Ko Chang

Ko Chang, Thailand

White Sand Beach on Ko Chang at sunset, with a driftwood log in the foreground and the sun setting over the Gulf of Thailand.

Ko Chang is a forested, waterfall-streaked island on Thailand's eastern coast, with easy beaches, reef-ringed islands and a lot less hurry than the southern resorts.

The place

Ko Chang is a mountainous island in Trat province, on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand and close to the Cambodian border. Its name means Elephant Island, after the shape of a headland, though elephants are not native to it. Bangkok lies several hours away by road and ferry, a distance that has helped the island keep a slower, greener feel than the better-known resorts in the south of the country. About 5,356 people live here, mostly in a handful of villages, so the permanent population is small even though tourism and building have made a clear mark. The interior is steep rainforest rising to Khao Salak Phet at 743 m, and streams run off the slopes as waterfalls. Most visitors stay along the west coast, where one road links the beach areas and small centres of Sai Khao, Hat Kai Mook, Kai Bae and Ban Klong Prao. Bang Bao, a fishing village built out over the water, sits on the south coast. Ban Dan Mai on the east coast is the administrative centre and sees few visitors. Ko Chang is the main island of an archipelago, and much of the surrounding Mu Ko Chang National Park is sea, with reefs and small islands reached by boat. Expect honest weather: Trat is one of the wettest provinces in Thailand, the rainy months bring heavy showers and rougher seas, and the west coast is busiest in the dry season.

Its story

Ko Chang had a quiet past before the Second World War, when the few families on the island lived from coconuts and fruit and the outside world rarely called. That changed on 17 January 1941, when the Royal Thai Navy met a stronger Vichy French naval squadron off the island in what is now called the Battle of Ko Chang. The French won decisively at sea, and the clash is remembered in Thailand as part of a border conflict with French Indochina, which lay just across the frontier in Cambodia. Each late January the navy holds Ko Chang Yutthanawi Day at a memorial on the mainland at Laem Ngop, with an exhibition and merit-making rites for the men who died. A large renovation was reported at the memorial site in 2018, so it may look different now. The island has a royal link of a gentler kind in Wat Salak Phet, a village temple built in the reign of King Rama V after his visit; the original building now works as a museum of his trips to the area. After the war the island stayed a backwater of farmers and fishers for decades. Tourism arrived first along the west coast beaches and later reached places such as Klong Kloi on the south coast, which was empty until 2006 and now has bars, restaurants and rooms. Older village life continues mostly on the east coast and at Bang Bao.

What to see

Culture

Ko Chang is a Thai Buddhist island, and everyday life follows that rhythm away from the beach strips: temple visits, merit-making, family-run shops and fishing boats leaving early. The older families lived from coconuts, fruit and the sea long before visitors came, and some of that character survives in villages such as Bang Bao and Salak Phet. The island's two worlds sit side by side. The west coast has bars, live music and beach parties, particularly around Lonely Beach in the high season, while a few kilometres away a village temple may be holding a quiet ceremony. Wat Khlong Phrao and Wat Salak Phet are everyday places of worship, and the latter also remembers King Rama V's visit. Respect for the monarchy, the monks and the Buddha image is strong in Thailand, and it applies here as much as in Bangkok. Each January the navy commemorates the 1941 sea battle with the French on the mainland at Laem Ngop, which shows how much the island's history belongs to the whole country. Thai manners value calm: raised voices, public anger and loud arguments get little result. A smile and patience go much further, whether at a ferry pier, a market stall or a guesthouse desk. Inside any temple on Ko Chang, cover your shoulders and knees, take off your shoes at the door, and never point your feet at a Buddha image or touch a monk.

What to wear

Ko Chang follows Thai dress traditions, though few islanders wear them day to day. The classic garments are the pha sin, a wrapped tubular skirt in cotton or silk, and the chong kraben, a length of cloth drawn between the legs and tucked in. The checked cotton pha khao ma has long been the practical cloth of farmers and fishers, used as a towel, head cover and sash. Formal silks and wrapped dress appear mostly at weddings, temple festivals and national ceremonies. Now, island life runs on light shorts, T-shirts, fisherman trousers and flip-flops, and many people working in the sun cover their arms and wear wide hats. The beach strips are very casual, with swimwear and sarongs everywhere. A visitor should pack for heat and humidity: quick-drying cotton or linen, a hat, sunglasses and a light rain jacket for the wetter months. Swimwear belongs on the beach and boats only; put on a shirt and shorts or a sarong to walk through a village, shop or restaurant. For temples, bring something that covers shoulders and knees. Sandals with a good grip are better than smooth flip-flops on wet waterfall rocks, and closed shoes help on forest treks, where leeches and sharp stones are common in the rainy season.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. November to February is the usual choice: it is drier and a little cooler, and the sea is calmer. Trat is one of the wettest provinces in Thailand, so the rainy months bring heavy downpours, rougher boat crossings and some closed businesses, though waterfalls are at their fullest and the island is greener and quieter.

How long. 3–4

Getting there. Fly from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport to Trat Airport with Bangkok Airways, or take a bus from Bangkok's Eastern (Ekamai) terminal to Laem Ngop, where the ferry piers are. From Laem Ngop a car ferry crosses to the island, and shared pick-ups or minibuses take you on to your beach. Check current ferry and flight times before you travel.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources