Koh Chang
KO Chang, one of the last true bastions of tranquillity in Thailand, is the country’s second largest island.
Waterfalls, nature walks, hills, and dense forest are among Ko Chang’s best features, while the locals’ laconic look on life will soon rub off on you.
For years ignored by the majority of tourists (due in part to its proximity to Cambodia), the island is now a major attraction.
Many of the cheap beach-side huts that used to be prevalent have gone and been replaced by luxury hotels. But for now, at least, it is possible to avoid all the gathering glitz and find somewhere a little more serene.
From Pattaya it’s a three-hour drive to the small town of Laem Ngop, from where visitors catch a 100 baht return ferry. If you are staying in Pattaya, every tour operator runs packages to the island, and this is the easiest way to get there.
Once on Ko Chang, songtaews will take you around the island for between 20-100 baht, depending on how far you want to travel. The west coast is the only coast where people stay, and starting from the north down, things get progressively quieter.
In the north, White Sands is one of the first stops, and is also where most of the backpackers jump out. Accommodation here ranges from basic to outrageously flash, and every convenience is only a few yards away.
Farther south a handful of beaches are separated by a good quality road, and it’s easy to take your car across on the ferry. We stayed at the Coral Resort, in Hat Kai Bae. The Coral provides small but clean concrete huts right next to the sea for 600 baht a night. There’s an infinity swimming pool and bar as well.
Be warned that if you visit Ko Chang between May and October then you’ll need an umbrella. It’s not constantly raining during this time, but when it does, the clouds show little mercy and you can be drenched in a matter of seconds.
When such downpours occur there is little to do apart from finding shelter in one of the bars that are sprinkled between the hotels. Many of these are run by farang who have moved here looking for a quieter life. There’s a good mix of British, French, and Canadians here who are all happy to offer advice about the best way to see the island.
When we first tried to visit a waterfall it was shut due to the heavy
rain, so we headed for Lek’s Bar instead. Inside, there was
a good selection of Western and Thai food (and free salad bar), and
a free pool table.
You don’t want to come to Ko Chang and spend it in a bar though. As soon as the rain lessened, I wandered across the beach which the low tide had left exposed. Among the compacted sand were small rock pools, full of crabs, fish, and sea slugs. This is definitely a beach for animals, not tourists.
Once the rain had stopped for a while, the waterfalls reopened. Ko Chang and its surrounding islands is a national park, and so there’s a 200 baht entry fee (20 baht for Thais).
The walk to the fall took around 30 minutes and cut a path through some dense forest, with 100 ft trees obscuring much of the sunlight. A stream ran by the side of our path and as we progressed deeper into the mainland, the stream became stronger until eventually the roar of the waterfall could be heard.
Up one last series of rocks, and the waterfall came into view. Buoyed by the recent downpours, water tumbled from the top, hit an outlet half way down and then crashed all the way down to the white pool of foaming water at the bottom.
Guides held ropes to help us cross the stream, and once on the other side we walked over some snooker-ball-smooth rocks to get closer to the fall.
In the afternoon we decided to tackle the road south, which is particularly scenic and looks out over a couple of smaller islands.
The southern-most village is a single road built on stilts. Along this street there are many seafood restaurants, with large blue plastic tubs full of trussed-up crabs, and shops selling bracelets, necklaces, and silver.
Possibly the best shop is right at the beginning of the village, and is owned by Chris, a guy from Manchester. He and his wife recently opened the shop after moving from the north of Thailand. His small shop is filled with bracelets from the province of Sukhothai, hollowed-out coconut shells cum lights, and golden ornaments from Chiang Mai.