Koh Chang: Thailand’s Elephant Island

Photos by Christina Riley

When one’s biggest worry concerns the sun’s position and its relation to the umbrella that is producing a cool and relaxing shade next to the beach, life is surely too nice. That, in a sense, is one side of Koh Chang. More time is easily spent worrying about where the next sunset should be viewed from or whether a massage would cure a long, stressful day at the beach. Why don’t more people know about this place?

Being Thailand’s third largest island and with its less developed infrastructure leads to Koh Chang’s presence in the shadows of Phuket or Koh Samui. However, “Elephant Island” (aptly named for its resemblance on a map to the beautiful mammals) provides visitors with many opportunities to enjoy the Gulf of Thailand’s beautiful mixture of green and cerulean waters in addition to other opportunities that await anybody looking to enjoy a fun and adventurous vacation.

In order to see the island without the restriction of traveling in the back of a crowded minibus or taxi, renting a motorbike seemed obligatory. The caution signs revealed themselves while passing through the first “snaky” curves, looking out from our nicely air conditioned minibus. We all could see a tall elderly western man was holding a pair of women’s shoes and to the right of him, a Thai lady shoeless with a helmet and sunglasses on but with blood pouring all over her face. Nevertheless, I decided to rent a motorbike. It’s easy. Just give the nice people your passport and 200 Baht (about 7 thousand won) for a day and they’ll even provide a helmet.

Inside, I was screaming bloody horror but two not long-enough days at beautiful Lonely Beach had given me the sense of relaxation and disconnect that I needed. For some reason, getting out and seeing some less inside-the-box parts of the island beckoned. Motorbiking around Koh Chang is, in a word, scary. Simply describing the sloping snake-like curves is giving me the chills even right now. As the bandaged man I met while paying for rental said, “Drive slowly. Drive carefully.”

A nervy yet successful day on a motorbike gave us exposure to some places away from our cozy outpost near Lonely Beach. Kong Plu waterfall requires a nice hike through jungle but gives a nice change of scenery from the warm and cozy beaches. It’s easy to just jump in and enjoy the cool waters that rush down, but the place can grow fairly crowded during the daytime. Throughout the island, one can also book a seemingly exotic elephant riding tour but should be conscious of how the lovely creatures are treated by their masters before buying into a tour.

At the end of the day – every day, that is – the goal was to get back and enjoy the beach. The shallow waters give one an opportunity to wade roughly 100 meters out and peer back at the coconut tree dominated beach and the jungle-covered mountain landscape. People tend to stay on the west side of the island. Hat

Sai Khao (White Sands Beach) is the most popular and developed of the beaches with shops right up to the water, literally. Plenty of other options exist along Koh Chang’s west coast and highlights include Hat Kai Mook (Pearl Beach, known for snorkeling) and Kai Bae. The latter is popular for an easy and cheap venture kayaking to surrounding islands through the calm Gulf of Thailand.

At the end of the line on the west coast are Lonely Beach and Bailan Beach. The former was given its name because of a time that once existed where it truly was “lonely” and secluded. Bailan is very nice and much quieter than Lonely Beach and also close to the very fun and exhilarating Treetop Adventure Park. For those searching for a few hours of climbing trees and zip lining through a lush forest next to the beach, Treetop is perfect. Aside from the busy west coast, the eastern part of Koh Chang has a few options to explore. There are boat tours that visitors can take to mangrove forests and secluded fishing villages.

Koh Chang presents a give-and-take relationship. While one finds this place is still in fact Thailand, some of the things found on the mainland are lost due to the huge influx of foreign tourists. Most of the restaurants offer western food and make one wonder, “why leave home at all?” The food is in fact great but seems almost too consistent. That is not to say that at the time of writing, a hearty bowl of Khang Massaman (Thai Massaman curry) with chicken or some Papaya Salad (“it’s spicy: ok?” – Local Waitress) wouldn’t bring back some fond memories of a beachside lunch or dinner.

In closing, go to Koh Chang for the beautiful beaches and try to see some of the local wildlife that is well known on the island. Get a bamboo tattoo or go snorkeling. Find a parlor that offers a “Strong Thai” massage so your body can be beaten to a pulp for an hour. If there were ever a closer feeling to being tenderized like a steak, this is the way to go. Try to forget who you are and where you came from and consider that to be a successful vacation from normal life.

Getting There and Around:

Getting to Koh Chang is fairly easy.  Multiple companies offer a minibus service and you can even taxi there for a higher price. To get around the island, there is no need to rent a motorbike but it is harder to get to the less accessible places on the major modes of transport. Taxi-like 4×4 trucks (Songthaew) ride up and down the west coast but are not known to frequent the east coast.