Description of the island of Chang, Thailand: features, beaches, hotels, excursions and reviews of tourists

The pristine beauty of Chang Island conceals the secrets of this part of the world, it beckons and makes tourists come back here again and again. It belongs to Thailand, a country located in Southeast Asia. The state occupies the southeastern part of the Indochina Peninsula and the northern part of the Malacca Peninsula. Politically, the country is interested in preserving its independence even when all neighboring states were colonies of France and Britain. The capital city is Bangkok.

The third largest island in Thailand

Thailand owns hundreds of islands in the Andaman Sea, as well as the Sinai Strait. Among this set there are also quite large ones. The area of Chang Island is 215 square kilometers, and it is the third largest after Phuket (543 sq km) and Samui (area 228.7 sq km). He became a place of pilgrimage for tourists only recently. Only since the 70s of the last century it was discovered by rich Thais - 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 beloved places of the ubiquitous Russian tourists. During this time Russian speech began to sound everywhere.

Geographical characteristics

What are the geographical characteristics of Chang Island? It belongs to the archipelago of the same name, which includes 51 more land. They are all washed by water. With an area of 215 square kilometers, the main island of the archipelago stretches for 30 km in length, and in width - 18 km. In the relief of Chang, the heights predominate. Kau Thom Phishat - the highest point of the island, which is at a level of 744 meters above the sea. The rainforest stretches across most of the island. To visit Chang is best in the "dry period", that is, from December to March. Distance to Bangkok is 310 km, to Pattaya - 270 km.

Pattaya Tourist Center

The famous Pattaya, located on the eastern mainland coast of the Siam Strait, 165 km from Bangkok, has become a popular resort city for a long time. In its hotels, as well as in Russian travel agencies, packages selling Chang are offered. An organized transfer of tourists to the island is made from Pattaya. Now there is a ferry between the mainland and the island.

Island-Reserve

The attraction of Chang Island is primarily that it is an ecologically clean resort. 85% of its territory since 1982 belongs to the National Reserve Mu-Ko-Chang, or the National Marine Park, which prohibits not only enterprises and industries, but also certain types of sea 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 occupied by the ocean. Beaches of the island of Koh Chang of the southern and western (especially beloved by the tourists) coast are part of the reserve. Waterfalls and coral reefs also belong to it. Under the protection of the state are not only hard and soft corals, but also sponges, giant mollusks and strange fish. On the land of the reserve, except for macaques, live Javanese mongooses and Indian civets (predatory mammals). More than 60 species of birds live on the island.

Famous beaches of the "elephant" island

From Thai, Chang translates as "elephant". The island looks like the head of this giant. Therefore, there is absolutely no surprise in the large number of images and sculptures of this animal. Often the island is called Koh Chang. "Ko" in translation means "island", that is, Ko Chang is translated as "island of an elephant". Every year its popularity grows. Near all the beaches of the west coast, there are many bungalows in which vacationers are accommodated.

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 stretch of land is exposed, and the beach becomes wider, amateurs of hiking along the ocean gather here, which often leaves a lot of interesting things on the beach, especially appreciated by Russian tourists. North of the beach starts Kong Son, followed by Klong Prao, then "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 bathing and relaxing on the beach to your liking. Thanks to the map with the names translated into Russian, you can choose the optimal variant of the trip in advance.

Places for the best in the world of diving

It is generally recognized 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 above-mentioned inhabitants, 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 Heath Luke Bath and Hin Lap, the seamounts rise from the bottom. Coral reefs are at a depth of 5 to 30 meters. In the coastal waters of the island there are two sunken ships, which, obviously, also represent a certain interest for diving enthusiasts. One of them sank most recently - in 1996. The 900-ton tanker came across a coral reef and rests at a depth of 35 meters. The Thai warship was sunk by the French in 1941. It lies near the southern coast at a depth of 15 meters. All dives take place under the strict supervision of instructors. A dive site is a limited area, the point of a planned dive. Near Chang are small islands, which are also very popular with diving lovers - it's Koh Kut and Ko Wai, Ko Makak and Ko Kham.

Waterfalls of the island

Excursions on the island of Koh Chang deserve a 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 along the central part. You can travel on foot and on elephants. Extremely popular are the 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. A pedestrian path leads to the top. Located near the beaches of the west coast (Klong Prao and Kai Bae), the Klong Pru waterfall is also popular. Traveling through the jungle of the southern part in the areas of Kao Lai and Kao Yai, you can often see a rhinoceros.

The entertainment and services offered to tourists

On the island, you can go fishing, go kayaking or canoeing. Because of the amazing beauty of the underwater world and pure water, snorkeling is very popular here - snorkeling, whose purpose is to observe the inhabitants of the seabed in natural conditions. Very popular walks to neighboring islands. There is an adventure park on Ko Chang, which is called the "Three Peaks". Obstacles here are overcome with the help of a pole or on the "tarzanka." Travel in the jungle on the ATV is in great demand. In order to explore the island from a bird's eye view, you can rent a light engine, or you can drive around the island on a boat. And, of course, there are a lot of SPA-salons and places where you can attend a famous Thai massage.

Attractions of the "island of the elephant"

Koh Chang is also attractive because it can comfortably rest with young children. For this purpose, the best hotels and bungalows of the White Sand beach are best. It should be noted that the island's infrastructure 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 authorities of Thailand, nor the local residents, who only about 5 thousand, there was no need to somehow ennoble Ko Chang. And 80% of its territory is still covered with jungle. Therefore, the main attractions of the island are: pristine pristine nature, unusual air and ocean. However, the aborigines, although not very many, built temples, which 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, in which, according to legend, the spirit of Koh Chang resides. Each temple in its own way is very interesting, and they are all within walking distance from hotels and beaches. On the island there are several remarkable observation platforms, from where you can see the surroundings. Local attractions include the island's nightlife.

Hotels for all tastes

Thailand in recent years has achieved unprecedented growth in the economy, which allowed it to be ranked as the second wave of "Asian tigers", countries that are developing due to the correctly chosen strategy. Tourism in the economic market plays an important role. Swiftly began to develop and the island of Chang (Thailand). Hotels began to grow like mushrooms. Tourists are offered 174 accommodation options on the island. The exact number of hotels differs, maybe in some lists they include mini-hotels, apartments, villas, hostels, guest houses.

There are also new trends - resort hotels and bed and breakfast hotels. On the island you can find a hotel for every taste and purse. There are hotels with sky-high prices for accommodation and services, and there are more than democratic. This is the island that is famous for. And, importantly, each of the places of residence on the island can be found comprehensive information on the network. There is a map with names in Russian. It shows that the western coast is really in demand among tourists, along which hotels are almost continuous. Their largest cluster is in the center, on the shore of Klong Prao.

Connection with the peninsula and the possibility of access

On the east coast there are three ferry docks: in the north is the Ferry Ao Sapparot, below is the ferry Tsenter Point, and in the middle of the eastern shore - Tan Mayom. Here (just to the north) are a hospital and a police station. In the south there is a yacht club. We told you a lot of what is rich in Koh Chang Island. How to get to this paradise? You can independently - by plane to Bangkok, then by some transport to the ferry. You can fly local airlines to the center of the province of Trat, which borders on Cambodia, where Ko Chang belongs, or to Pattaya. From there, car to the ferry. Taking advantage of his services, we reach the eastern shore. On the western we go by bus or taxi. But it's better to use the transfer "Pattaya-Koh Chang Island". This is not the most economical, but the most convenient way. As noted above, hotels in Pattaya sell tours 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 immediately you can buy a ticket for the return journey.

Thousands of feedback and recommendations

The island of Chang has the most positive reviews, and there are a lot of them, they are counted in thousands. Snow-white shady beaches, washed by emerald waters, high service, excellent infrastructure - all this leads visitors to Koh Chang in delight. There are, of course, bad reviews - it's impossible to please everyone. Special calls are caused by a transfer - drivers arrive late, they bring not exactly where they need to, and the time spent on the road is much higher than the declared one. But the vast majority of tourists Chang considered a paradise. Very good reviews of the bungalows surrounding the numerous beaches - they are cozy and comfortable. In the opinions expressed, a lot of sincere thanks to the staff. I must say that independent tourism is quite developed on the island of Chang. Reviews of tourists in this case have many useful recommendations. There are a lot of comments, and you can add a pretty clear idea about Koh Chang. I would like to note that complaints about shortcomings do not remain without reaction to them from employees of travel agencies.