TAXI / VAN TRANSFER
Posted in taxi / van , Transportation
DRIVING TO KOH CHANG FROM BANGKOK
Getting to Koh Chang by road
They do have road signs in
Thailand and usually they are pretty easy to follow. Driving to Koh
Chang from Bangkok by either your own vehicle or by rental
car is pretty simple.
Driving time from Bangkok Airport to the mainland pier is around
4 and a half hours. From the centre of Bangkok add on another
30 minutes to an hour. ( These times presume there’s no delays enroute
and you just stop for a quick snack on the journey. Briefly,
all you have to do is follow the motorway out of Bangkok until you see Highway
344. Stay on the 344, looking out for police checkpoints as they like to
stop drivers for no reason on this stretch of road. Join Highway 3 again
near Klaeng and then, about 23km outside Trat, turn left at the T-junction with
3156, signposted to Laem Ngop. 20 mins later you’ll be at the first of
the ferry piers – ‘Koh Chang Ferry’. This is the better of the two car
ferry companies, with a shorter crossing time and sailings every 45 minutes
from 08:00 (or earlier) – 19:00 daily. To reach the slightly cheaper ferry,
Centrepoint, continue approx 5km further on the 3156. ( If you follow signs marked to
the ferry pier which require you to turn off the 3156 before you pass the
airport, you are going the wrong way. These signs were put up by
Centrepoint ferry and take you on an 18km ‘shortcut’ to a point close to their
pier, avoiding driving past the Koh Chang Ferry pier.)
Ticket
prices for the 30 minute crossing from Ao Thammachat, on the mainland,
to Ao Sapporot, on Koh Chang by Koh Chang Ferry are as of early 2014:
Passengers:
80 Baht one way ( Adults ) 40 Baht for kids. Children under 7 years old
are free.
Cars:
120 Baht one way.
There
is another ferry – Centrepoint – which is cheaper but takes longer and has less
frequent sailings. ( If you live on Koh Chang then you can get member
cards for this ferry easily that allow you to get half price tickets.)
Passengers:
80 Baht one way ( Adults ) 40 Baht for kids. Children under 9 years
old are free.
Car: 100 Bath one way.
Why take a private transfer to Koh Chang?
Car: 100 Bath one way.
Min Van
|
Tourist Van
|
Taxi |
Why take a private transfer to Koh Chang?
Good question, the main 'Getting to Koh Chang' page, which you have probably already seen, details the ways
in which you can get to the island. Koh Chang is easily accessible by
bus from Bangkok or the Cambodian border. But spending most of the day
on a crowded bus which stops at half a dozen small towns isn’t everyone’s idea
of the ideal way to travel. For anyone flying into Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok,
or who’s staying a couple of nights in Bangkok first, and wanting to head
direct to Koh Chang, the options are limited. If you want to get
here as quickly as possible, you fly. If you want to go as cheaply as
possible, you take the bus. There are now direct public minibus
services from Bangkok Airport to Koh Chang but a maximum of four per day so they can fill
up quickly. Coming from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, Cambodia to Koh Chang there
are even fewer possibilities. You either fly out to Bangkok and then
head back to Koh Chang either by plane or bus (very inconvenient and can be
expensive if you’re travelling with your family.) Or buy a ticket for a
shared minibus – this will be cheap, and the reason it’s cheap is because this
overland route is notorious for rip-offs & scams along the way, although to
be fair most of these occur when you are going into Cambodia rather than
coming out of the country. It will also take quite a long time – figure
on 12 hours all in.
So if you’re either simply looking for a convenient compromise
on both cost, comfort and time or are arriving late night and don’t want to
spend a night in Bangkok before heading to Koh Chang there is a reliable
alternative in the form of a private transfer.
How long does it take?
For most of the High Season it’s usually possible to give a
pretty good estimate of travelling times from a specific on Koh Chang
to hotel in Bangkok, or the airport, to a hotel once I know where you are
staying. Total time for most transfers will be around 6 and a half
to 7 hours. This includes time to stop on the way for coffee, snack
etc.
Koh Chang is a pretty big island so if you are on the south
coast it will take an hour to get to the ferry pier, whereas if you are on
White Sand beach it’ll only take 10 minutes or so. Likewise, if you are
staying around Khao San Road in Bangkok, compared to somewhere like
Sathorn Rd, then it will take 30 mins or so longer to get onto the overhead
expressway and out of the city centre.
Also need to bear in mind that Koh Chang is getting increasingly popular, but the number of ferry services isn’t increasing. Therefore at Thai holidays and weekends there can be very long queues at the piers and there is nothing the driver can do about that. So, if you are heading from Koh Chang to Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang, I might give you a pick up time that’s earlier than you want. This is just in case there are delays at the piers. It’s better to have to wait an extra hour at the airport than miss your flight.
THE VEHICLES
The minivans used will be new model Toyota Commuter minivans, the one above is . For transfers by car, in the majority of cases the vehicles will be either new model Toyota Camry ( shown above ), Wish, Innova, Altis or Honda CRV – these are suitable for 2 adults plus luggage. For couples with loads of luggage, families or ‘large’ or ‘tall’ ( i.e big & fat ) people the minivan is the best option as there’s far more space.
How to enquire about availability or book
a transfer?
Simply complete the booking form on the following page.
When I receive your details I’ll confirm whether a private transfer is
available and will also confirm the price. At busy periods (from mid
December to mid February ) you should book well in advance if you can.
But apart from New Year, last minute bookings are usually possible.
Then, if you decide to go ahead with your booking, just let me
know and I’ll then make the necessary arrangements and email you to confirm the
details. Simple. :-)
For all transfers, except those to Cambodia, you won’t be asked
for any deposit or advance payment. The booking is done on trust and you pay
the driver when you reach our destination.
PRIVATE CAR
Koh Chang to Sovanphumi Airport / Bang Kok
Koh Chang to Pataya
PRIVATE CAR
Koh Chang to Sovanphumi Airport / Bang Kok
Koh Chang to Pataya
Koh Chang to Trat Airport
SHARED CAR
Koh Chang to Any Destination
Destination
|
Pick up Time (1)
|
Pick up Time (2)
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Estimate Time
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Price/Car
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Sovanphumi Airport/Bang Kok Town
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06:00 – 11:30
|
01:00-16:00
|
5-6 Hours
|
650 Bath
|
Patya
|
06:00 – 11:30
|
01:00-16:00
|
5-6 Hours
|
550 Bath
|
Trat Airport
|
06:00 – 11:30
|
01:00-16:00
|
5-6 Hours
|
450 Bath
|
Note: Taxi is possible for add 1 more person, if you don’t
have many luggage. But we’re going to charge you a little more.
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