Quick Guide: Traveling From Bangkok To Koh Kood (Ko Kut)

Visiting Koh Kood
Visiting Koh Kood

If we have been able to convince you to include this magical destination in your Thailand itinerary, after reading our blog on the top 8 places to visit in Kooh Kood, you must be wondering how to get to this paradise island. In this blog we answer exactly that.

The people of Koh Kood call their island the 'still unspoilt island of Thailand' and they can not be more precise in doing so. The island is so bent on keeping its ecology intact that over 70% of it is still unexplored. Moreover, unlike the other islands, no tourist is allowed to bring their car to Koh Kood. The only mode of transport in this island are bikes and handful of taxis. But, this should not deter you from visiting Koh Kood - it has something for every traveler and should be part of your Thailand itinerary.

Koh Kood is a part of the Trat Province in Eastern Thailand, situated in the Gulf of Thailand and has influence of the Cambodian culture due to its vicinity to it - this is something you will definitely notice once you spend some time there.

Reaching Koh Kood from Bangkok is pretty easy. All you need is some planning and choosing the right connections. The best way to reach Koh Kood from Bangkok is to fly into Trat, drive to Laem Sok and sail to Koh Kood - sounds easy?

In the next sections we will elaborate on each of the three modes of transport that we mentioned above. But, we will do it in the reverse chronological order - first, speedboat/ferry to Koh Kood from Laem Sok; next, van to Laem Sok from Trat Airport; and finally, flight to Trat from Bangkok. This is because, the number of speedboats/ferries are limited and time bound and you should first pick that and plan the other two prior journeys based on the last one.

Ready to board our speedboat from Laem Sok Pier to Koh Kood
Ready to board our speedboat from Laem Sok Pier to Koh Kood

Speedboat/Ferry from Laem Sok to Koh Kood: There are two options to travel from Laem Sok to Koh Kood - speedboat and ferry. While a ferry ride is more comfortable, travelling by speedboat is fast and more adventurous. Below I will lay out the timings and fare of both speedboat and ferry so that you can pick what is the most beneficial for your travel needs.

Speedboat Timings (ONLY during High Season): 10:00 am, 3:00 pm

Speedboat Fare: THB 600 per person

Ferry Timings (High Season): 10:45 am, 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 2:20 pm

Ferry Timings (Low Season): 1:00 pm, 1:30 pm

Ferry Fare: THB 500 per person

There is another ferry at 10:00 am which costs THB 350 per person, but we would suggest against it as it hardly looked pleasing when we crossed it during our travel to Koh Kood.

Most resorts in Koh Kood have their own pier so speedboats directly drop guests at their respective resorts, travelling from north to south along the island coastline. If you travel to Koh Kood on a ferry you will be dropped off at the Ao Salad pier from where you get a complementary ride to your resort on a shared taxi.

Pier at our resort In Koh Kood
Pier at our resort In Koh Kood

We would always suggest you to travel to Ko Kood in a speedboat if that suits you, as it is much more convenient and fun.

It is best to pre-book your seats as the demand is high and seats are limited. The voucher that you receive to pre-book your seat can be shown at the pier to get your tickets.

Important things you must remember:

  • At the Laem Sok pier, when you exchange your voucher for your ticket to Koh Kood, the attendant at the counter will ask for the name of your resort. Give the name correctly as they would inform the boat to drop you off at your resort
  • The attendant at the counter would also hand you over your return ticket. Please keep this safe and inform your resort of your return speedboat/ferry date and timings as they would inform the boat company accordingly, and ensure you get your speedboat from their pier or taxi to the ferry, whichever is applicable for you.

There are ferry services directly from Bangkok to Koh Kood early in the morning between 5:00 am and 7:30 am during the high season, which costs between THB 900 to THB 850 and is an 8-hour journey. So, if you want you can even avail this service. We didn't opt for this as we wanted our travel to be a little more adventurous with a stopover at Trat instead of Bangkok.

Our private van taxi from Trat Airport to Laem Sok
Our private van from Trat Airport to Laem Sok

Van from Trat to Laem Sok: Reaching Laem Sok from Trat airport is very easy. You can either take a private van or a shared van - one of these vans usually seat eleven people comfortably. The drive to Laem Sok is about an hour and quite pleasant. If you pre-book the transport your driver will be waiting for you at the airport to pick you up. There is no option to book a smaller taxi instead of a van, as the most commercially used vehicle for passenger transport in this region are these eleven-seater vans. But, don't worry, the prices are quiet nominal at THB 1500 to reserve the entire van.

If you are planning to stay a night at Trat or Laem Sok and take the first speedboat to Koh Kood the next morning you can always do that - you would need to only book a van that takes you to your resort in Trat city or one near the Laem Sok pier. This is because the boat company offers a free shuttle from Trat city to Laem Sok pier for all the ferry and speedboat rides to Koh Kood.

Morning stroll at Laem Sok Pier
Morning stroll at Laem Sok Pier

I would always suggest you stay in a resort near Laem Sok pier instead of Trat city as that would allow you to go and enjoy the picturesque view that Laem Sok pier offers. We grabbed breakfast at our resort in the morning and walk for 5 mins to the reach the pier. It was one of the best views that we could get, specially because we were the only ones there at that time. The resort which is the closest to Laem Sok Pier is Analay Check In & Chill Out; it is also the one that we stayed in. The resort is pretty descent and worth checking out.

We will come out with a blog soon with a detailed review on the facilities available at the resort. Until then you can check out the photographs above and read the reviews at:

Booking.com

Boarding our flight to Trat from Bangkok
Boarding our flight to Trat from Bangkok

Flight from Bangkok to Trat: Based on your flight into Bangkok, and your decision to stay or not to stay in Trat or Laem Sok, you can pick one of the few Bangkok Airways flights that fly daily from Bangkok to Trat, staring at 8:20 am with the last flight flying at 4:55 pm. Trat has a very small and cute airport, which only operates the Bangkok Airways flights between Bangkok and Trat. While the tickets are a little pricey when compared the the other domestic flights, they are definitely worth the extra bucks considering the time you save coupled with the in-flight service and complementary lounge access for all guests.

Landing at the Trat Airport in the evening
Landing at the Trat Airport in the evening

Just be careful to note that while the flight between Bangkok and Trat is on domestic route, Bangkok Airways only operates out of the Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). So if you are flying into Don Mueang International Airport (DMK) and want to take a Bangkok Airways flight to Trat, keep in mind that the distance between DMK and BKK is almost an hour.

Riding on the shuttle from DMK to BKK
Riding on the shuttle from DMK to BKK

Also note that there is a free shuttle service between DMK and BKK, which can be availed near Gate 6 of the DMK International Terminal by showing your air ticket departing from BKK. The shuttle leaves every hour and is a very good service, which is hardly known by travelers, so there are plenty of seats available. Be sure to avail this if you have to travel between DMK and BKK and save yourself a minimum of THB 500.

If you are visiting Koh Kood and need any help booking your speedboat/ferry, hotels in Koh Kood/Trat, van to/from pier, you can get in touch with us and we will help you with the bookings.

If you are interested in acquiring the rights to use any of the photographs that you see on this website, please visit our Shutterstock portfolio by clicking here.

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