Bangkok to Koh Kood: The Long Way to the Quiet Island (2026)

Koh Kood rewards the effort it takes to reach it. Thailand’s fourth-largest island lies right down at the Cambodian end of the Trat coast, and its distance is exactly what has kept it quiet, green and low-rise while its neighbours filled up. That distance, though, is real: a long drive from Bangkok followed by a proper sea crossing. Get the timing right and it is a smooth day’s travel; get it wrong and you can miss the last boat. Here is how to get it right.

Why Koh Kood takes planning

Two things set this route apart from Koh Chang or Koh Samet. First, the sheer distance: it is about 340 km from Bangkok to Laem Sok, the pier that serves Koh Kood, so the road leg alone is around 4.5 hours. Second, the crossing is longer and more exposed than the short island hops further north, which means fewer daily boats and a timetable that shrinks in bad weather. Reaching the island is less about any single hard step and more about lining up a long drive with a boat that leaves on time.

Getting to Laem Sok pier

1. Private transfer (the low-stress option)

The obvious choice for a pier this awkward to reach by public transport. A private car takes you straight from the airport or your hotel to Laem Sok, timed around the sailing you have booked, so there is no juggling of bus schedules and connecting taxis at the far end. The onward speedboat or ferry is booked separately — we simply make sure you reach the pier with time to spare.

2. Public bus to Trat, then onward

Buses from Bangkok’s Ekkamai terminal run to Trat town in around 5–6 hours. Trat is not the pier, though — Laem Sok is a further half-hour by taxi or songthaew, which you arrange on arrival. It is the cheapest way down, but with the most moving parts, and the tight boat timetable leaves little slack if a connection runs late.

3. Fly to Trat

Bangkok Airways serves the small airport at Trat, cutting the long road leg to about an hour in the air. From the airport you still need a transfer to Laem Sok and then the boat, and fares are not cheap, but it is worth pricing up if your time is tighter than your budget.

The boat: speedboat or ferry

From Laem Sok, a speedboat is the usual pick — roughly an hour to the island with several departures a day in high season. A slower car ferry also runs; it handles rough water more comfortably but takes longer. Operators such as Boonsiri and the Koh Kood Express lines run the main services. Boats are separate from the transfer, so book your crossing first and we build the drive around it.

Can you do it in a day?

Yes, with an early start. Leaving Bangkok in the morning lets you catch an afternoon boat with a sensible margin. If your flight lands late at night, don’t force it — overnight near Trat and cross first thing, rather than gamble on a last sailing that may not run. For the return, we work backwards from your flight so you are off the island and up the coast in good time.

Is the effort worth it?

For most people who make it, yes — Koh Kood’s waterfalls, empty beaches and lack of a party strip are the direct payoff for the extra travel. The trick is to treat the journey as one planned chain rather than a series of hopeful connections. A private drive to Laem Sok, timed to a boat you have already booked, is the simplest way to turn Thailand’s most remote major island into an easy arrival.