Ko Chang Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
- For other places with the same name, see Ko Chang (disambiguation).
| Climate | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day(°C) | 31 | 32 | 33 | 35 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| Night(°C) | 20 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 22 | 25 |
| Sunhours/day | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Water(°C) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Ko Chang is in Trat Province, in Eastern Thailand, about 330 kilometers from Bangkok. It is Thailand's third largest island, and the biggest in Ko 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.
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Get in
From Bangkok the easiest, most direct, and most economical way to get to Ko Chang is to take a 1st class bus from the Eastern (Ekamai) Bus Terminal straight to the Centrepoint ferry pier at Laem Ngop. 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 & 13:00, 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). The most frequent services are between Ekamai and Trat.
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.
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 approximatly 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 Thaachat Bay (Ao Thaachat), around 15 km west of Laem Ngop.
Almost all piers on Ko 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 Ko Chang Ferry Pier (Tha Ferry Ko 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.
Get around
In the daytime, you can catch a songthaew on its route around the main road. These taxis are also waiting at the Dan Kao Pier. At the Dan Kao Ferry-Pier there may be no taxis available. If you arrive without a vehicle you may have to walk the 400 metres to Dan Kao Pier.
Small motorcycles can be hired. The main road circles the island, although section to the south is privately owned and, thus, inaccessible. Cars are also available for rental, most hotels can help with it.
See
- The Mu Ko Chang National Park. A Marine National Park that comprises of Ko Chang and 46 other islands.
- War monument. In the very south of the island there is a war monument being built. As for spring 2005, there was nothing but a small store and an unfinished hotel at the site.
- Waterfall
Do
- Elephant rides
- Package tours for snorkeling, diving, elephant riding etc. are widely available
Buy
Market stands along the main road. Pretty much the same pirate-products in every stand. Lots of salesmen on the beaches, especially White Sands Beach.
ATMs and 7-Eleven convenience stores can be found alongside the main western coastline road.
Eat
Similiar to rest of Thailand, as well as the price level. There are many restaurants at the beach open both daytime and evening.
Drink
Beer Chang.
Sleep
Most of the hotels are located on the west side of the island.
The cheapest places to stay are located at Lonely Beach, on the southern end of the west coast.
The Tree House, on Ao Bang Bao Beach, is popular among backpackers, touting an extensive boardwalk restaurant/bar built out over the water. The huts are primitive, no fan, no air, and no electricity during the day. The bathroom is the coolest part. It is like you are bathing in a jungle. It is bucket baths and squat toilets, but well worth it for the Tree House experience. The FOOD is part of the experience as well. Every meal is amazing. You can also walk to the road for some som-tom (papaya salad) or up the road to a convenient store.
The next resort to the north is Siam Hut, which offers a quiet atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious food and spartan waterfront bungalows for around 300 baht/night.
One more stop to the North is Nature's resort, a more upscale place with a pool and hermetically sealed cabins.
Sai Khao Beach (White Sands Beach)
The white sand beaches are in the north west in a section called Hat Sai Khao. This area is being developed quite rapidly, so prices are going up. However, you can still get bungalows for 400 baht/night.
- KC Grande Resort is a bungalow-village with a restaurant - rooms start at 1800 baht.
- Ko Chang Kacha Resort and Spa - prices start at 1400 baht.
- Independent Bo Bungalows - prices start at 200 baht in low season and 300 baht in high season.
Klong Son Bay
Klong Prao Beach
- Klong Prao Resort - rooms from 1100 baht.
- V.J. Hotel & Health Spa - a new hotel, with prices from 1500 baht.
Kai Bae Beach
- Sea View Resort & Spa - prices from 1200 baht.
Hat Tha Nam (Lonely Beach)
- Siam Beach Resort [1] was formerly a backpacker place, and converted into a 4 star resort in early 2006. Deluxe Rooms, all with sea view, cable TV, refrigerator, hot water and comfortable beds start at 1500 baht.
Bang Bao bay
Bang Bao is on the south side of the island, about a 45 minutes truck ride due to the multiple hair-pins pathway. The place is tiny, just a long stretch of wooden deck with dive shops, seafood restaurants, and local housings on either side. It takes probably 5 minutes to walk fromroad end to sea end. There are limited and cheap accomodation for visitors. Since the place is mostly unknown, they don't take reservation from travel agency.
- More info on Bang Bao [2]
Get out
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