Ko Chang
Thailand'S Third Largest Island, Largely Within Mu Ko Chang National Park, Near The Cambodian Border · Ko Chang, Trat
Ko Chang, the elephant island, is Thailand's third-largest island after Phuket and Ko Samui, lying in the Gulf of Thailand off Trat province close to the Cambodian border. Most of it is protected as Mu Ko Chang National Park, and its steep interior of jungle-covered mountains rises straight from the sea, with waterfalls running down to the coast. A single road circles most of the island but does not quite close the loop in the south. The developed west coast strings together White Sand Beach, the largest resort strip, the quieter sands of Klong Prao and Kai Bae, the backpacker bars of Lonely Beach and the stilted fishing pier village of Bang Bao, from where speedboats go island hopping to Ko Kood, Ko Mak, Ko Wai and the reefs around Ko Rang. The east coast is quieter still, with the waterfall at Than Mayom, mangroves and the old fishing village of Salakphet. Car ferries cross in about 30 to 45 minutes from piers near Trat, a drive of about five to six hours from Bangkok. The roads are steep and dangerous for novice riders.
White Sand Beach, Ko Chang, Ko Chang, Trat, 23170, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the island never closes, and the car ferries run from roughly 6 or 7 am to 7 pm, more often at weekends and holidays, with no service overnight. The national park waterfalls are usually open from about 8 am to 4 or 5 pm daily, with no closing day, and last entry about an hour before closing; they may close in dangerous wet-season floods. Island-hopping speedboats leave Bang Bao and the beaches from about 9 am to early afternoon in the dry season, with far fewer from roughly June to October. The traps that ruin a day are missing the last ferry after a slow drive from Bangkok, booking the wrong Ko Chang, arriving at a waterfall in the dry late season to find it a trickle, and assuming the southern islands are served daily in the wet season. Confirm current times before relying on them.