Destination guide

The best beaches in Koh Chang

A big jungle island in Thailand's far east, with a sunset facing west coast of sandy strips and a wild, quiet south, the honest read on which beach to choose and how to get there.

Beaches ranked

Nov to Apr

Best season

Ferry and one road

What to expect

Book a beach club

Photo: หาดไก่แบ้ via Google

Published 24 February 2026. Last reviewed 9 April 2026

The verdict

Who it is for. Travellers who want a big, green, mountainous island with sandy west coast beaches, real sunsets and a wild quiet side, and who do not mind a ferry and a long haul from Bangkok to earn the calm.
The pick. White Sand Beach for the best all round base with the most life, Klong Prao for the longest and quietest sand, Kai Bae for the sunsets and Lonely Beach for the young party crowd.
The one thing to know. The good swimming and the scene are along one west coast road, while the east coast and the far south are wild, beautiful and slow to reach. Pick your beach for the day you want, and plan the journey.

The lay of the coast

One mountainous island, two very different sides

Koh Chang is the big one, Thailand's second largest island, a steep, jungle covered mountain rising straight out of the Gulf of Thailand in the far eastern province of Trat, most of it protected as a national park. It is a long way from the usual island circuit, which is exactly why it has kept more of its wild character, and the shape of a visit here comes down to a single fact of geography. Almost everything you come for sits along the sunset facing west coast, strung out on one main road, while the east coast and the far south stay rugged, rural and slow.

Run down that west coast road from the ferry and the beaches come in order. White Sand Beach is first and busiest, the long lively strip with the most to eat, drink and do. Klong Prao follows, the longest beach on the island, spread out and quiet between two river mouths. Then Kai Bae, the prettiest for sunset with islets offshore, and Lonely Beach, the young party corner. Beyond them the road bends south to the Bang Bao fishing village and pier, the jumping off point for dive and island hopping boats, and out at the remote southeastern tip lies Long Beach, a quiet snorkel cove that takes real effort to reach.

We rank on the beach itself, the water, the scene and the kind of day each gives, and we weigh how you reach it, because a remote cove at the end of a rough track is a different proposition from a strip you can step onto from your room. We are honest about which beaches reward the effort and which do not, and about the trade between a lively serviced strip and a quiet patch of wild sand.

The ranking

The Koh Chang beaches, ranked

Scored on the water, the scene and the day each gives, and on how rewarding it is to reach, from the easy west coast strips to the wild south.

Northwest coast

White Sand Beach

The first beach you reach from the ferry and the liveliest on the island, a long strip of fine pale sand with clear, usually calm dry season water and the densest run of hotels, restaurants and beach bars. Verdict: the best all round base, with the most to do and the easiest access, lively in the evening without being a hard party scene. The northern end is the busiest, so walk south for a quieter patch of sand.

Sandy stripLiveliestEasy access

Photo: Toni via Google

Best all rounder Beach clubs

West coast

Klong Prao

The longest beach on the island, a wide sweep of sand broken by two river mouths and backed by coconut palms and a handful of larger resorts, far less built up than its neighbours. Verdict: the pick for space, calm and a quieter day, ideal for couples and families who want room to spread out. It is more spread out, so you need transport for dinner and a drink, and the river mouths affect where you swim, so read the water.

Longest sandQuietSpread out

Photo: Rainer Forsander via Google

Best for space and calm Beach clubs

West coast

Kai Bae

A pretty, varied beach south of Klong Prao with little islands scattered just offshore that light up at sunset, plus a good spread of food, bars and places to stay for every budget. Verdict: the island's best sunset and a fine middle ground, a bit of everything from backpacker to family, lively but not loud. The sand narrows and turns rockier at low tide in places and the islets tempt a paddle, so check the water and the tide before you swim out.

Best sunsetIslets offshoreMixed crowd

Photo: ไก่แบ้ บีช รีสอร์ต Kai Bae Beach Resort via Google

Best for sunset Beach clubs

West coast

Lonely Beach

The young, cheap and social corner of the island, a small sandy beach with a backpacker village behind it and the latest bars and dancefloors on Koh Chang. Verdict: the pick for nightlife and budget travellers, friendly and fun, though the name is ironic now and it is the loudest beach by far. The swimming is decent at the calmer end, but parts shelve quickly and the scene is the draw here, so come for the night rather than a quiet day.

Party sceneBudgetLively nights

Photo: Martin Křivánek via Google

Best for nightlife Beach clubs

Southwest tip

Bang Bao

A photogenic stilted fishing village built along a long pier at the southwest tip, lined with seafood restaurants, shops and dive operators, and the launch point for boats to the southern islands. Verdict: a place to eat, browse and board a boat rather than a swimming beach, since it is a harbour, not a strand. Come for a seafood lunch, a sunset on the pier and the dive and island hopping trips that leave from here.

Fishing villageSeafood and boatsNot for swimming

Photo: Bruno Godard via Google

Best for boats and food Beach clubs

Southeastern tip

Long Beach

A quiet sandy cove tucked at the remote southeastern tip, with clear water and some of the better snorkelling on the island, reached by a rough track or a boat rather than the main road. Verdict: the reward for real effort, a peaceful, undeveloped escape for those who want to leave the scene behind. Facilities are minimal and the journey is slow and bumpy, so treat it as a self sufficient day trip and check how to get back before you go.

RemoteSnorkellingHard to reach

Photo: CDa G via Google

Best for quiet and snorkel Beach clubs

The honest read

The strips, the scene and the wild side

Koh Chang makes sense once you accept that it is one road and two worlds. The west coast strips, White Sand, Klong Prao and Kai Bae, are where the sandy swimming, the sunsets and the services are, and they are easy to reach and easy to like. White Sand is the lively all round base, Klong Prao the long quiet one for space, and Kai Bae the prettiest at sunset. Lonely Beach is the young party corner, fun if that is your night and best avoided if it is not. Choose your beach for the day you want and you will rarely go wrong.

The other world is the effort. Bang Bao at the southwest tip is a working pier village for seafood and boats, not a swim, and Long Beach out at the remote southeast is a lovely snorkel cove that takes a rough track or a boat to reach, a genuine reward only if you want to leave the scene behind. The east coast and interior are jungle, waterfalls and mangrove, beautiful and slow, with little real beach. The honest move is to base on the west coast for the sand and the sunsets and treat the wild south and east as day trips you plan properly, with your own transport and a way back sorted.

Timing matters more here than on the calmer gulf islands. The dry season from November to April brings the calm, clear west coast water and the big sunsets, peaking over the December and January holidays. The green season from May to October is cheaper and far quieter but brings heavy monsoon rain, rougher and cloudier seas, more jellyfish and some closures, so swimming is less reliable. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed, there are few or no lifeguards, so read the sea and the flags before you swim.

Reserve your day

Book a beach club in Koh Chang

Tell us your dates and the kind of day you want and we will line up the right west coast beach and a sunset bar or a daybed around Koh Chang, from lively White Sand to a sundowner on Kai Bae.

We match you to the right beach for the day
Daybeds, sunset bars and sunbeds
Tell us the date and the party size
No booking fee to enquire

Getting there and essentials

Planning your days

Koh Chang takes more getting to than most Thai islands, and that is part of why it stays calm. From Bangkok it is roughly five to six hours by road to Trat province, then a short car ferry from the piers near Laem Ngop across to the island. Once ashore, one main road runs down the west coast linking White Sand Beach, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and Bang Bao, and shared songthaew pickups run along it for a small fare. For the east coast, the interior waterfalls and the far south, you really want your own scooter or car, and the steep hill roads demand care and confidence.

Pack for a hot, humid tropical island and bring reef safe sun protection, insect repellent for the jungle evenings, water shoes for the rockier low tide stretches, and cash for the smaller villages and boat fares. Time the popular sunsets at Kai Bae and the Bang Bao boat trips for earlier arrival, ride the hill roads slowly, and confirm any minimum spend before you settle onto a bar daybed. In the green season check the sea, the flags and the forecast before swimming, since the monsoon brings rough water and jellyfish, and remember conditions are typical and never guaranteed.

Questions, answered

Common questions

Which is the best beach in Koh Chang?

White Sand Beach is the best all round base, the longest and liveliest west coast strip with fine sand, swimmable water and the most places to eat and stay. Klong Prao is the quieter, more spread out choice for couples and families, Kai Bae has the island's best sunsets, and Lonely Beach is the young party beach. The east and far south are wilder and harder to reach.

Does Koh Chang have good sandy beaches for swimming?

The west coast beaches, White Sand, Klong Prao and Kai Bae, are the sandy swimming strips, soft underfoot with water that is usually calm and clear in the dry season. Klong Prao is the longest. In the green season the sea can turn cloudy and choppy and jellyfish are more likely, so read the water. Conditions are typical and never guaranteed and there are few or no lifeguards.

How do you get to Koh Chang and around the beaches?

You reach the island by car ferry from the piers near Laem Ngop in Trat province, around five to six hours from Bangkok, then a short crossing. One main road runs down the west coast linking White Sand, Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and Bang Bao, with shared songthaew pickups running along it. The east coast and far south are quieter and need your own transport or a longer ride.

When is the best time to visit Koh Chang?

The dry season from November to April is the best time, with calm clear seas on the west coast, big sunsets and reliable sun, peaking over the December and January holidays. The green season from May to October is cheaper and quieter but brings heavy monsoon rain, rougher seas and some closures. See our Koh Chang when to go guide for the month by month detail.

Is Koh Chang a party island or a quiet one?

It is both, beach by beach. Lonely Beach is the young party beach with late bars, White Sand Beach is lively but more mixed, and Kai Bae has relaxed sunset bars. Klong Prao, the east coast and the far south are quiet and laid back. Koh Chang is far calmer overall than Phuket or the full moon islands, so it suits travellers who want nature and sunsets over a big club scene.

Keep exploring

Compare and keep planning

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