How do I get from Siem Reap to Ko Chang?

So you're done with the temples and it's time for some serious beach time. Where better to head than the glorious islands in Thailand's Trat province? Afterall the pier at Laem Ngop is just a share taxi, tuk tuk, bus, another bus and a songtheaw ride away. Then from there you just need to settle on which island -- Ko Chang, Ko Maak, Ko Kut, Ko Wai -- oh decisions decisions. Read on for the inside line on how to get between the two -- and yes, it is possible to leave Siem Reap after breakfast (not brunch!) and be on the island in time for a before-dinner dip.

Siem Reap to the border
We cover this extensively in our "How do I get from Bangkok to Siem Reap" story, but to save you one mouse click, here's the details: There are three main ways to get between Siem Reap and Poipet (the border town between Cambodia and Thailand and an absolute armpit of a town) -- tourist minibus, share taxi, pick-up truck.

The tourist minibus should be avoided At All Costs as it will inevitably transform into a scam-bus not long after leaving Siem Reap and you'll have precious time wasted as they waste your time. Take our word for it -- do not take a tourist mini bus service to Poipet -- they are all scams.

The pick-up truck is only an option if you're trying to prove yourself to your travelling partner as being a hard-as-nails, down and dirty budget traveller. You'll certainly be dirty by the end, in fact you'll be absolutely filthy. You'll also lose time in Sisophon (where you'll need to change from one heap of junk to another) and you won't get to Ko Chang in the same day. You will save a few dollars though. If you still want to do it by pick-up, be a bit of a softie and opt for a seat inside the cabin.

A share taxi is the way to go -- either hire the entire car yourself or buy a seat (or two) in one. This is, by far, the fastest way to get to the border. Expect to pay US$25-35 for an entire car.

The border
The Poipet border can be a bit time consuming at times, depending on crowds and how hard the officials feel like working. The most important piece of advice is to ignore all touts -- ALL of them. You're best to get there as early as possible to avoid the crowds. Once you're through both sides of immigration, continue on to the market and take a tuk tuk to the government bus station in Aranyprathet (6km away). A crossing can take as little as ten minutes or as long as three hours -- this can be a real wild card when it comes to doing the ruins to beach run in a day.

Route map
Here's the route map played out on a Google map -- click on each of the blue icons for more information, or zoom in to see areas in more detail.

Aranyprathet bus station
Aranyprathet bus station has buses to both Bangkok and Chanthaburi, but there are no direct buses to Trat. Instead, you need to catch a bus to Chanthaburi and then change buses there. The bus to Chanthaburi should take around three hours.

Chanthaburi
There's no need to leave the bus station as buses to Trat leave from the same terminal you'll be dropped at coming from Aranyprathet. The bus to Trat should take between 1.5 and two hours.

Trat
Once you are in Trat, you need to get a songtheaw to one of the three piers that serve the Ko Chang island group. All three piers are around an hour from Trat by songtheaw.

Laem Ngop to Ko Chang
There are three piers that send boats to Ko Chang. The main Laem Ngop pier, Centrepoint Pier, 4km north and Thammachart Pier some 9km from Laem Ngop. The later two both double as car ferries and while Thammachart drops you at Ao Sapparot on Ko Chang, the other two, Laem Ngop and Centrepoint, will drop you at Dan Kao, which is a little further from all the main beaches.

Ferries leave Laem Ngop six times a day between 07:00 and 17:00, take an hour and cost 100B. From Thammachart, ferries leave nine times daily between 07:00 and 19:00 and take just 30 minutes, costing 100B. From Centrepoint departures are similar to Laem Ngop -- six times daily between 07:00 and 17:00, take around 45 minutes and cost 100B.

All of the ferries are met on Ko Chang by songtheaws which will transport you to your beach of choice.

Laem Ngop to Ko Wai, Ko Maak and Ko Kham
There is one slow boat a day from Laem Ngop pier to Ko Wai, Ko Maak and Ko Kham, leaving Laem Ngop at 15:00, taking around three hours and costing 300B. Speedboats services are also available.

Laem Ngop to Ko Kut
Boats leave Laem Ngop every Friday, Saturday and Tuesday for Ko Kut, but they leave at 09:00 so you'll need to overnight in Trat to get these. They pass by both Ko Wai and Ko Maak.

Overall trip time:
Siem Reap to border: 3 - 4 hours by share taxi
Border clearance: 1 - 3 hours
Tuk tuk to Aranyprathet bus station: 15 minutes
Bus to Chanthaburi: 2.5 - 3 hours by bus
Chanthaburi to Trat: 1.5 - 2 hours by bus
Trat to Laem Ngop: 1 hour by songtheaw
Laem Ngop to Ko Chang: 30 minutes to 1 hour
Laem Ngop to Ko Wai: 2 hours
Laem Ngop to Ko Maak: 3 hours
Laem Ngop to Ko Kut: 3 hours