The pristine beauty of Koh Chang hides the secrets of this part of the world, it attracts and makes tourists come back here again and again. It refers to Thailand, a country located in Southeast Asia. The state occupies the southeastern part of the Indochina Peninsula and the northern part of the Malay Peninsula.
Politically, the country is interesting because it retained its independence even when all neighboring states were colonies of France and Great Britain. The capital city is Bangkok.
Thailand's third largest island
Thailand owns hundreds of islands in both the Andaman Sea and the Sinai Strait. Among this set there are quite large ones. With an area of 215 square kilometers, Koh Chang is the third largest after Phuket (543 sq. km) and Koh Samui (228.7 sq. km).
It has recently become a place of pilgrimage for tourists. Only since the 70s of the last century it was openedrich Thais for themselves - they began to sail here on their own for the weekend. And foreigners were not seen here until 1987. Gradually, Chang was discovered by residents of nearby countries, and since 2010 it has become one of the favorite places of the ubiquitous Russian tourists. During this time, Russian speech began to sound everywhere.
Geographic characteristics
What are the geographic characteristics of Koh Chang? It belongs to the archipelago of the same name, which includes another 51 land areas. They are all bathed in water. With an area of 215 square kilometers, the main island of the archipelago is 30 km long and 18 km wide. The relief of Chang is dominated by hills. Cau Thiom Phisat is the highest point of the island, located at a level of 744 meters above the sea. The rainforest is spread over most of the island. The best time to visit Koh Chang is during the “dry season”, that is, from December to March. Distance to Bangkok - 310 km, to Pattaya - 270 km.
Pattaya Visitor Center
The famous Pattaya, located on the eastern mainland coast of the Siam Strait, at a distance of 165 km from Bangkok, has become a popular resort city for a long time. Her hotels, like Russian travel companies, sell packages offering holidays on the Chang.
Organized transfer of tourists to the island is made from Pattaya. Now a ferry service has been established between the mainland and the island.
Reserve Island
The attraction of Koh Chang is primarily that it is environmentally friendlyresort. Since 1982, 85% of its territory has belonged to the Mu-Ko-Chang National Reserve, or the National Marine Park, in which not only enterprises and industries are prohibited, but also certain types of marine sports associated with the use of motor fuel. The total area of the reserve is 650 square meters. km, and 70% of its territory is ocean. The beaches of the island of Koh Chang on the southern and western (especially beloved by tourists) coast are part of the reserve. It also includes waterfalls and coral reefs. Under the protection of the state are not only hard and soft corals, but also sponges, giant clams and outlandish fish. On the land of the reserve, in addition to macaques, Javanese mongooses and Indian civets (predatory mammals) live. More than 60 species of birds live on the island.
Famous beaches of Elephant Island
Chang means "elephant" in Thai. The island outlines resemble the head of this giant. Therefore, the large number of images and sculptures of this animal is not at all surprising. Often the island is called Koh Chang. "Ko" in translation means "island", that is, Koh Chang is translated as "island of the elephant." Its popularity is growing every year. Near all the beaches of the west coast there are many bungalows that accommodate vacationers.
The most popular and longest on the island is Hat Sai Khao, or "White Sand Beach". It is always crowded, and at low tide, when a new piece of land is exposed, and the beach becomes wider, lovers of hiking along the ocean gather here, which often leaves a lot of interesting things on the shore.gizmos, especially appreciated by Russian tourists. To the north, Kong Son Beach begins, followed by Klong Prao, then the "deserted beach" Kai Bae (it is believed that its northern part is the best for swimming on the entire western coast), Bai Lan and others. Each tourist can find a place for swimming and relaxing on the shore to his liking. Thanks to the map with the names translated into Russian, you can choose the best travel option in advance.
World's best diving spots
It is generally accepted that the best places on the planet for diving are the countries of Southeast Asia - Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand. Koh Chang is no exception. The underwater world here is very rich, visibility is up to 20 meters. Here you can meet, in addition to the inhabitants listed above, also moray eels and whale sharks. The best time for diving on the island is from October to April.
And in the areas of the beaches of Hit Luk Bat and Hin Lap, seamounts rise from the bottom. Coral reefs are located at a depth of 5 to 30 meters. In the coastal waters of the island there are two sunken ships, which, obviously, are also of some interest to diving enthusiasts. One of them sank quite recently - in 1996. The 900-ton tanker stumbled upon a coral reef and rests at a depth of 35 meters. The Thai warship was sunk by the French in 1941. She lies off the south coast at a depth of 15 meters. All dives are under the strict supervision of instructors. A dive site is a limited area, a point of a planned dive. Near Chang there are small islands,which are also very popular with diving enthusiasts are Ko Kut and Ko Wai, Ko Maak and Ko Kham.
Waterfalls of the island
Excursions on the island of Koh Chang deserve special mention. In addition to beaches and dive sites, hiking is well developed here. The trails pass through the tropical forests of the southern part of the island. There are routes in the central part. You can travel on foot and on elephants. Extremely popular are hikes to the waterfalls that the island is famous for. The most frequently visited is the three-level waterfall Tae Mayom, located on the East Coast. Along it to the very top is a footpath. Located near the beaches of the west coast (Klong Prao and Kai Bae), Klong Pru waterfall is also popular. When traveling through the jungles of the southern part of Khao Laem and Khao Yai, you can often see a hornbill.
Entertainment and services offered to tourists
On the island you can go fishing, kayaking or canoeing. Due to the amazing beauty of the underwater world and clear water, snorkeling is very popular here - swimming with a mask and snorkel, the purpose of which is to observe the inhabitants of the seabed in natural conditions. Walks to neighboring islands are very popular.
There is an adventure park on Koh Chang called "Three Peaks". Obstacles here are overcome with the help of a pole or on a bungee. ATV trips to the jungle are in great demand. In order to view the island from a bird's eye view, you can rent a light aircraft, or you cango around the whole island on a boat. And, of course, there are a lot of spas and places where you can visit the famous Thai massage session.
Elephant Island Attractions
Koh Chang is also attractive because you can comfortably relax on it with small children. For this, hotels and bungalows of White Sand beach are best suited. It should be noted that the infrastructure of the island is very well developed. As noted above, foreign tourists discovered the island only at the very end of the last century, and before that, neither the Thai authorities nor the local residents, who are only about 5 thousand, had no need to somehow ennoble Koh Chang. Yes, and 80% of its territory is still covered with jungle. Therefore, the main attractions of the island are: untouched pristine nature, extraordinary air and ocean.
However, the natives, although there are not very many of them, built temples, of which there are seven on the island, and they are located in large fishing villages, the largest of which is Bang Bao. The most respected is the Chinese temple of San Cha Por, which, according to legend, is home to the spirit of Koh Chang. Each temple is very interesting in its own way, and they are all within walking distance from hotels and beaches. The island has several wonderful viewing platforms from where you can see the surroundings. Local attractions include the island's nightlife.
Hotels for every taste
Thailand has achieved unprecedented economic growth in recent years, which allowed it to be classified as part of the second wave of Asiantigers”, countries that, thanks to the right strategy, are developing intensively. Tourism plays an important role in the economic market. The island of Chang (Thailand) also began to develop rapidly. Hotels began to grow like mushrooms. Tourists are offered 174 accommodation options on the island. The exact number of hotels varies, maybe in some lists they include mini-hotels, apartments, villas, hostels, guest houses.
There are also new trends - resort hotels and bed and breakfasts. On the island you can find a hotel for every taste and budget. There are hotels with exorbitant prices for accommodation and services, and there are more than affordable ones. This is what the island is famous for. And, importantly, you can find comprehensive information about each of the places of residence on the island on the net. There is a map with names in Russian. It shows that it is the western coast that is really in demand among tourists, along which hotels stretch in an almost continuous strip. Their largest concentration is in the center, on the banks of Klong Prao.
Connection with the peninsula and accessibility
There are three ferry piers on the east coast: Ao Sapparot Ferry in the very north, Center Point Ferry below, and Tan Mayom in the middle of the east coast. Here (slightly to the north) are a hospital and a police station. To the south is the Yacht Club. We have told you a lot of what Koh Chang is rich in. How to get to this paradise? You can do it yourself - by plane to Bangkok, then by some transport to the ferry. Can be flown by local planesairlines to the center of the province of Trat, which borders Cambodia, where Koh Chang belongs, or to Pattaya. From there, car to the ferry. Using his services, we get to the eastern shore. We go to the western one by bus or taxi. But it is better to use the transfer "Pattaya-Koh Chang". This is not the most economical, but the most convenient way. As noted above, Pattaya hotels sell vouchers to the island for any number of days. The transfer takes the tourist from the hotel in Pattaya to the hotel on the island, and you can immediately buy a return ticket.
Thousands of reviews and recommendations
Chang Island has the most positive reviews, and there are a lot of them, they number in the thousands. Snow-white shady beaches washed by emerald waters, high service, excellent infrastructure - all this delights visitors to Koh Chang.
There are, of course, bad reviews - it is impossible to please everyone. The transfer causes particular criticism - the drivers arrive late, they bring not quite where they need to go, and the time spent on the road is much higher than stated. But the vast majority of tourists consider Chang a paradise. Very good reviews about the bungalows surrounding the numerous beaches - they are cozy and comfortable. In the opinions expressed, there are many sincere thanks to the service personnel. I must say that independent tourism to the island of Koh Chang is quite developed. Reviews of tourists in this case have many useful recommendations. There are a lot of reviews, and you can add up a fairly clear idea of Koh Chang. I want tonote that complaints about shortcomings do not remain without a response to them from the employees of travel agencies.
