The islands in Trat were the very first islands we ever visited in Thailand, and it’s safe to say they ruined other places in Thailand for us! Now, we always compare every beach destination in Thailand to Koh Chang, Koh Mak, or Koh Kood. They are definitely a special place to visit.
Quick note: The most famous Trat islands are the biggest ones: Koh Chang, Koh Kood, and Koh Mak. But there is also Koh Wai, a much smaller island, with only one operating hotel and no roads. We’ll share some information about it as well.
Quick answer
- Koh Chang is great for any type of trip, with lots of activities and hotels for all budgets.
- Koh Mak is completely walkable and the ideal choice for slow days at the beach.
- Koh Kood has the best beaches, perfect for honeymoons and idyllic vacations.
- Koh Wai is the place to go for a secluded vacation in the island’s only hotel.
Overview of islands
| Island | Development | Vibe | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koh Chang | Most developed island with an incoming car ferry | A healthy mix of lively beaches and less-busy areas | Koh Chang has a mix of hotels for all budgets, from budget versions to luxury. |
| Koh Mak | Strict local rules keeping the development to a minimum | Peaceful island vibes, but with enough comforts | Koh Mak has a mix of hotels for all budgets, but is generally more expensive than Koh Chang. |
| Koh Kood | Very little development outside the main few areas | Chilling on the most beautiful beaches | Koh Kood offers mid-range to luxury hotels, with only a few budget options. |
| Koh Wai | Almost no development, with only one operational hotel on the island | Simple, secluded experience | Koh Wai is a budget place to stay. |
| Travel time from Bangkok |
|---|
| The fastest way from Bangkok to Koh Chang is 3 hours (1h flight plus 2-hour van+ferry combo), while the standard van & ferry combo without a flight takes 5 hours. |
| The fastest way from Bangkok to Koh Mak is 3 hours (1h flight plus 2-hour van+ferry combo), while the standard van & ferry combo without a flight takes 6 hours. |
| The fastest way from Bangkok to Koh Kood is 3.5 hours (1h flight plus 2.5-hour van+ferry combo), while the standard van & ferry combo without a flight takes 6.5 hours. |
| Getting to Koh Wai from Bangkok takes about the same time as getting to Koh Chang (3-5 hours), but only if the speedboat stops at the island. Otherwise, it’s at least 1 hour longer for the connecting boat from Koh Chang. |
Where to book your transport:
- Bus and ferry combo (all tickets included)
- Bangkok to Trat flight
- Transfer from Trat Airport
If you book the combo transfer, a shared taxi from your hotel is included in the ticket. We found that especially useful on these islands, where taxis are otherwise more expensive.
Fun fact: You can get an 85-minute scenic flight in a private jet from Bangkok to Koh Kood, as there’s an airfield on an island just offshore. It departs from DMK airport, and if you’ve got the cash, it seats 6 passengers and gets you to the island in no time.
What each island is best for
Best hotels
Of all the Trat islands, the best-quality hotels are definitely on Koh Chang. Mainly because there are so many of them, and surprisingly, for all budgets. So even if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly vacation, you can get a pretty good hotel on Koh Chang.
On Koh Chang, we recommend staying near Kai Bae Beach – specifically, the Kai Bae Beach Resort is perfect for a proper vacation.
For a budget stay, we loved our time at Elephant & Castle. It’s a peaceful place with only a few bungalows surrounded by greenery, and the host, John, was fantastic.
Now, even though Koh Chang has the best ones, it doesn’t mean other islands don’t have fantastic hotels – they just have fewer of them.
On Koh Kood, we’d probably go with a beach hotel at either Klong Chao, like Tinkerbell Resort, or at Bang Bao (our favorite beach), where we recommend Siam Beach Resort. It’s a great value for money, especially because it’s right at the beach.
For Koh Mak, it doesn’t really matter where you stay, as it’s quite small. However, we recommend picking a spot like our hotel that’s close to multiple beaches.
Best beaches
Honestly, all the Trat islands have fantastic beaches with that classic “Thai island vibe”. However, the winner for best beaches in Trat is, without a doubt, Koh Kood.
Maybe it’s because Koh Kood is less developed and generally more peaceful, with a relatively small number of hotel rooms for its size, or because beaches simply look more picturesque.
Koh Kood is our favorite Trat Island for a beach vacation.
Snorkeling
Unfortunately, unlike Koh Tao, snorkeling at the beaches of the big Trat islands isn’t as good. But it’s still better than on the main beaches in Phuket, for example.
Instead, you need to get on a boat and do a snorkeling day trip to Koh Rang Island. At Koh Rang, the snorkeling is much better than on the bigger islands! We highly recommend it as a day trip.
We did that exact trip from Koh Kood, but you can also do it from Koh Chang.
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Peaceful environment
Both Koh Mak and Koh Kood are much more peaceful than Koh Chang, which has more hotels, traffic, nightlife, and events.
Regarding a peaceful environment, Koh Wai doesn’t even fall into the same category as the other three islands, since it’s still quite big, with multiple beaches but only one hotel. Do keep in mind that day trips to Koh Wai from other islands sometimes arrive between 10 AM and 4 PM, but it shouldn’t affect you much.
Good to know: We also visited all three islands in December and January, which are peak tourism times, but we never felt they had too many people. We could always find a nice, peaceful spot if we wanted to. We will never forget being on the beach in Koh Kood for New Year’s Eve, as there were literally only a few people with us. Definitely felt like we were on a VIP island.
Most stuff to do
The island in Trat province with the most to do is definitely Koh Chang. It’s the biggest island, with the most beaches, waterfalls, and activities.
Highlights from our Koh Chang visit:
- Two kayaking trips we did to two separate islands (Ko Ngam and Ko Man Nai)
- Swimming in the waterfalls
- Exploring the different mangrove forests, both by kayak and by boardwalk
- Fire show at Lonely Beach
In the busiest time, we recommend booking your activities online, as spaces are limited.
- Snorkeling Trip (Koh Rang and other spots)
- Mangrove Forest (gondola tour)
- Cooking Class
- Stand Up Paddleboarding (with transfer)
- Shared Island tour (highlights)
Best food
With more development and amenities, Koh Chang is also the best place for food in the Trat Islands, especially when you want more variety.
While we had delicious food on every island, the best was on Koh Chang. There are a ton of great restaurants, plus night markets with superb quick dishes, snacks, and drinks.
For delicious traditional, fusion, and “Western” food on Koh Chang, we recommend Everflow Restaurant. We ate there multiple times and had their smoothie bowls, burgers, curries, and more. All absolutely fantastic.
On Koh Kood, places that stood out were the Esan Family restaurant (Isaan food) and Black Bananas, both of which we ate at countless times. Yum.
Easiest to get around
The easiest island to get around is Koh Mak because it’s completely walkable.
We did rent a scooter on Koh Mak, but honestly, if you don’t want to rent one (or a bicycle), you really don’t have to. For example, our hotel on Koh Mak was just a 5-minute walk from two beautiful beaches and 20 minutes from another fantastic one farther away.
Getting around Koh Chang and Koh Kood
While you might look at Koh Chang on the map and think you can drive a loop around the island, you can not. The two southernmost parts of the island, Bang Bao and Salak Phet, are not connected, and there’s a jungle between them. There have been plans for many years to build a road there, and supposedly it’s coming (year unsure).
On Koh Kood, if you want to visit multiple beaches, renting a scooter is a must, and we always did.
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How many days to spend on each island
We would say a good 3 days on each of the bigger Trat islands is more than enough to explore them. But of course, if you’re planning a vacation as we did, we’d say a week here is ideal.
Koh Chang requires the most time, as there’s just much more to see and do on the island, but 3 days is still enough.
Koh Mak is the most forgiving in terms of how much time you need there, so even if you have just two days, that’s plenty to see and enjoy its highlights.
Koh Kood is where we go for a proper vacation, and while exploring it takes just like two days, we’d stay here for much longer if you ask us.
Should you visit all islands in a single trip?
Visiting all three islands, Koh Chang, Koh Mak, and Koh Kood, in a single trip makes sense if you’re after island hopping and a beach vacation, as each offers something different. For a trip combining all three islands, we recommend a week in total.
On our first visit to Trat, we visited Koh Chang first, then Koh Mak, and Koh Kood as our last stop to celebrate the New Year. We visited all the islands to see what each one has to offer and to find where we’d potentially return for a beach vacation while in Thailand.
Now, however, we usually visit one of the Trat islands, or at most two, in a single trip. For example, on our last visit, we were first in Koh Chang, then again in Koh Kood.
Trat Islands itinerary:
- 2 days on Koh Chang: beaches, waterfalls, kayaking, mangrove forest
- 2 days on Koh Mak: beaches and amazing relaxed sunsets
- 3 days on Koh Kood: chilling on some of Thailand’s best beaches plus a day trip to Koh Rang
How to travel between the islands
Frequent regular boats, speedboats, and high-speed catamarans connect the islands of the Trat archipelago.
From the Trat mainland to the islands, it’s a 30-minute fast boat or a 45-minute ferry. We’ve gone on both the big ferry and the faster boats, and all were comfortable, and the process was straightforward.
There are multiple departures between all the islands throughout the day, so it’s easy to hop from one island to another.
The boat route between the islands runs north to south (Koh Chang – Koh Mak – Koh Kood), with a 1-hour travel time between each island.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Koh Chang better than Koh Kood?
It’s a very hard question to answer, as we love both Koh Chang and Koh Kood, but to answer it simply, Koh Chang is an all-around great island for a beach stay with a bit of activities, and Koh Kood is the ideal relaxed beach vacation spot.
Is Koh Mak worth visiting?
Yes, we enjoyed our time at Koh Mak, and we’d say it’s definitely worth visiting, and we can see it as a great option for a beach vacation. Plus, it’s walkable. For us, though, it misses some activities the other two big islands offer.
Which island has the best beaches?
From our experience, we’d say Koh Kood has the best beaches out of the three main Trat islands. The water color is out of this world, and the sand is super soft. We still remember getting off the boat at Koh Kood for the first time and seeing the water at Ao Tapao beach… Incredible!
Do you need a scooter in the Trat islands?
A scooter is needed to explore most of Koh Chang, though a shared taxi service is available. But on Koh Kood, a scooter is almost a must if you want to explore more than just the beach near your hotel.
The only islands you don’t need a scooter at all in Trat are Koh Mak, fully walkable, as well as Koh Waii, obviously, as it’s so small.
Which island is most backpacker-friendly?
Honestly, all of the islands are great if you’re backpacking, but when it comes to more affordable rooms and more fun things to do (and nightlife), Koh Chang wins that category by far. There’s just a lot more going on.
Which is the best for honeymoons?
Hands down, Koh Kood wins among the Trat Islands for a honeymoon, with wonderful hotels and all the amenities you might need. Plus, it has fantastic, peaceful beaches, and even though it’s small, there are plenty of food options and activities to keep you entertained if you’re an active couple like us.
One of the most asked questions: Is Koh Kood expensive?
Yes, compared to other islands like Koh Chang and Koh Mak, we’d say Koh Kood is more expensive, as there are fewer budget hotels available and maybe the food is a bit more expensive.
However, on a general scale, compared to other popular destinations in Thailand, we wouldn’t call Koh Kood overly expensive. Koh Kood is perhaps just a bit more expensive than places like Phuket and Krabi. However, beyond the more expensive hotels, Koh Kood can still definitely be an affordable vacation, and we’re speaking from our own experience.
Final thoughts
We hope we helped you understand the Trat islands a bit better, cleared up any confusion, and answered any questions you might have about each of them.
Is there something we missed that you’d like to know? Have you visited the islands and want to share your own experience? Comment below!
We hope you have a fantastic time in Trat, no matter which island you visit. We’re sure you will, because they are our favorite islands in Thailand for a reason!
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