Sawadee Ka! ( “Hello” in Thai )
I want to share with you guys my recent long weekend Holiday in Koh Chang. Koh Chang has been on my islands bucket list in Thailand for a few years now so I was feeling excited during this whole trip.
Koh Chang is one of the largest islands in the Gulf of Thailand. It’s also known as one of the most beautiful islands with white sandy beaches. “Chang” means elephant in Thai and Koh Chang (Elephant Island) was derived from the island’s elephant-shaped headland.
The time when we went to Koh Kood, we already planned that our next island trip would be in Koh Chang as it is a well-known island in the east of Thailand.
At first, I was expecting a loud, crowded, filled with tourists kind-of-an-island with lots of clubs or bars like in Koh Samui. But to my surprise, it was nothing like what I thought it would be. Maybe because May isn’t a high season for tourism but our stay in Koh Chang was a total bliss for me. It was a relaxing and a true definition of a staycation holiday that I want it to be.
How to get to Koh Chang?
Bus
It’s pretty much the same as what we did in our Koh Kood trip. We had to take a bus from Ekkamai Bus Station to Trat. Then from Trat, we need to ride a ferry heading to Koh Chang.
The difference from our previous trip is that instead of staying one night in Trat, we opted to take an early bus at 6.00AM on a Saturday morning. We originally planned for 5.00 AM and we came 20 minutes before but the bus was already fully booked. So, we bought the ticket for 6.00AM instead. It took us 5.5 hours to arrive at Trat Bus Station through Chedchai Tour which compared to a van ride will only take 4-5 hours.
The bus ride was actually comfortable with a lot of space to sleep if you want. It’s safer too. They don’t stop in 7/11 like in the van because they have their own mini toilet inside the bus.
We headed to Ekkamai Bus Station pretty early as you can see.
We bought our tickets from this bus tour window.
Bus ticket including a round-trip ferry ride.
The bus is here!
Ferry
Upon our arrival in Trat, we looked for a taxi (it’s actually a songtaew but they call it taxi) and paid 80 THB/person to the pier. The ferry ride only took 30-45 minutes until we reached Koh Chang.
What to do in Koh Chang?
There are a number of things you can do while in Koh Chang. With our limited time, we only did few but I couldn’t complain more because it was what I really wanted. As a matter of fact, all I planned to do was rest and lie down on the sand with a book to read while listening to the waves. =)
The first thing we did was rent a motorcycle so we could explore the island in our own terms.
Me and my cousin after we rented a motorbike for 200 THB/ day. They only asked for a passport for them to photocopy. I liked that they have helmets for us.
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
This is the biggest waterfall I have ever seen in Thailand. A local we talked to recommended us to go here. It is truly a beautiful waterfall and the water was very tempting for a swim too.
What’s strange for me were the fish. They were following wherever people went. I guess this reaction was caused by human feeding them so it changed their behavior entirely. Instead of them swimming frantically away from me, they were surrounding me the entire time I was in the water.
Entrance to Khlong Phlu Waterfall
Fee: 200 THB/person for foreigners
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
Khlong Phlu Waterfall
We found good locations for picture taking. =)
This picture was taken after the caretaker whistled for us to go down. Apparently, no one is allowed to climb up here. Ha!
Oh! There was also this snake just nearby.
My new clingy friends.
Koh Chang Viewpoint
A lot of recommendations say to go here during sunset. We came while the sun was still up high so it was very hot but it was still pretty. We get to see the smaller islands around Koh Chang.
You can see the smaller islands.
Fisherman’s market
If you want to buy souvenirs, this is the place to be in Koh Chang. Practice your Thai and ask for a discount whenever you can. I bought some stuff for me to take back to Bangkok that will remind me of the island.
My cousin showing a nice Koh Chang top which I got for a discounted price of 150THB.
Lighthouse
On the Koh Chang map, it showed this lighthouse so we wanted to see it. It was a smaller sized lighthouse.
Koh Chang Lighthouse
Island tour/Snorkeling
I would say this is the climax of our trip. We visited four islands near Koh Chang namely: Koh Wai, Koh Laoya, Koh Khlum and Koh Monnok. In every island, we were given time to snorkel, swim or sunbathe.
I’ve done a lot of snorkeling activities before but it was on this trip that I really enjoyed it. I spent a lot of time in the water. Some islands have more to offer than the others but they are all unique in their own way.
We paid 800 THB for the trip in a speedboat but you can also pay 700 THB if you want to take the bigger boat. We chose the speedboat for more privacy, only allowing 20 person max compared to the boat which carries 100 people.
This was our speedboat. We were mixed with Thai, Chinese and Korean tourists.
Snorkeling time! Yey!
Island where we had our lunch prepared by tour staff.
Another location for IG photos. Ha!
Food and Drinks
We indulged ourselves in delicious foods the island could offer. I eat Thai food all the time and I’m used to the taste. I noticed that seafood in Koh Chang is quite expensive. I was hoping for dishes with fish but they cost about 300-500 THB. Unlike in Phuket and Krabi, I was only able to enjoy a calamari.
Calamari
Chicken curry
Tom yum
Coconut Shake
cocktail
Fire Dance
My previous fire dance in Koh Samet wasn’t really a good experience for me. I still had the scar to prove it.
This time, it was safer. The dancers were all professional. It was really nice to watch.
Fire dance in Koh Chang. Photo by: i.am.ryu
Accommodation
Koh Chang is a perfect place for a staycation as long as you pick your resort correctly. We stayed at White Sand Beach Resort for our entire stay. I loved the location and the privacy in the resort. Though, on our last night, a friendly mouse gave us a visit.
White Sand Beach Resort
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