KOH CHANG
ACTIVITIES
BOATING
Leisure trips can easily be arranged at most resorts, beaches,
fishing villages or from Laem Ngob on the mainland. Boats can
deliver you to various sites for snorkeling, scuba diving and
fishing. There are many establishments along Hat Sai Khao (White
Sand Beach), Klong Prao, Kai Bae and Bang Bao which organize
group boat trips. It costs approximately 400-600 baht per person,
usually with a minimum of 10 persons on a trip. Vanida Tour
organizes a full-day snorkeling trip to Koh Rang, Koh Kra, Koh
Wai at 600 baht per person inclusive of lunch boxes and drinks.
Private trips can also be arranged at about 5,000 baht for a
full-day of snorkeling.
SPEEDBOATS
If you lack time, speedboats can take you to more places or
to sites further from the island. The Kai Bae Hut Shop organizes
four-island packages to Koh Yak, Koh Kra, Koh Rang, and Koh
Wai at 700 baht per person inclusive of lunch boxes, fruits,
drinks and snorkeling equipments. The full-day trip usually
begins at 09.00 am and ends before 05.00 pm in time for you
to freshen up before dinner.
A speedboat usually takes 15 people. Fishing gear can be rented
at 200 baht a day, not including hooks and weights. You can
charter a boat for 7,000 baht. Similar three-island trip s
to Koh Kood, Koh Mak and Koh Kham cost 1,500 baht per person
or 15,000 baht a charter. Advance booking is necessary. A smaller
excursion to Koh Yuak is available at only 200 baht per person.
The Klong Prao Resort offers chartered speedboat trips to Koh
Yuak at 2,500 baht or a four-island package at 8,000 baht. There
are some resorts on other islands such as Koh Kood, Koh Mak
and Koh Ngam that include boat trips in their package rates.
CANOES AND KAYAKING
For a relaxing trip along the coastlines, try paddling canoes,
which cost only 100 baht an hour or about 500 baht a day. Canoes
can be found along the beaches and some resorts. Some resorts
offer free kayaking for their guests. Triyaks at Kai Bae Hut
Shop cost 150 baht per hour or 100 baht per hour for two.
SNORKELING & DIVING
The best diving season is between October/November and April.
The best sites are on the west and southern tip of the island,
between Koh Chang and Koh Kood. There you can see soft corals,
anemones, myriad reef fish, and sometimes eel. Hin Luk Bat and
Hin Lap both have coral seamounts. Further south, white-tip
reef sharks can be found near Hin Phrai Nam.
In addition, there are two wreck dive sites. The Koh Chang Wreck
is a Thai warship sunk by the French navy in 1941. The wreck
is only 15 metres deep in the Salakphet Bay on the southern
tip of the island. The other wreck is the Pak One Wreck which
sank after hitting the coral reef in August 1996 on its way
to Vietnam, and resurfaced almost eight years later. The 900-ton
sunken tanker posed a danger to ships in international waters.
The Royal Thai Navy drained off its 600 tonnes of liquefied
petroleum gas and resank it between Koh Chang and Koh Samet.
It now lies horizontally in 35-metre-deep waters.
There are a few diving centres on Koh Chang such as the Dive
Adventure in Bang Bao which offers liveaboard dives to Cambodia
and some prime sites. Others include the Koh Chang Dive Center
on Kai Bae Beach, Paradise Scuba Divers at the Klong Prao Resort
and Koh Chang Divers on Had Sai Khao (White Sand Beach), which
offers PADI certification for beginners.
A couple of dive centers operate out of Koh Mak. Boat trips
to various dive sites range from 1,800 to 3,000 baht depending
on distances, and typically include two dives, full equipm ent,
transportation, food, drinks and a divemaster.
SPAS
If there's one thing Koh Chang has, it's a wealth of spas with
a plethora of treatments meant to sooth, calm and relax you.
To pamper yourself after a day on the beach, places such as
the Koh Chang Grand Orchid Resort and Spa features a traditional
Thai-styled building nestled within the vicinity of guest bungalows
for easy walking. Aiyapura Resort and Spa offers relaxing massage
treatments meant to leave you ready to face the next day's activities
while Aana Resort and Spa has its spa set amidst swaying coconut
trees and a great view of the Khlong Prao area. At V.J. Hotel
and Health Spa, treatments that are meant to contribute to long
term health while Koh Chang Resort and Spa offers facial massages
and treatments, using effective traditional approaches.
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Provided by Tourism Authority
of Thailand
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