In my second Island motorcycle trip I had a Honda Steed and a rider on the back from Pattaya to Ko Chang via Trat.
The trip from Pattaya to Trat took 3+ hours at a high speed rate down the Super (Route 3) to Rayong where a brief lunch stop was made. I don't like supers and try to find more secluded runs but here there was little choice and the super is heavy with fume spouting lorries passing each other often blocking lane passage while you take in the noxious air and soot ravaged eye goggles.
A few short kilometers east of Rayong you can exit Route 3 for a more leisurly run along route 3145 running close to the beaches in this area. Just past Mae Pim beach an even more romote road continues east eventualy terminating at Chanthaburi, there you can pick up the Route 3 super again, cross into Trat province and hang an almost immediate right turn (south) on route 3156 running along some tree line areas eventually bring you to the ferry departure point for Ko Chang at Laem Ngop. The vehicle ferry runs once an hour up to 19:00 hrs and takes 25 minutes to cross the short channel.
Once on Ko Chang you ride off the ferry and hit a "T" junction where the turn to the right will take you immediatly up a steep grade with sharp twisties. Be careful here, these twisties are sharp and no warning signs exist. I did this in the dark and fortunately was going slow anyway in a low gear. About 4-5 kilometers the road peaks out and you're downhill towards the town of White Sands Beach were you will find a range of prices for guesthouses. Most have direct beach access. Its a one-road town not all that large with a mountain immediately on the side of the road away from the beach.
Riding on Ko Chang is Ok but not a speed-freeks paradise as only one road exists that almost skirts the islands perimeter. Construction is now nearing completion on the section that will allow a complete circumvent of the island in about 6 month. For now you need to turn back and continue in the other direction to see all of the island.
Not heavily populated and very low key I can only recommend about 4 days here and you've done it all. But still worth the visit if you are in the South of Thailand anyway. A special trip here from say, Chiang Mai would not be recommended for Ko Chang only but as an excursion from Pattaya absolutly. There are 4 petrol stations spaced well apart on the Island. Eats are fairly good and easy to find from Thai street causal to the more exclusive resorts. Prices are about 10% up here from the mainland. The Island is quiet and folks tend to keep to their own here even the Farangs but its not unfriendly, simply more conservative than most places in Thailand.
Beaches are not as good as on Ko Samui nor is there any big social scene. It is a National Park after all. Beer Internet guesthouses are all here and the ubiqutious 7-11 but I found no Babes but I wasn't looking very hard as I had one from Pattaya with me already.
-When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It.
The trip from Pattaya to Trat took 3+ hours at a high speed rate down the Super (Route 3) to Rayong where a brief lunch stop was made. I don't like supers and try to find more secluded runs but here there was little choice and the super is heavy with fume spouting lorries passing each other often blocking lane passage while you take in the noxious air and soot ravaged eye goggles.
A few short kilometers east of Rayong you can exit Route 3 for a more leisurly run along route 3145 running close to the beaches in this area. Just past Mae Pim beach an even more romote road continues east eventualy terminating at Chanthaburi, there you can pick up the Route 3 super again, cross into Trat province and hang an almost immediate right turn (south) on route 3156 running along some tree line areas eventually bring you to the ferry departure point for Ko Chang at Laem Ngop. The vehicle ferry runs once an hour up to 19:00 hrs and takes 25 minutes to cross the short channel.
Once on Ko Chang you ride off the ferry and hit a "T" junction where the turn to the right will take you immediatly up a steep grade with sharp twisties. Be careful here, these twisties are sharp and no warning signs exist. I did this in the dark and fortunately was going slow anyway in a low gear. About 4-5 kilometers the road peaks out and you're downhill towards the town of White Sands Beach were you will find a range of prices for guesthouses. Most have direct beach access. Its a one-road town not all that large with a mountain immediately on the side of the road away from the beach.
Riding on Ko Chang is Ok but not a speed-freeks paradise as only one road exists that almost skirts the islands perimeter. Construction is now nearing completion on the section that will allow a complete circumvent of the island in about 6 month. For now you need to turn back and continue in the other direction to see all of the island.
Not heavily populated and very low key I can only recommend about 4 days here and you've done it all. But still worth the visit if you are in the South of Thailand anyway. A special trip here from say, Chiang Mai would not be recommended for Ko Chang only but as an excursion from Pattaya absolutly. There are 4 petrol stations spaced well apart on the Island. Eats are fairly good and easy to find from Thai street causal to the more exclusive resorts. Prices are about 10% up here from the mainland. The Island is quiet and folks tend to keep to their own here even the Farangs but its not unfriendly, simply more conservative than most places in Thailand.
Beaches are not as good as on Ko Samui nor is there any big social scene. It is a National Park after all. Beer Internet guesthouses are all here and the ubiqutious 7-11 but I found no Babes but I wasn't looking very hard as I had one from Pattaya with me already.
-When You Come to a Fork in the Road, Take It.
