The Beaches
There is a multitude of beautiful beaches on Ko Chang, most with bungalow resorts and
hotels but some of them still lonely and untouched.
The 7 main beaches of Ko Chang, White
Sand Beach, Pearl Beach, Klong Prao Beach, Kai Bae Beach, Lonely
Beach, Bai Lan Beach and Klong Kloi Beach
are all located on the west coast. Also the beautiful and lonely Wai Chek Beach in the southwest of Ko Chang, the whole, still almost "tourist
free" east coast of Ko Chang and the fishermen village Baan
Bang Bao in the south are great places to see. But not
only the charming beaches, also the many villages and the bays like the big beautiful Salak
Phet Bay with the small islands, the beautiful Long Beach in the southeast of Ko Chang (very popular with backpackers) and Salak
Khok Bay on the east coast with the best preserved mangrove
forest on Ko Chang are worth a visit.
After the monsoon in winter, the water level is considerably higher
than in summer. So many of the beaches may look different to the pictures you saw before: click for a picture to see the difference
Winter / Summer. The picture to the left was shot in December 2001 the
picture to the right in May 2004.
Ko Chang's Population
There are about 5000 inhabitants living on Ko Chang. The majority of them live off rubber production, the
cultivation of coconut, fishing or off the yield
of shrimp farms. But more and more island inhabitants find
work in the expanding tourism industry. Also a lot of foreign workers, mainly from Cambodia, come during high-season to earn their living at the many bungalow resorts and hotels on the island.
Travelling-Time
& Weather on Ko Chang
Like the rest of Thailand, Ko Chang has 2 seasons, the dry season from November
until May and the rainy season
that lasts from June until October. Between December and
March, which is also the best time for a stay, most of the visitors come on the island. The temperatures
usually never exceed over 30° Celsius at that time of the year. From November to January it
can become occasionally quite cool in the evening
and at night because of the strong winds. Sometimes the temperatures drop down to lower than 20° so make sure to take a jumper or jacket with you. The months with the most rainfall are August and September with up to 700 mm of rain per square metre.
Porn's Bungalows is open the
whole year! As it doesn't
rain every day and all day long those who like peace and tranquillity will
enjoy to visit the island in the months with heavier rainfall.
Flora & Fauna
Ko Chang consists mainly of granite aged between 195 and 230 million
years. The Khao Salak Phet,
the highest mountain on the island, is 743 metres high.
It's not only the kilometre-long picture
book beaches, the enchanting waterfalls,
the spectacular sunsets and the unique mangrove forests that fascinates, but also the large impenetrable
tropical rain forest. It is considered to be one of the best preserved in
the whole of South-east Asia and constitutes approximately 75 % of the
total area of Ko Chang.
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There are large mangrove forests in the bays around the villages Baan
Khlong Prao, Baan Khlong Son, Baan Salak Khok and Baan
Salak Phet which rank among the
best-preserved in Thailand.
Also a large variety of exotic animals are found in the "Mu Ko Chang National Park".
Investigations in 1992 found that 61 types of birds, 29 different species of land animals
and 42 reptile and amphibian species are resident
on the island.
Several Python types, Rat-Snakes, King
Cobras and other types of snakes are among them, also different lizards, ant-eaters,
wild pigs, monkeys and bats. The Rana Kochang (Ko-Chang-frog),
an endemic amphibian, lives exclusively on the island.
Infrastructure
There are several piers for regulated transportation
of passengers and two car ferries. Close to the island capital Baan
Dan Mai, located at the east coast of Ko Chang, a hospital was built. In almost all of the smaller villages clinics were established
and in 2006 a private hospital was
opened at White Sand Beach. The
villages and most of the beaches are attached to electricity. Most of the localities on Ko
Chang are connected to the fixed telephone mains coming from the mainland.
The road encircling the island is nearing completion
and is already asphalted everywhere. It reaches from behind Baan
Bang Bao (south west of Ko Chang) almost to Baan
Salak Phet (south east of the island). There are about 2 kilometres missing between these two villages, so it isn’t possible to drive around the island. Bigger and smaller gas stations are to be found everywhere along
the main road.
Post
office
At the west coast of Ko Chang, directly at the main road around the village of Pearl
Beach, between the southern end of White Sand Beach and the
northern part Klong Prao Beach, is the official post office. Opening times: Mon - Fri 10.00 - 12.00 and 13.00 - 18.00, Sat 10.00 - 13.00 (specification: 2012). In all villages you'll find mailboxes
to post letters or postcards.
Money, Exchange
You'll find a few banks on Ko Chang, mainly located in the village of White Sand Beach. But in all other villages on the island
there are exchange
bureaus and ATMs (automatic teller machines). Also it
is possible to obtain money, exchange traveller cheques or pay with credit cards (Visa,
American Express) at some of the hotels and bungalow resorts.
(Don't forget your passport for
changing travellers cheques!)
Communication: Telephone, Internet
There are many Internet-cafés in the villages of the 6
beaches on Ko Chang's west coast (White
Sand Beach, Pearl Beach, Khlong Prao Beach, Kai Bae Beach, Lonely
Beach and Bai Lan Beach)
and also at Baan Bang Bao. Some bungalow resorts and hotels have
computers with internet connection.
In the post office, most of the Internet-cafés and in some hotels and bungalow resorts, overseas
and mainland telephone calls can be made. If you have a mobile a good idea is to buy a "Starter Kit" from one of the big telephones.
Then you can make cheap calls to Europe by using one of the many pre-dial numbers.
At all beaches on the west coast, mobile reception is ensured, as
well as in many other locations around Ko Chang.
Here you'll find a detailed map of all beaches and more information: Ko Chang Map
You'll find pictures of the Beaches
& Bays on Ko Chang in the Picture
Gallery (Category: "Ko Chang:
Beaches & Bays") |
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These and more Pictures, Panorama Photographs, 360° Virtual Reality
Panoramas, more Information and Hotel Bookings for
Ko Chang, Ko Mak and other surrounding Islands on the Website www.Ko-Chang.info |
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