bang Bang Beach (furthest beach town to the pier) is 800 baht, and shared songthaews is 200 baht.
Main Road White Sand Beach
After checking the guest house, I walked to the main street. I had lunch at Piatto Ricco because my hotel’s owner recommended it. They served both Thai and Italian food. I ordered chicken fried rice and the food was alright.
The main road is lined with resorts, hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. There are many travel agencies, souvenirs shops, and convenient stores on this road. If you don’t know what to do on the island, you can check out one of the many travel agencies here to get an idea of things you want to do.
White Sand Beach
The access to the beach is blocked by a range of resorts, restaurants, and shops on the main road. It was a bit hard for me, as a first-timer to Koh Chang, to find public access to the beach from this part.
I walked on the main road toward the north, and managed to find the public path to the beach near Satawan resort and next to the 7-11. You can put “Route to Haad Sai Kaow (White Sand beach)” on Google Maps to find the path.
White Sand Beach is a long beach with lots of restaurants, bars, massage places on the beach. It is very lively in the late afternoon and evening. Most tables and chairs were set up on the sand at sunset. You can have a romantic dinner here. Some bars have fireshows around 8pm.
Koh Chang Night Market
Koh Chang Night Market is a small night market located next to Koh Chang Muay Thai Club, near the main road. It is open from 5pm every night except Monday and Tuesday. You can find some street food here such as grilled meats and seafood, cut mixed fruit, mango sticky rice,..
Ner the Night market, you can check out Makro Food Service. You can find everything here to cook at great prices.
If you walk toward Chang Buri Hotel, you’ll find a section of bar girls, ladybars, and nightclubs along the main road. These places are good for those who want a nice drink with a girl sitting next to you.
Day 2: One Day Around the island tour
The one day around Koh Chang tour is a great option for those who want to explore Koh Chang without a scooter or a car. This tour will take you to famous sightseeing points on the island. They are popular viewpoints, temples, mangrove forest, waterfall, elephant camp, and ghost ship.
The driver picked me up around 8.30 am and our first stop was the White Sand Beach Viewpoint. There were 8 people in the group, which is a great number for me.
White Sand Beach Viewpoint
You can have nice views of White Sand Beach and its village at the White Sand Beach Viewpoint. This viewpoint is located on the northern part of the beach and on the way to Ao Sapparot Pier. We spent 10 minutes here checking out some views and taking some photos.
Chao Por Koh Chang Shrine
Chao Por Koh Chang Shrine is a Chinese temple located 2 minutes drive from Ao Sapparot Pier and 10 minute drive from White Sand Beach. To reach the temple, you need to walk up a small dragon staircase from the parking lot area.
It is an eye-catching place to take some photos and enjoy some views of the sea. Our driver set off a box of firecrackers, which is a highlight of visiting this temple. We spent 30 minutes here wandering around.
Ronnie’s Organic Coconut Garden
This cafe is located on the east coast of Koh Chang, 20 minutes drive from Ao Sapparot Pier and the Chinese temple. The ride along the east coast was peaceful with little traffic, passing coconut farms and rubber farms.
This is a good break on the drive for some drink or light breakfast. There are fresh coconut, coffee, as well as other Thai foods such as pad thai and mango sticky rice. You can take a walk to their beautiful garden to see many tropical fruit trees. We spent 30 minutes at Ronnie Cafe.
Baan Salak Petch Pier Viewpoint
Baan Salak Petch Pier is located at the south part of Koh Chang. This pier has beautiful views of SalakPhet Bay and its mangrove forest. You can walk to the lighthouse and climb to the top for better views. We spent 30 minutes at Salak Phet Viewpoint and had plenty of time to walk around, taking photos.
Salak Phet Mangrove Forest
Salak Phet Mangrove Forest is a beautiful place where you can take a nice walk on the long red bridge located between the huge mangrove forest. This place is located 7 minutes drive from Salak Phet Viewpoint.
You will take a walk for around 20 minutes on the 500m elevated wooden walkway that is surrounded by muddy mangrove. It was a very pleasant walk and not too many people were in the area.
The entrance of this mangrove forest did not look well maintained. There were toilets but my driver recommended not using them. He said we can use the toilet nearby Wat Salak Phet temple.
Wat Salak Phet
Wat Salak Phet is located only 3 minutes drive from the mangrove forest. This is a small beautiful temple with several souvenir shops and toilets onsite. If you wear shorts, you can rent the cover from the lady at the shop for 20 baht.
Lunch a local Thai restaurant on Koh Chang’s east coast
We had lunch around 1pm at a local restaurant on the east coast of Koh Chang. Lunch is included in the tour. Each of us can choose one dish. I had seafood fried rice and they served a very big portion.
Elephant Camp – Feed Elephant
This place is located on the main road near Klong Prao Beach. You can choose to skip it by waiting for other people to take photos and buy food to feed them.
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
Khlong Phlu Waterfall is a popular waterfall on Koh Chang. It is located on the central west coast only 5 minutes drive from Klong Prao Beach. This is part of the Nationaal Park, so you’ll need to buy a ticket that costs 200 baht at the entrance.
There is a nice walking trail from the gate to the end of the waterfall. You can find a couple of viewing platforms along the way. The walk is easy and it took me 20 minutes to reach Station 5 waterfall. Here you can swim, relax, and take some nice photos.
We spent a total time of 1 hour at Khlong Phlu Waterfall. There are toilets on site as well as several restaurants and souvenir shops on the road at the entrance to the waterfall.
Kai Bae Viewpoint
Kai Bae Viewpoint is one of the must-see viewpoints of Koh Chang. It is located just a 2 minute drive uphill from Kai Bae beach and village. From this viewpoint, you can have stunning views of Koh Man Nai, Koh Man Nok, Koh Pli, and Koh Yuak. We spent 20 minutes here.
The Galaxy Ghost Ship
The final destination in our sightseeing trip is the Ghost ship, located at the south west coast of Koh Chang. This is a nice quiet area where you can see the ghost ship, look around at the abandoned resort, and relax at a nice quiet beach.
Day 3: Hiking to the summit of Mount Sala Phek
I booked the trekking tour at a local travel agency on White Sand Beach a night before my trip. They offer several hiking options including a half day tour and full day tour. I chose the full day tour to hike to the highest peak of Koh Chang (744 meter) at Mount Sala Phek .
The tour guide picked me up at my hotel around 8am. He picked up more people on the way and we reached the park’s ranger station 6 around 9.15am. We need to buy an entrance ticket to the national park here, it was 200 baht per person.
We drove for another 7 minutes to reach the starting point of the trail. As we have a big group, we were divided into two groups. The tour guide led a group of 10 people. Me and 4 other people were in one group with a park ranger, who didn’t speak English. He was very friendly though!
The tour guide also gave each of us a lunch box and two bottles of small water to carry. We started the hike around 9.30pm. First one hour was an easy to moderate hike, with flat trails, and moderate inclines. We stopped a few times along the trail.
As the hike got steeper, we swapped members of each group. People walk slowly into one, and another group for people who are in the fast pace.
The first group reached the summit around 12pm. The summit has stunning views of surrounding mountains and islands. We took some photos, enjoyed the views, and had lunch.
The hike down was easier than the hike to the top. We stopped at a natural spring at the end for those who want to swim around 2.45pm.
We went back to the parking spot around 3.30pm and waited for another group to come back. The driver dropped me off at my hotel at 5pm.
Klong Prao Beach
I stayed in Pajamas Koh Chang in Klong Prao Beach. My hotel has direct access to the beach. There is also public access located close to Pajamas. You can search “Public beach access ( Chaichat beach)” on Google Maps, to find the path to the beach.
Klong Prao Beach is a long, nice beach where you can take a leisure walk along the beach all the way from Chai Chet Beach to the river area. There are a range of resorts as well as several restaurants along the beach.
Chai Chet Beach area at night
There are not many tourist facilities like restaurants on the main road near my hotel, Pajamas. I need to walk around 10 minutes toward the north to the Chai Chet area for more restaurants and shops.
The main road at Chai Chet Beach is lined with restaurants, massage shops, 7-11, resorts, clothing shops, laundry shops, and local travel agencies.
If you continue walking toward Pearl Beach (Hat Kai Moo), you can see a selection of girl bars and nightclubs along the main road.
Day 4: Boat to Koh Mak/ Other things to do
I traveled to Koh Mak on my 4th day in Koh Chang. The driver picked me up from my hotel around 7am to Bang Bao Pier then transferred to a wooden boat for Koh Mak.
Bang Bao Fishing Village
To get to Bang Bao Pier from the parking area, we have to walk past the Fishing Village. It is a 400m road that is lined with seafood restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops, and guest houses.
Other things to do in Koh Chang:
#1. Island hopping. You can consider taking an island-hopping tour to visit popular places like Koh Wai, Koh Kood, Koh Mak, and Koh Wai. Boats usually leave from Bang Bao pier or sometimes Kai Bae beach.
#2. Snorkeling and Diving. These are popular water activities in Koh Chang. It is the best way to explore coral reefs, and shipwrecks. This island is also a great place to get your diving certification.
This is my guide on how to spend 3-4 days in Koh Chang. I personally think that 3-5 days is a good time to explore Koh Chang, especially for those who have a short time. Within this time, you can explore beaches, waterfalls, viewpoints, and mangrove forests. If you just want to chill on the beach, spend as much time as you want.