The choices are relatively simple. If the thought of splashing out 2,000 baht on a flight makes you light headed, take a big bus for under 200 baht. If you?re claustrophobic, avoid minivans. If you have a family and want to travel in comfort consider hiring a car or van with driver for around 3,500 baht from Bangkok to Koh Chang.

Bangkok Airways fly into Trat airport from Bangkok. This twice, sometimes thrice, daily 40 minute sky hop is ideal for travelers seeking to avoid a five hour bus ride from Bangkok. The Trat office of Bangkok Airways can be reached on 039 525 299-30. But you?ll find it easier to book tickets at any travel agents, expect to pay around 2,000 baht / single or 4,000 baht / return. Look out for low season discounts. From Trat airport take the Bangkok Airways minibus service to any resort on the island, this is by far the easiest, simplest way to reach the island.

Coming from Bangkok, the quickest route is via the motorway (Highway 7) out of the east of the city. Shortly after the second tollbooth, you?ll see a turn off to Ban Bueng, Highway 344. Stay on the 344, looking out for police checkpoints and follow the signs to Klaeng then join Highway 3 in Klaeng town. Head past Chantaburi, follow the signs for Trat. Around 23km outside Trat, turn right at the T-junction with 3156, signposted to Laem Ngop. 20 minutes drive later and you?ll be at the first of the car ferry piers. Total driving time is around four to four and a half hours.

From Pattaya, simply get on Highway 3 (Sukhumvit Road) and head in the direction of Rayong. From Rayong, Highway 3 leads on to Klaneg, Chantaburi and Trat, as described above. Driving time to the ferry pier is approximately three to three and a half hours.

There are two options, a minivan or a full-size bus. You may have thought that getting five English guys with backpacks the size of ATM machines, four large Germans, three full figured Scandinavian girls and a couple of bewildered Asian visitors loaded down with camera gear into the back of a minivan was a physical impossibility. It isn?t as you?ll discover if you make the trip to Koh Chang by minibus. Convenience and time are the main selling points of the minibus experience. The regular bus takes an hour or two longer and it terminates in Trat, from where you have to take a little blue pickup (30 baht) to the Laem Ngop pier. (Don?t worry about not being able to pronounce ?Laem Ngop? correctly as everyone in and around the bus station knows where you?re heading.) Figure on 250 - 300 baht for the minibus experience, 170 ? 200 baht for the big bus. Time wise, you?re looking at about four and a half hours for the minibus, which will go direct to the ferry pier and up to six hours for the big bus which goes to Trat town and makes several stops on the way. Add on an additional 20-30 minutes for the transfer to Laem Ngop. An airconditioned bus service now runs twice a day from Ekkamai bus station, Bangkok direct to Centrepoint ferry pier. Get the bus at 7.30 am or 9.30 am. The cost is 198 baht per person.Return buses leave Laem Ngop Centrepoint pier at 2pm and 4pm. There are also regular daily minibuses and public buses making the trip from Pattaya to Koh Chang. Minibuses usually depart early morning with slower public buses to Trat departing at various times throughout the day from Sukhumvit

Road.

Laem Ngop is the fishing village where you catch the oft-crowded passenger boat (a converted trawler) to Koh Chang. You can also catch daily boats - usually departing at 3pm to Koh Wai, Koh Kood, Koh Maak and Koh Kham from here. If you plan to be adventurous then check timetables carefully as the thought of spending more time than is absolutely necessary in Laem Ngop isn?t an appealing one. The main ferry terminals are dotted along the coast, a few kilometres from Laem Ngop. Therefore, anyone travelling by car or minibus won?t experience the

unique charms of Laem Ngop unless they make a wrong turn.

The days of trekking along dirt tracks from beach to beach ended at the end way back in the late 20th century.?

By Songtaew
This Thai word refers to the only form of public transport on Koh Chang, the white pick-up trucks that ply the route between the ferry piers at the north-east of the island and Bangbao in the south-west. Fares are fixed and begin at 20 baht for a trip from one beach to the next. Stand roadside and wave your hand to flag a songtaew down. Ring the buzzer in the back to let the driver know when you want to get off, pay after exiting the vehicle. Songtaews run regularly until early evening, however during busy periods it is quite easy to catch one until 10pm or later. However, during the low season you?re pretty much screwed if you?re not in the vicinity of your resort by 9pm.

Cars, jeeps and pick-up trucks can be rented from various agencies on the west coast of the island. Most vehicles are new and all are insured. Daily rates are from 1,000 baht. Expect to be asked to leave your passport or driving license (i.e. one of the two forms of ID that the police could ask you to present if you were stopped or had an accident) as a deposit. There are several gas stations on the island and many shopkeepers have antiquated hand pumps atop 55-gallon drums of diesel and gasoline outside their premises.

Small bikes, 100 to 125c.c., are available to rent from virtually all resorts on the island. In addition, many small shops rent out bikes roadside. The cost is from 150 to 350 baht/day ? depending on the type of bike, the season and the gullibility of the renter. If you plan on exploring Koh Chang fully, look for an automatic bike as this will make climbing the steep hills much easier on your nerves. Larger, dirt bikes can also be found, these are particularly useful if your resort has an uneven or muddy car park. Ride carefully as you?ll be expected to pay for each and every scratch that appears on the bike during the time it is in your possession.

Note that wearing a helmet is legally compulsory. Dennis Hopper didn?t wear one in ?Easy Rider? but he was on a Harley and thus had a high ?cool quotient?. You?ll be on a Honda Dream.

The road between Whitesands and Kai Bae can be ridden by bicycle and mountain bikes can easily be hired in Whitesands, Klong Prao and Kai Bae. However, due to the extremely steep hill sections outside these areas, exploring the west coast fully by bicycle can only be recommended for masochists or those in training for the Tour de France.

As you will quickly discover, should you try it, attempting to walk along theroad between beaches isn?t recommended. The distances involved, the heat, the