Koh Chang Beaches

KOH CHANG'S BEACHES

Koh Chang offers activities for beach lovers and mountain trekkers alike. Its pristine white sand beaches are perfect for swimming, sun-bathing, or snorkelling in clear blue waters. Watching the beautiful sunset after a day filled with satisfying activities remains one of the favourite pastime. Land activities, from elephant trekking to hiking through the mountains and rainforest with several waterfalls, form a great complement to the beach activities.
The biggest of the chain of 52 islands in the Gulf of Thailand and falling under the administration of Trat province, Koh Chang hosts more than 400,000 visitors annually, a quarter of them from Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Germany, Britain and Hong Kong. Word has gotten out on Koh Chang’s charms and the number of visitors has increased dramatically over the years. The west coast, blessed with better beaches and clearer sea water, has most of the accommodation. The major beaches on the west side of the island include Klong Son, Hat Sai Khao (White Sand), Klong Prao, Kai Bae, Bai Lan, Tha Nam (Lonely Beach) and Bang Bao. The east coast remains as it once did years ago, while the west coast has developed rapidly.
Klong Son Beach
Location: On the northern end of the island, Klong Son Beach is the first beach that greets you after disembarking at the ferry pier.
Description: It has a scenic cape with a stretch of sand and plenty of coconut trees. The sea-water is calm.
Commercial Features: The main road has numerous shops that are vital to the everyday life of local people. The beach is home to the island’s first 5-star hotel with in-house spa facility.
Why Go There: Located behind a lush tropical forest, the beach’s charm is in the seclusion and silence that it provides.
White Sand Beach (Had Sai Khao)
Description: A long strip of powdery sand that slopes gently into the sea. Casuarinas and palm trees line the beach while forested hills lurk in the background. During low tide, the beachfront becomes much wider and consequently attracts lots of beachgoers. The northern end is sandy and quiet, while the southern end has plenty of stones.
Commercial Features: The busiest area of Koh Chang, where a wide variety of accommodation ranges from the basic thatched-roof huts to the upmarket units with air conditioning, hot water and TV. The main road features numerous shops, bars, pubs and restaurants, tour operators, vehicle rentals, mini-marts and a police kiosk. Many of the commercial banks offer mobile currency exchanges, which are scattered around the island.
Why Go There: White Sand Beach is the hub of many activities, where people like to take a stroll while watching the sunset. Various sport activities, such as football, volleyball and Frisbee games, regularly take place along the beach.
Caution: Be cautious when swimming since the currents can be strong especially during the green season (May-Oct) as there is no lifeguard on duty.

White Sand Beach (Had Sai Khao)
Description: A long strip of powdery sand that slopes gently into the sea. Casuarinas and palm trees line the beach while forested hills lurk in the background. During low tide, the beachfront becomes much wider and consequently attracts lots of beachgoers. The northern end is sandy and quiet, while the southern end has plenty of stones.
Commercial Features: The busiest area of Koh Chang, where a wide variety of accommodation ranges from the basic thatched-roof huts to the upmarket units with air conditioning, hot water and TV. The main road features numerous shops, bars, pubs and restaurants, tour operators, vehicle rentals, mini-marts and a police kiosk. Many of the commercial banks offer mobile currency exchanges, which are scattered around the island.
Why Go There: White Sand Beach is the hub of many activities, where people like to take a stroll while watching the sunset. Various sport activities, such as football, volleyball and Frisbee games, regularly take place along the beach.
Caution: Be cautious when swimming since the currents can be strong especially during the green season (May-Oct) as there is no lifeguard on duty.

Laem Chaichet
Location: Sits between White Sand and Klong Prao beaches.
Description: The area has a small cape with a rocky curve that rounds into a secluded bay, thus very peaceful. The bay has a wide sandy beach.
Commercial Features: Only a handful of bungalows exist on this stretch of land, making the beach less crowded than other beaches.
Why Go There: An ideal spot for onshore fishing and sunset watching. Villagers can be seen collecting tiny shrimps, which are the crucial ingredient for the famous Koh Chang shrimp paste.

Klong Prao Beach
Location: Klong Prao Beach starts where the gently-curved Laem Chaichet ends.
Description: Coconut trees line the beach and the northern end has a beautiful rocky landscape.
Commercial Features: Resort development has grown rapidly, although the beach itself does not get too crowded.
Why Go There: Be attracted by the blue marine waters and the beautiful backdrop of deep green mountains.

Kai Bae Beach
Location: The last major beach on the west coast.
Description: It has a sandy beach with many palm trees providing plenty of shade.
Commercial Features: Once a sleepy area, Kai Bae has become developed with the emergence of upscale resorts. At Kai Bae Village, there are a few small shops, supermarkets, restaurants and internet cafes. Dive shops provide rental services for boats, canoes, sea kayaks and diving gears to explore the sea and islands. Dive trips are also available during dry season (Nov-Apr).
Why Go There: At low tide, you can actually walk chest-deep to Koh Man Nai from the beach. Another great location to watch the spectacular sunset.

Lonely Beach
Location: Lonely Beach is a small stretch south of Kai Bae. Description: Only 1 km long, Tha Nam Beach is popularly nicknamed in many tourist brochures as the Lonely Beach. A small beach that features fine white sand on the northern end and stones on the southern end.
Commercial Features: Formerly a back-packer’s haven, the beach used to be deserted.
Why Go There: The northern end is one of the best places to swim along the west coast, and is separated from Kai Bae by a forested hill.


Bang Bao Beach
Location: Bang Bao Beach is on the southwestern tip.
Description: It is a well-protected bay with a small and quiet beach. It is in a fishing community where residents still live in houses built on stilts and are connected by wooden bridges.
Commercial Features: There are a growing number of tourist shops, scuba dive outlets and seafood restaurants, offering a good selection of seafood. New bungalows have sprouted amidst the grove of coconut trees.
Why Go There: Located on the southern tip of the island, it is a perfect springboard for snorkelling and diving at nearby islands.
Caution: Getting to Bang Bao is challenging as the southward road from Tha Nam is steep and winding.

Salakphet Beach
Location: A fishing village on the southern tip. Distance wise, Salakphet is close to Bang Bao but the stretch of 3-km ring road linking the west and east coasts has yet to be completed.
Description: Salakphet and nearby Ban Rong Than are two biggest communities on Koh Chang. Both are ideal shelters for fishing boats. Rong Than village on the west of the bay is the main residential area for the community.
Why Go There: A monastery known as Atulaporn Banpot and the Salakphet Temple are religious rendezvous for locals. At the south end of the bay is a small beach with a memorial commemorating the sea battle of 1941 between the Thai and French navies. Two kilometres northeast is the 12-storey Kiriphet waterfall, with a great view of the bay. The area is open round the clock but the best time to visit is from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A marker on the waters near Salakphet indicates the location where the French and Thai navies fought.

Than Mayom Beach
Location: Situated on the eastern side of the island.
Description: The beach is scattered with rocks and the seafront is muddy.
Why Go There: A good spot to catch the sunrise and good viewpoint. The headquarters of Koh Chang Marine National Park is located in nearby area close to Than Mayom Waterfall.