Lonely Beach on Koh Chang

All you need to know about this little backpackers paradise in Thailand.

Over 20 years ago there was no connected road to Lonely Beach. Backpackers had to be adventurous and hike a little trail to reach this little place. By then you could call it Lonely Beach. Only a few backpackers and minimal accommodation. Now it’s everything, but surely not lonely.

From tiny guesthouses and food stands to more fancy resorts and nice restaurants you find everything on Lonely Beach. But it still is not overcrowded and a backpackers place. Accommodation grows from simple bamboo bungalows to air conditioned rooms with fast wifi. With the evolving party scene you will meet mostly younger backpackers and flashpacker. You see changes every year, so I strongly recommend to hit Lonely Beach now to get the nice vibe which maybe is gone in some years.

Lonely Beach what to know

Location & How to get to lonely beach:

Lonely Beach is located in the south west of Koh Chang.

There are direct buses from Bangkok and some other places. They will bring you to Trat and from there you take the ferry to the island. The ferry takes about 45-60 minutes and ends at the Ao Sapparot Pier which is in the north of the island or the Dan Kao Pier in the north east. Just crab one of the hop on cabs they will always be there when a ferry arrives. Depending on how many stops they make and where you start it takes 30-60 minutes to Lonely Beach and cost about 100 Baht.

Weather and seasons:

The temperature at Lonely Beach is quite the same all year around with about 30 degrees at daytime. It’s very humid all year around. Hottest month is April, coldest is January but the difference is small. There are dry and wet seasons which are similar to the low and high season. The wet and low season is from May to October with September as wettest month. The dry and high season is from November to March with January as driest month.

In high season you can be sure that most of the days will be sunny, there are just a few rain days and mostly it will be a shower late at daytime or at night. All attractions and buildings are open. Therefore prices for accommodation will be a bit higher.

During low season you will have rain on most days. Still the rain will be mostly at late daytime or at night as heavy showers, but also some full rain days. Some attractions are closed in the worst months. The accommodation will be cheaper as in high season. You can be lucky during low season as well and have some good and sunny days.

Waterfalls are most filled during wet season and can be dried out in months around January. Also the jungle will be more colorful during wet season. So even if I recommend to visit Lonely Beach in high season there are a lot of reasons that you can go in low season as well.

Beach:

The beach is about 600 meters long. It’s very nice white sand. Mostly it’s flat and you have to walk into it a bit to swim. It’s not wavy so kayaking is nice but surfing does not work. There are some little food and drink places around. During high season it can get crowded. The more north you go the less crowded it is and you will find a quiet but not completely lonely spot.

Accommodation:

At the beach are some more expensive resorts. The more you go to the city the cheaper it gets. There are guesthouses, bungalows and even dorms available. Accommodation at Lonely Beach can be very cheap starting with less than 400 Baht for a double room. But also up to 7.000 Baht at the luxurious places.

Food & drinks:

There is a good variety of restaurants at Lonely Beach. Surely good thai food as curries and pad thai. Also western food as burger, pizza, kebab or tapas. Some street places offer cheap meat sticks and soups. At some places you get a curry with rice starting from 50 Baht. Better to calculate 100 Baht for a meal. You also can also easily spend 500 Baht for a big fresh fish.

Same for drinks, cheap beer (~60 Baht) and buckets (~250 Baht) are everywhere. Also good and fair cocktails (~150 Baht). Be sure to check out the flyer given on the main street in the evening. There are nice happy hours or free drinks/buckets at most nights. Check out the Lonely Beach bar guide.

Overall you can have both for cheap money.

Shopping:

On the main street you will find some little shops. They offer the usual things like shirts, flip flops etc.. There is one 7 Days which is kind of similar to a 7 Eleven but not as good and big in my opinion. Also there are quiet some minimarts to buy all necessary things and some of them are open 24/7.

Medical Situation:

There is no doctor at Lonely Beach. The closest clinic is in Bang Bao. And there is also a hospital on the east side of Koh Chang but it’s about 40 minutes away. Also there is a good clinic in Trat on the mainland.

There is one pharmacy at Lonely Beach. Be sure to check the opening hours as they do a lunch break and in urgent situations you have to drive to Kai Bae to the next pharmacy.