Koh Chang's main beaches line the west coast: White Sand Beach in the north, then Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Lonely Beach and Bailan, with the stilt village of Bang Bao in the south. They are good for swimming in the dry season, but in the rainy months waves and rip currents make the sea dangerous, and people have drowned swimming under red flags.
Koh Chang is Thailand's third-largest island, after Phuket and Koh Samui, and much of it belongs to Mu Ko Chang National Park. The interior is steep forest, so all the development is squeezed onto the coast. One road runs down the west side, and the further south you go along it, the steeper and narrower it becomes.
Our Koh Chang island guide describes the island and its atmosphere. This page goes beach by beach, with the safety detail that matters most when you choose where to swim.
| Beach (north to south) | Character | Swimming | Road access |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao) | The most developed: hotels, restaurants, bars, shops | Good in the dry season; open to the swell in the rainy season | Easy, with one steep climb north of the beach |
| Klong Prao | Long, spacious beach with resorts; river mouths and lagoons | Good in calm weather; watch currents near the river mouths | Easy |
| Kai Bae | Mid-sized, mixed resorts, views of small offshore islands | Reasonable; parts are rocky | Easy as far as Kai Bae |
| Lonely Beach (Hat Tha Nam) | Backpacker area and nightlife | Dangerous in rough weather; site of fatal drownings | Steep hills on either side |
| Bailan | Small, quiet bay | Rocky; better for relaxing than swimming | Steep |
| Bang Bao | Fishing village on stilts, pier for boat trips | Not a swimming beach | Steep road south of Kai Bae |
White Sand Beach: the busiest stretch
White Sand Beach (Hat Sai Khao) is the first big beach you reach from the ferry, and it has the most hotels, restaurants, shops and evening life on the island. The sand is wide in the dry season, and it is the easiest base for first-time visitors and anyone without their own transport, because shared pickup trucks (songthaew) pass along the main road.
Because it faces west to the open Gulf, it also takes the swell when the wind is from the south-west in the rainy season. On those days the shore break can be strong and the flags go up. It is a convenient beach, not a sheltered one.
Klong Prao: space and river mouths
South of White Sand, Klong Prao is a long, open beach backed by resorts, coconut palms and a couple of river mouths and lagoons. It feels roomier than White Sand, and it suits couples and families who want space without being far from restaurants. The Klong Plu waterfall, one of the island's best known, is inland from here; as a national park site, foreigners pay the park fee (200 baht per adult in the Category 2 park, October 2026).
River mouths are where currents are least predictable, especially after heavy rain when fresh water pours out into the sea. Swim away from them, and keep children within arm's reach.
Kai Bae: the last easy beach
Kai Bae is a smaller bay with a mix of resorts and views of little islands just offshore. It is the southern end of the comfortable part of the coast road; beyond Kai Bae the road changes character completely. For many visitors Kai Bae is the best balance: quieter than White Sand, but still with shops, restaurants and petrol nearby.
Parts of the shoreline are rocky, so check where the sandy entry points are and consider water shoes.
Lonely Beach and Bailan: hills, nightlife and risk
Lonely Beach (known locally as Hat Tha Nam) has long been the backpacker end of the island, with cheap bungalows and late bars. It is also the beach most associated with drownings. On Sunday 10 July 2022, two young tourists from Spain and France went into the sea at Lonely Beach early in the morning during a storm with high waves; the Bangkok Post reported that a red flag was up at the time, and both died. The chief of Mu Ko Chang National Park warned at the time that the area was being lashed by rain and high waves.
A red flag on Koh Chang means the sea is closed to swimmers, however calm it looks from your sun lounger. The fatal accidents at Lonely Beach happened under a red flag. Do not swim in big surf, at dawn or after dark, alone, or after drinking, and never follow a friend in to help: call for help and throw something that floats.
Bailan, just to the south, is a smaller, quieter bay with a rocky shore. It suits people who want calm evenings rather than swimming. Both Lonely Beach and Bailan sit between steep hills, which matters for the ride home after a night out (see below).
Bang Bao and the south
Bang Bao is a fishing village built on stilts over the water at the end of a long pier, now lined with seafood restaurants and shops. It is the departure point for many snorkeling and island-hopping boats to the smaller islands of the Mu Ko Chang National Park, and it is a place to visit rather than to swim. Further round the south coast are quieter bays with fewer facilities.
The east coast, reached from the ferry pier at Ao Sapparot, is gentler and much less developed, with mangroves and fishing villages around Salak Phet. It has no beaches to rival the west coast, but it is a good day out on a calm road.
The rainy season and the rip currents
Rip currents are narrow, fast channels of water flowing away from the shore. They form where waves break, and they are strongest when the surf is up. The UK Foreign Office warns that people have drowned in strong riptides in Thailand, especially in the monsoon season, and advises following warning signs and especially red flags. It describes the general rainy season as May to October.
On Koh Chang, the west-coast beaches face the open sea, so the south-west winds of the rainy months send waves straight onto them. Many businesses on the island close or scale down in that period. The dry season, from about November to April, has the calmest sea and the easiest swimming. Our guide to rip currents and beach flags explains how to spot a rip and what to do if you are caught in one: do not swim against it, swim parallel to the shore or float and signal for help. For the month-by-month picture, see traveling in Thailand's rainy season.
The sea has other hazards too. Jellyfish are more common close to shore in the rainy season, according to the Foreign Office, and our guide to jellyfish in Thailand explains first aid.
The steep road south of Kai Bae
North of Kai Bae, the west coast road is a normal island road with a steep section above White Sand Beach. South of Kai Bae, towards Lonely Beach, Bailan and the Bang Bao turn-off, it becomes a series of very steep climbs, blind crests and tight bends with little room to pass. In the wet it is worse. This is where many of the island's scooter accidents happen, often to riders on small rented automatics with a passenger.
If you are not an experienced rider, use songthaews or a car with a driver on this stretch, and do not ride it at night after drinking. The UK Foreign Office reminds visitors that helmets are compulsory and that riding without the correct licence can invalidate travel insurance. For a full briefing on the island's roads, rental bikes and engine sizes, our sister site has a guide to renting a motorbike on Koh Chang, and our own guide to safe scooter riding covers the basics.
Medical care on the island is limited, and serious cases go to the mainland. In March 2026 Trat province and the national park opened a helicopter landing pad on Koh Chang for emergency patient transfers. In an emergency call 1669; see our list of emergency numbers in Thailand.
Which Koh Chang beach should you choose?
- First visit, no scooter: White Sand Beach, for convenience and transport.
- Families and couples who want space: Klong Prao or Kai Bae.
- Budget and nightlife: Lonely Beach, if you respect the sea and the hills.
- Quiet: Bailan, or the east and south coasts.
Getting there is covered in our guide from Bangkok to Koh Chang. If you are comparing islands, our guide to which Thai island is right for you sets Koh Chang against the others, and the guides to Koh Kood and the eastern islands cover the quieter islands further south.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best beach on Koh Chang for swimming?
In the dry season, roughly November to April, White Sand Beach, Klong Prao and Kai Bae are the most popular for swimming. Conditions change with the weather on all of them, so check the flags each day and avoid the river mouths at Klong Prao after rain.
Are there rip currents on Koh Chang?
Yes. The west-coast beaches face the open sea, and in the rainy season waves and rip currents make swimming dangerous. Two tourists drowned at Lonely Beach in July 2022 after entering stormy seas while a red flag was up. Never swim under a red flag.
Is Lonely Beach on Koh Chang safe?
It is fine for a stay if you are careful, but it combines nightlife, steep roads and a beach that has seen fatal drownings in rough weather. Do not swim when flags are up, at night or after drinking, and take a songthaew back over the hills after a night out.
Is the road to Bang Bao dangerous?
The stretch south of Kai Bae has very steep climbs, blind crests and tight bends, and it is the part of the island where many scooter accidents happen. Experienced riders manage it in the dry; others should take a songthaew or a car.
Sources
- Bangkok Post – 1 tourist drowns, another missing off Ko Chang (10 July 2022) (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign Office – Thailand: safety and security (swimming, motorbikes, jellyfish) (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – National park entry fees by group from 7 June 2022 (checked October 2026)
- Department of National Parks – Mu Ko Chang National Park opens emergency helicopter pad (March 2026) (checked October 2026)
- Pollution Control Department, Region 13 – Thailand's islands by province (DMCR data) (checked October 2026)