Koh Chang Map Hotels Travel Agents Guide Koh Chang

Koh Chang (เกาะช้าง) is in Trat Province, in Eastern Thailand, about 330 kilometers from Bangkok. It is Thailand's second largest island, and the biggest in Koh Chang National Park. With about 5000 permanent residents the island is not heavily populated, but tourism (and development) has increased dramatically over the last few years.

Koh Chang has an area of approximately 429 square kilometres. The topography contains high mountains and complex stone cliffs. The highest mount is Khao Salak Phet which is 744 metres high, rich in fertile evergreen forest which is the main water source. Therefore, there are many waterfalls, beaches and splendid reefs in the west of the island.

Most accommodation is located on the western side of the island, where the sandy beaches are. On the eastern side of the island there are no sandy beaches and this side is far less touristy. There are some nice waterfalls.

70 percent of this undisturbed island is rainforest, steep hills, cliffs, waterfalls, and wildlife, fine beaches, coral reefs and an abundance of marine life. The island also offers tall mountains and rock cliffs. The tallest mountain on Koh Chang is Salakpetch.

By plane

Bangkok Airways flies two times a day from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (the "new" BKK) to Trat. 0800 and 1625, and the flight takes 1 hour and 5 minutes.

Direct door-to-door minibus transfers from Trat airport to Koh Chang resorts cost 280 baht/person including the ferry crossing.

From Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, take the free express shuttle bus from outside the arrivals concourse to the airport's own bus terminal, and from there the next available bus to either Trat or Chanthaburi, then proceed as described below.

By bus

From Bangkok the easiest, most direct, and most economical way to get to Laem Ngop (where the Koh Chang ferry piers are) is to take a 1st class bus from the Eastern (Ekamai) Bus Terminal direct to the Centrepoint pier. The fare is 232 baht (or 438 baht for a round trip) and takes just over five hours. Departures from Ekamai are at 07:45 & 09:45, and return at 14:00 and 16:00. Subject to seat availability, this bus can also be boarded at Chanthaburi.

Alternatively, there are 1st class (approx. 5 hours) and 2nd class services from both the Eastern Bus Terminal (Ekamai) and Northern Bus Terminal (Moh Chit) direct to Trat, and frequent songthaew services from Trat to Laem Ngop (approx. 30 minutes). Departures from Ekamai are more frequent than from Moh Chit.

If coming by bus from the south, the #511 air-con bus can be used to connect directly between Bangkok's Southern (Sai Tai Mai) and Eastern (Ekamai) bus terminals.

There are direct minibus services to Laem Ngop from Pattaya, Ban Phe, and Bangkok's Khao San Road. It may also be possible to proceed directly to Laem Ngop by minibus or songthaew from the Hat Lek / Koh Kong border crossing with southern Cambodia, depending on the time of year, time of day, phase of the moon, etc - enquire locally.

By boat

Most ferries operate from Laem Ngop, which has three piers, of which two are currently operational. The Laem Ngop (Tha Khrom Luang or Tha Laern Ngop) pier is approximately 700 metres west of Laem Ngop. The Centrepoint (Tha Centre Point) pier is located about 3.5 km north-west of Laem Ngop. These piers serve both vehicle and passenger ferries.

Another vehicle ferry pier is located in Thammachat Bay (Ao Thammachat), around 15 km west of Laem Ngop.

Almost all piers on Koh Chang are situated on the eastern side of the island. The major piers are the two Dan Kao piers, Tha Dan Kao and Tha Ferry Dan Kao, who handles most of the traffic. To take a boat from Laem Ngop to the Dan Kao piers take around 45 minutes. The car ferry from Laem Ngop take around 1 hour and arrives at the Tha Ferry Dan Kao pier, situated 400 minutes southeast of the Tha Dan Kao pier. The car ferry from Thaachat Bay stops at the Koh Chang Ferry Pier (Tha Ferry Koh Chang) in the Sapparot Bay (Ao Sapparot), 3 kilometres northwest fom the Dan Kao piers.

Light meals, fruit, fruits and beverages are available at all the piers and on the car ferries.

The recent success of Koh Chang as a serious tourist destination has been quite phenomenal. But it remains a lot more peaceful and less developed than islands like Samui and Phuket. It's some 5 hours from Bangkok by bus and there's no airport on the island yet so it should remain more tranquil than Samui or Phuket. Koh Chang too is one of Thailand most beautiful islands with some white sandy beaches, some half deserted. Some of the beaches are rocky in parts though so it doesn't have ideal swimming beaches like Phuket. The island is also home to a wide range of wildlife, including a good selection of birds, snakes, deer and a number of elephants. The island and its vicinity are great places for snorkeling, diving and jungle hiking.

Some critics however, worry that the Koh Chang tourism boom won’t survive as they believe that ‘gross over-development will only, over time, frighten off tourists to one of the other more unspoilt islands nearby. Investors though, claim that what they are now doing in Koh Chang is nothing on the scale of the likes of Samui. With the development of Ko Kong in Cambodia as a casino resort, it makes Koh Chang even more of an ideal place for a stop-over between the two islands.

This so called tourism boom is relative to a small base. Tourist numbers are a lot less than Samui or Phuket and approx 2/3 of the visitors are Thai.

Sights

Mu Koh Chang Marine National Park

In 1982 the island together with 51 more surrounding small islands was protected as the Mu Koh Chang Marine National Park. About 85% of the island is part of the national park, mostly the rain forest in the interior of the island. Nearby coral reefs are also contained within the National Park. Notable animals in the park include the stump-tailed Macaque, the small Indian Civet, the Javan Mongoose, and 61 resident bird species. The Koh Chang Wart Frog (Limnonectes kohchangae) was originally thought to be an endemic species, but has now been found on the mainland as well.

Klong Plu (น้ำตกคลองพลู) - the most popular, and the only one on the west side of the island. Namtok Khlong Phlu is a large and most breathtaking waterfall on Koh Chang with water cascading down 3 tiers of the cliff to a basin, with an entrance located 3 km. from Ao Khlong Phrao.

* Klong Nonsi - on the east side of the island
* Klong Nueng - said to be the most breathtaking
* Khiri Petch - medium sized, about 3 kilometers from Salak Petch village
* Kongoi - 5 waterfalls near Bangbao
* The Thanmayom - near Thanmayom pier

Ban Salak Phet (บ้านสลักเพชร) the largest and oldest community on Koh Chang located in the southern part. The villagers’ main occupation is coastal fishery in an advantageous area sheltered from winds and storms by islands and mountains. There is an old temple in front of the village known as Wat Salak Phet built in the reign of King Rama V on his royal visit to the island. Ao Salak Phet is the largest bay on the island.

Bang Bao Fishery Village at Bang Bao Beach(หมู่บ้านประมงบางเบ้า) a village of houses on stilts built into the sea with bridges connecting them together. The villagers still live a simple way of life earning their living from coastal fishery. In the vicinity there is an abundance of cuttlefish and corals.

Ao Bai Lan (อ่าวใบลาน) located next to Hat Kai Bae and accessible by a pathway across the mountain has a scenic view of mountains along the way.

Hat Kai Bae (หาดไก่แบ้) a sloping and long stretch of beach connecting with Hat Khlong Phrao, suitable for swimming.

Hat Khlong Phrao- Laem Chaiyachet (หาดคลองพร้าว-แหลมไชยเชษฐ์) a long stretch of sloping beach connecting with Hat Kai Bae where swimming is possible. The northernmost end of Ao Khlong Phrao connects with Laem Chaiyachet with a scenic rocky cape but swimming is not possible. Laem Chaichet nestling between White Sand and Klong Prao beaches is a popular place to see the sunset and admire Klong Prao’s natural surroundings. Activities to do here include: snorkeling, kayaking and fishing.

White Sand Beach is one of the island’s longest beaches that attracts a lot of visitors. At the back or the beach are orchards of coconut trees and forests.