Koh Chang Island, Thailand

Koh Chang, Thailand

“Koh”= Island and “Chang”=Elephant in Thai language. Koh Chang is translated “Elephant island” named like this because of its shape.

If you are looking for a quiet and Not crowded place to spend the most relaxing vacation of your life, Koh Chang might be the place: is not as popular as the Southern destinations (like Phuket, Krabi or Ko Samui), it’s covered in jungle and the beaches are quiet and relaxing.

---

Insula elefant (numita asa datorita formei sale) e, dupa parerea mea, destinatia perfecta pentru o vacanta de vis: nu e atat de populara si faimoasa (precum Phuket, Krabi sau Ko Samui) si deci nu e aglomerata! E linistita si relaxata.

Transportation

From Bangkok Airport to Koh Chang take a bus to Trat and from there take the ferry to Koh Chang. Once arrived on the island, there are lots of shared Taxis (Songthaew) waiting in the port. We jumped in one of them who dropped us in front of our resort.

Koh Chang is quite big – it takes around 45 minutes by shared Taxi to get from one end to the other- and to get from one beach to another you also need transportation. Taxi driver can ask between 50-200 Baht/person (1-4 Euros) depending on the distance. It’s much cheaper to rent a motorbike: 250 Bahts/day (6 Euros) plus 3000 Bahts deposit if you don’t want to leave your Passport as a guarantee. The gasoline bottles cost another 40 Bahts/liter. (Driving a motorbike on this island is challenging and quite dangerous for an inexperienced person, because of the twisted curves going up and down. Also, remember that in Thailand they drive on the left side of the road!)

There is only one main road that goes around the island, with ups and downs, with curves and twists that can make your adrenaline go high while driving. Here is a video we took on a Taxi ride:

---

Insula Koh Chang e a doua ca marime in Tailanda si transpotul cu Taxiul de la un cap la altul dureaza mai bine de 45 de minute. Distantele intre plaje sunt mari iar soferul de taxi poate cere intre 50-200 Baht (5-20 lei) in functie de distanta. Mai ieftin e sa inchiriezi un scuter cu 250 Baht/zi (25 lei pe zi) plus 40 Baht (4 Lei) gazolina. Dar e dificil si destul de periculos daca nu esti obisnuti sa mergi pe scuter, pentru ca sunt curbe cu suisuri si coborasuri, iar pe langa asta, in Tailanda se conduce pe partea stanga!

Exista un singur drum principal ce face incojurul insulei, iar cursa cu taxiul e plina de adrenalina datorita curbelor de care va spuneam (taxiul e un fel de remorca deschisa, doar cu acoperis in care nu te simti prea in siguranta, dar cu toate astea e super distractiv). Puteti vedea urmatorul video facut din taxi in drum spre plaja:

There are several beaches in Koh Chang (my favourite was Khong Kloi – see the photos) and there are national parks with a waterfalls in which you can swim (we went to Klong Plu – see photos).

Khong Kloi Beach

Located on the very south of Koh Chang, this beach was nice and cozy, with fine sand. The water is clear blue and is not at all crowded (maybe 20 people on a whole beach). There are little wooden huts where they serve food and cocktails, the chairs are free to sit on and the atmosphere is quiet and relaxing.

---

Sunt multe plaje pe insula Koh Chang (preferata mea a fost Khong Kloi – in pozele urmatoare). E liniste, nisipul e fin, iar apa clara si albastra. Sunt casute mici din lemn unde poti manca sau comanda cocktailuri, sezlongurile sunt gratis si atmosfera e deosebit de relaxanta. Erau foarte putine persoane aici, ca si pe restul insulei de alftel.

Fried banans and honey / Banane prajite si miere

Lonely Beach

Apparently this small beach is one of the most known in Thailand, but except for one restaurant where people can meet and become friends, there wasn’t much to see or do there. The food was cheap (80 Baht -2 Euros for Pad Thai) and I also drank an amazingly flavored watermelon cocktail!

---

“Plaja singuratica” – se pare ca e printre cele mai faimoase in Tailanda, dar sincer nu mi s-a parut extraordinara. E destul de micuta si are un singur restaurant unde poti intra in vorba cu ceilalti turisti si iti poti face noi prieteni. Mancarea este ieftina (Pad Thai a costat 80 Bahts – 8 Lei) si am baut un super gustos shake de pepene rosu.

Pad thai is a traditional Thai dish – noodles with veggies and nuts /Pad Thai e o mancare traditionala tailandeza: taitei cu legume si arahide

Klong Plu Waterfall

It’s a pleasant walk through the jungle to this waterfall. You can swim there and again, it wasn’t crowded, which I loved! I didn’t have the bathing suit so I went in with my clothes on, because the heat was unbearable and I needed to cool down 😀

---

Ca sa ajungem la Cascada Klong Plu, am mers prin jungla cam 30 de minute. Poti inota acolo, nu era aglomerat – ceea ce mi-a placut, evident. Pentru ca nu am avut costumul de baie si era o caldura insuportabila, ca sa ma racoresc am intrat in apa cu haine cu tot! 😀

Klong Prao Beach

This is another pretty beach with white sand and clear, blue water. There are a few wooden huts directly on the beach in between the palm trees. There were barely a few people here and it was very quiet!

---

Klong Prao e o alta plaja draguta, cu nisip fin si alb, apa cristalina si albastra. Cateva cabane de lemn sunt construite direct pe plaja intre palmieri. Erau doar cateva persoane pe plaja, intr-o liniste paradisiaca.

More photos from Koh Chang

Cliff top view / Vedere din punctul cel mai inalt al insulei

Don’t miss:

• Koh Wai Island in Thailand!
• Heaven or Hell? The White Temple in Chiang Rai
• Bangkok