The 7 km queue to Koh Chang’s ferries; and will the planned bridge to the mainland be good or bad for the island’s future?
For the recent Friday 1st of May 2026 Labour Day holiday, the Bangkok Post reported “Tourists pack Koh Chang on long holiday – Queues for ferries on Trat mainland stretch up to 7km on Friday night”. The article went on to say that tourists had been flocking to Koh Chang to enjoy the four-day holiday weekend (Monday 4th of May 2026 being the ‘Coronation Day’ national holiday), resulting in unusually long queues waiting for ferries at the Ao Thammachat pier in Laem Ngop district, which stretched for as long as seven kilometres on Friday. The last ferry to Koh Chang left the pier at midnight. Some tourists waited more than six hours to get across.
The tourists that had crossed to Koh Chang on Friday could then expect to suffer massive queues on Sunday or Monday to cross back to the mainland.
Having personally experienced the long queues to cross to and from Koh Chang on normal weekends, I learnt long ago it is not wise to venture to Koh Chang on Thai National holidays.
What and where is Koh Chang?
Wikitravel.org describes Koh Chang or Ko Chang (เกาะช้าง) as:
“an island in Trat Province, Eastern Thailand. Ko Chang is Thailand’s third largest island (Phuket is largest, Ko Samui is 2nd largest), and the biggest in Eastern Thailand. With about 5,000 permanent residents the island is not heavily populated, but tourism (and development) has increased dramatically over the last few years. Despite this, tourism is nowhere near at the levels of Phuket and Samui, and as such, the island offers a much better experience for anyone willing to make the effort to get there…
Ko Chang is the largest island in the Ko Chang Archipelago. The name means Elephant Island (Chang = elephant), named for the elephant shape of its headland, although elephants are not indigenous to the island.
The only way onto the island is by Ferry…”
Normally you see the name of the island written in English as Koh Chang or Ko Chang. Koh or Ko is the transliteration in to English language of the Thai word for island. Non-Thais usually incorrectly pronounce Koh or Ko like ‘Coe’ as in Sebastian Coe the runner, or like ‘Co-‘ as in co-habit, but it should actually be pronounced more like ‘Go’ as in ‘Bo-ttle’.
The Ferry situation to Koh Chang
Local website explorekohchang.com refers to “Koh Chang ferries are supplied by just one company, Ferry Koh Chang. The drive-on/drive-off service takes foot passengers, 2-wheel and 4-wheel vehicles and microbuses but large tour buses cannot travel onto the island. The Koh Chang ferries run every day of the year as scheduled, with only the very occasional cancellation due to high waves…Ferry Koh Chang leaves from Ao Thammachat Pier on the mainland to arrive at Ao Sapparot Pier on the north east coast of Koh Chang. Ferry Koh Chang operates several different sized boats, with the smallest taking 25 minutes and the larger ones around 35 minutes.”.
In addition to Koh Chang ferries, there used to be Trat Ferry (formerly Centrepoint Ferry) but they suspended their services in July 2024. They have not resumed and it’s reported unlikely that they will in the near future.
I am not aware of the residents of Koh Chang receiving any beneficial or preferential treatment when crossing to and from the mainland. No jumping to the front of the queue. No resident only queues. No discounted ferry rates.
When the weather is good, which is most of the time in Thailand, it is a lovely 30–40 minutes crossing time to and from the island. On board, there is a refreshments area, toilets and plenty of seating spaces upstairs.
Unfortunately at peak times, such as Thai national holidays, the ferries cannot meet the increased demand resulting in lengthy queues and long waits.
Will a bridge from the mainland to Koh Chang solve the problem?
All transportation of people and vehicles to the island is by ferry. It obviously doesn’t help the situation that there is currently only one ferry company instead of the usual two companies plying the route. So, could another company or more ferries help? The ferry runs on a regular schedule, with only so many ferries, so the ups and downs of demand will be hard to manage, resulting in periods of not so busy, busy and absolutely busy.
Phuket is currently the only major Thai island permanently connected to the mainland by bridges (Sarasin and Thepkasattri bridges linking Phuket Island to the mainland at Phang Nga, with a total length of 660 m).
There is a major project underway to build a 37.41 kilometre, Bht55 billion cable-stayed bridge connecting Koh Samui to the mainland at Khanom District in Nakhon Si Thammarat, expected to open by 2034.
Thailand-construction.com has carried many news articles on this Koh Chang bridge issue over the years (search the site for ‘Koh Chang’ or ‘Ko Chang’), but as there is an excellent summary of the long-running ‘should there be a bridge?’ and if yes ‘where should the bridge connect the mainland and the island’ scenario by the equally long-running but brilliant iamkohchang.com website, we have pulled out below the main points from their summary:
- the overwhelming consensus amongst local residents (and large business owners) on the island is that they want a bridge. When residents of the island, and also Laem Ngop on the mainland, were surveyed, over 95% of the total wanted a bridge. Amongst locals on the island the figure was 98% in favour of a bridge.
- If it was up to expats and most Western tourists who currently visit the island, then a bridge wouldn’t be built as the character of the island will undoubtedly change. However, no amount of foreigners whining or getting upset on social media is going to change things. A non-scientific Facebook poll from 2020 showed a very strong anti-bridge sentiment amongst expats and foreign tourists.
- Of the four route options considered, the 5.9 km long ‘Route 3’ was confirmed as the definite choice of location for the bridge. This is due to a combination of short distance, least disruption to local communities and least effect of the natural environment. The bridge would begin at Ao Thammachat Lang, a small fishing community on the mainland near Ao Thammachat pier. On Koh Chang the bridge would join the island at a point just north of Amber Sands Beach Resort.
- In May 2026, the Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) plan to hold more rounds of public consultation meetings. These will summarize the feasibility study results which cover engineering, economic, financial, and environmental impacts of the bridge. Then, in late 2026 or early 2027, discussions will be held with utility agencies to jointly plan the infrastructure and how to integrate it with the expressway to enhance safety and reduce future costs. The design will hopefully then be finalised. It is expected that the project will be submitted to the Cabinet for approval in 2028. If approved, the project timeline will see land acquisition begin in 2029. Then construction starts in 2030, and services open in 2034 (This is a 1-year delay from the original plan).
- The bridge design across the sea will be divided into two sections. With most bridge span lengths of 50-60 meters, with box girder and balanced girder bridge structures. Plus, one longer span of approximately 200 meters, which allows larger ships to pass underneath. This will be either an extradosed or balanced cantilever bridge design.
In summary, a proposed 5.7-kilometre bridge is under discussion to connect the mainland to Koh Chang.
Will the character / composition of the island change if the bridge goes ahead? Will the bridge affect the number of tourists to the island?
Anyone who has spent any time on Koh Chang will know that it is a relatively small island. It has an area covering approximately 212 square kilometres, 70% of Koh Chang is covered in rainforests, mountains and beaches. The highest peak on the island is Khao Salak Phet, rising from the ground at 743 meters.
There are two main roads on Ko Chang, running the length of the east and west coasts – they do not connect so it is not possible to drive around the island. Both roads start at Ao Sapparot in the north of the island, near the ferry piers, one goes to the right to the west coast and the other goes left to the east coast.
The East coast faces the mainland and the road here is relatively flat. This coast is not as pretty as the west coast and therefore not so many resorts or tourists on the east coast. Koh Chang’s hospital is on the east coast. The east coast has no large supermarkets.
The most popular areas are on the West coast of Ko Chang. White Sand beach has always been the most popular on the island (and is where tourism started) and so attracts the highest number of tourists. The road on this coast is steep and mountainous in areas. The island has large supermarkets such as Makro, Big C and Lotus’s; they are all on the west coast.
Koh Chang can therefore be considered a bit lopsided, with almost everything appealing to tourists on the west coast, and not so much of appeal on the east side where the bridge if constructed will be.
A bridge, and with it ease of access to the island, will bring more tourists, particularly Thais. Bangkok (Bangna) to the ferry point currently takes around 4.5 hours to drive – according to Google Maps. With no ferry to contend with, and being able to drive straight on to the island, the island will likely be swamped with the weekend crowd from the huge Bangkok-to-Trat catchment area.
Traffic jams on the island, especially on the tricky mountainous west coast roads, will be inevitable.
Development areas on the island are minimal.
The local residents will no doubt love it. Large tour buses would be able to drive on to the island. They’ll be more tourists. More opportunity to increase incomes. Easy access to the hospitals, schools, etc., on the mainland. But they will have to put up with crowded roads, more people, and regular crowds. With a bridge, the local residents effectively become mainland residents.
There will be change, but not necessarily for the good. Be careful what you wish for.
Having visited Koh Chang off and on since the early 1990s, do I see myself visiting Koh Chang by bridge? Definitely at least once to see how it is, but the quiet appeal of Koh Chang’s beautiful beaches and the laidback vibe of the island itself will be lost with the hordes of visiting tourists – similar to modern day Pattaya, Hua Hin, Khao Yai, etc., which have all changed beyond recognition over recent decades – and as such is unlikely to appeal to me. The more difficult a place is to visit, often the enjoyment factor and appeal is higher, and Koh Chang and Koh Samui in the south of Thailand are about to become easy places to visit.
The growth of Koh Chang since the 1970s
Tourists first began traveling to Koh Chang in the mid-1970s, when Western backpackers discovered the island and arrived via local fishing boats. It remained an underdeveloped, “untouched” destination with simple bamboo huts, particularly around White Sand Beach and Lonely Beach, until tourism infrastructure (roads and ferries) expanded in the 1990s.
- 1970s: First backpackers arrived on the island, drawn by its remote nature.
- 1980s: Koh Chang became a quiet, adventurous backpacker destination with basic bungalow accommodation.
- 1990s-2000s: The construction of roads connecting main beaches brought major tourist development and accessibility.
- 2000s: The island became a significant tourism destination, heavily promoted for further development
Tourist arrivals to Thailand grew to 39.92 million visitors in 2019 – marking the highest number of international tourists Thailand has ever received. However back in the late 1980s, Thailand was receiving a meagre 3-4 million tourists.
In 1988, Thailand experienced a significant surge in tourism, often cited as a key year in its tourism revolution. 1988 was part of the “Visit Thailand Year” campaign (1987-1988), which catapulted the country into a major international tourist destination, and drove international tourist arrivals to over 4 million. However significantly for Koh Chang, in late October 1988, an Irish and Welsh young woman were murdered on Koh Chang, while trekking to meet their partners at a resort. The women were shot by robbers, likely during a robbery attempt where they resisted. Two young local men were captured after a 13-day manhunt, confessed to the killings, and were sentenced to life imprisonment. This sad incident was a major blow to Koh Chang’s slowly growing popularity amongst the foreign back-packing community and visits to Koh Chang dipped.
In 1989, the year I first visited Thailand – on my way from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square protests to work in Sydney – Thailand welcomed approximately 4.81 million international tourist arrivals.
In 1991, the year I moved to work and settle in Thailand, Thailand experienced a decline in international tourist arrivals, with numbers falling to approximately 5.1 million.
Back then, there just weren’t that many tourists in Thailand, and hardly any discovering Koh Chang.
Wikitravel.org refers to the “discovery” of the island as a tourist destination since 2000 has brought on a large amount of rapid development…This sudden tourism boom however, has been fraught with controversy concerning land use, etc. The government is trying to “develop” it from a backpackers’ paradise to a top-level destination, and construction work is going on throughout the island, with basic huts torn down to make way for fancy resorts…”
Sometime, probably in 1992 or 1993, I made my first visit to Koh Chang.
Back then the route from Bangkok was to take a coach ride from Ekkamai bus station, eventually arriving at the pier opposite Koh Chang. Then take a very small fishing boat – like they use nowadays to catch squid – to the far side of Koh Chang, to White Sand beach, where the boat would manoeuvre as close as possible to the beach and some of the backpackers on the beach would push out/swim out a floating raft to the boat for the new arrivals to clamber on to, and people on the beach would pull the rope attached to the raft to bring you to shore – hard to believe but true (see the image of the raft I found on Facebook).
Back then there were no paved roads on the island.
There were no fancy resorts, just small bungalows next to the beach made from the local materials. There was no electricity on the island – power was from oil generators between 6am and 6pm (I could be wrong; I have seen others referring to 9pm to 9am). During the night, oil tilley lamps/lanterns were provided to each bungalow. No electricity meant no fan/no aircon and meant you woke up covered in sweat, but roll out of bed and straight in the sea just metres away, followed by the cold-water bucket shower, you were ready for your banana pancake breakfast. Food ordered was whatever the bungalow owner had in the fridge that day – choices minimal. Behind the beach tree line, it was jungle. Days were spent on or around the beach, walking, swimming, exploring, meeting people and talking, reading, etc – no internet, it was a smaller world. Great times.
Second and third visit to Koh Chang a few years later, the floating raft had been replaced by a man in a wrap-around pakama, shirtless, with mahogany-coloured skin from days in the sun, who would spot the fishing boat arriving with fresh backpackers, and would zip out to bring them to shore with his long-tailed boat. I believe the road up and over the twisting hills from the ferry point at Ao Sapparot Pier to White Sand Beach was under construction.
Fourth visit, the road was open. Now a crossing on the large ferry followed by a ride in a pickup to White Sand Beach. The vibe had completely changed. Now there were Thais making the journey, and they were majority of the tourist crowd.
In recent times, I would take our car over on the ferry and the wife, sons and I would stay in one of the luxury houses in Siam Royal View in Klongson, near to Koh Chang’s only golf course (a 9/18 hole pitch and putt par 3 golf course). A far cry from arriving with a backpack on a floating raft!
Things have definitely changed over the past 35 years or so from being a backpacker island with no roads, power or much else, to being on the verge of being connected permanently and becoming part of the mainland. The coming of the bridge will undoubtedly change the Koh Chang we love to visit – but for better, or for worse?
