Activities
This is the best way to discover Koh Chang's nature and wildlife, a trek in the jungle with an experienced guide.
Never go deep into the jungle without a local guide. You may get lost and if nobody knows where you are it may take time to find you or for you to get your way back. So don't take any risk, there are lots of dangers in the jungle, slippery rocks, poisonous spiders and venomous snakes, and dense vegetation. On top of that there is no helicopter on Koh Chang to rescue you, if you're beaten by a snake or if you break your leg, you will have to walk all the way back. Be very careful and don't risk your life!
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There are different types of trek with different lengths and for everybody. It can be half of a day to more than 24 hours with a night in the jungle. There are some tough ones with steep hills and easy ones accessible to everybody, even kids.
Don't be scared, nothing has ever happened in the forest when people have been with a guide.
The most difficult in a jungle trek are the heat, the humidity, and then climbing to the top of the mountains, especially during the rainy season when rocks are wet. But it's an excellent exercise.
There are plenty of good and interesting sides to doing a jungle trek. First, you will discover an environment you have maybe never seen. Your guide will show you plants you didn't even know, you will see and listen to wild animals and insects. You may cross tarantulas and if you are lucky… or unlucky you may see a few snakes. Pythons, King Cobras, vipers, and Rat Snakes are also living on Koh Chang. But animal lovers will enjoy watching beautiful birds, monkeys, mongooses, wild pigs, and other small mammals. It's not like being in a zoo, those animals are wild and it can be sometimes very difficult to see them.
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Most of the guides have a big experience, some of them will supply you mosquito repellents as well as water and in some cases a lunch. Some of them can also propose you walking shoes but if you have your own take them with you, your feet will thank you. Avoid flip-flops, there are rocks and sometimes leeches waiting to suck your blood. Socks are recommended as well as extra water, you will sweat a lot!
If you can, wear a pair of runners, sneakers or trainers, something comfortable. Shorts and t-shirts are fine but if you scare mosquitoes, light trousers, and long sleeves will be better but also hotter, you have to decide what is the best for you. I would also advise a small backpack if you have one. Fill it with mosquito repellent, bottle(s) of water (or any other drink), and small snacks (fruits, cereal bars, as you want) to give you a small boost when you will start to feel exhausted. Don't load it too much, keep it light. Toilet paper in a small waterproof bag (to keep it dry) can also be useful, there is no toilet in the jungle and some leaves have huge prickles :)
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Which guide?
There are lots of guides on Koh Chang, but here are the ones I recommend:
- Sit from Koh Chang Adventure. For the most adventurous you can spend a night with him in the jungle.
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More details: Koh Chang Adventure
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kohchangadventure
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: + 66 64 109 2811
- Toon from Jungle Fever. An animal lover, a bird watcher, and an excellent nature photographer.
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Website: Jungle Fever
Facebook pages: www.facebook.com/Jungle-Fever-Koh-Chang-Trekking-451473691577896/ and www.facebook.com/Wild-Koh-Chang-491776747570697/
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +66 81 588 3324
- Thomas from Thomas Koch Travel & Adventure. He can also organise visits around the island and a kayak tour in the mangrove.
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More details: Thomas Koch Travel & Adventure
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ThomasKohChang/
Phone: +66 89 816 1401
The Gulf of Thailand has a lot of underwater hidden beauties and you can discover some of them in Koh Chang.
Snorkellers or divers, amateurs or professionals, everybody will have fun and will be able to enjoy marine life.
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(Pictures copyright: BB Divers Koh Chang)
There are few places on Koh Chang where you can snorkel but you won't see so much. Choose places with rocks like Pearl beach or Chai Chet cape, for example, there are more fish and sea urchins than sandy beaches like White Sand beach or Klong Prao beach.
If you don't travel with your snorkelling equipment you can buy cheap ones or more advanced ones on the island. Some resorts even have masks, snorkels, and fins for their guests.
But if you really want to see more fish, and nicer mollusks and corals, then you will have to book a boat trip or a private speedboat. Unfortunately, all snorkelling tour boats go to the same places, Koh Wai and Koh Rang and during the high season, those places can be crowded.
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(For more information contact me directly!)
Most diving centers also propose snorkelling tours but the one I really recommend is Thaifun. The crew is great, they know how to entertain their guests, the lunch buffet is fantastic, they supply all the equipment and believe me you will really enjoy your day.
More information about Thaifun!
There are several diving centers on Koh Chang which are proposing diving courses for beginners but also diving sessions for more experienced divers.
All of them have trained instructors who have their 5 Star PADI certificate.
For the experimented divers, there is a 100 meters long wreck sunk in 2012 which is now attracting lots of species of fish. It's a real playground for divers and a paradise for the underwater fauna. If you are lucky you will swim with a majestic whale shark which is coming more and more often in this area.
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(Pictures copyright: BB Divers Koh Chang)
Here are the different diving centers which are on Koh Chang:
- BB Divers is the oldest dive center on the island. They have international instructors, their main office is on Bang Bao pier but they have offices everywhere on the island. BB Divers has now branches on Koh Mak and Koh Kood.
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Facebook page: www.facebook.com/bbdivers/
Website: www.bbdivers-koh-chang.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Dolphin Dive Center is managed by a Swiss team. Their main office is in Klong Prao, opposite side of Chok Dee Resort but they also work in partnership with Aana Resort, KC Grande Resort, and Koh Chang Lagoon Princess Resort where you can learn scuba diving.
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Facebook page: www.facebook.com/DolphinDiveCenterKohChang/
Website: www.scubadivingkohchang.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Koh Chang Divers is based in Bang Bao and they have a long experience in recreational diving. They also propose courses for beginners and diving on the wreck surrounded by their instructors.
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Facebook page: www.facebook.com/gotokohchangdivers/
Website: www.kohchangdive.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Scandinavian Chang Diving Center is based in Klong Prao, the opposite side of Klong Prao Resort. They have a multinational and then multilingual team, proposing courses from beginners to advanced divers.
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Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ScandinavianChangDivingCenter/
Website: https://changdiving.com/
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Scuba Dawgs is located on Bang Bao pier and they are known as a low-cost but high-quality Dive Center offering dive courses, fun diving, and snorkelling from their 3 boats.
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Facebook page: www.facebook.com/scubadawgskohchang/
Website: http://scuba-dawgs.com/
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Bamboo tattooing is a traditional Asian technique that started more than 2000 years ago in Cambodia.
During the Khmer empire, all warriors were covering their entire bodies with tattoos. Over the years this tradition spread to neighbour countries including Thailand where it started in Buddhist temples with monks using it to represent their faith.
Nowadays this technique is more popular in Thailand than in the other countries from where it came from.
Besides the traditional bamboo tattooing, there are a lot of places which are also using the electric gun tattoo.
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From the north to the south of Koh Chang you will see a lot of tattooing studios. Prices are relatively cheaper than what you can find in the United States or in Europe, a bit more expensive than in Bangkok, and the quality will depend on the skills of the tattooist of course.
If you are tempted by getting inked, why not try the Thai traditional way?
If you have never done it before you may wonder what are the differences between bamboo and machine tattooing.
Bamboo tattooing is much slower than machine tattooing, it can be 2 times or more longer depending on the design of course. It's more painful with bamboo but the skin is just punctured and not torn which means that there is no scabbing and because of that the skin is not bleeding and it's healing faster.
With bamboo tattooing, the colours are more vibrant and stay bright longer.
If after all of that you still want to get tattooed, there are a few things that need to be checked.
Be sure that the studio is clean. Most of the tattooist doesn't have air-conditioning and are just using fans. This means that people who have been tattooed before have been sweating. A dirty place and getting tattooed right on the floor could bring you bad infections.
Check that they are using brand new sterilized needles and proper tattooing ink. Most tattooists are wearing sterilised gloves but it's mainly to protect them from the ink. In Bamboo tattooing, the rubber is cut for the thumb otherwise the bamboo would slide.
If you have old tattoos which need to be re-coloured or covered, it's all the time possible. And finally, if you are attracted by tattoos but don't want to have it all your life, why not get a henna tattoo? The henna paste is made from a plant. It's painless and will last a few weeks depending on your skin.
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My favourite Tattooists or Tattoo Artists, because for me, what they do is Art, are Naka Tattoo Studio, Danny Tattoo, and Traditional bamboo tattoo by King.
- Miss Coffee from Naka Tattoo Studio is located on White Sand beach. She has been studying art and been graduated before starting tattooing. She can draw anything from a picture or from an idea.
- Danny is located on Lonely beach and can tattoo anything you want. Getting a time during the high season may be difficult, you need to be patient or to contact him early enough.
- King Bamboo Tattoo is located in the small village of Klong Kloi in Bang Bao. He is an expert in traditional Thai bamboo tattooing. Also opened all the year and very friendly like that other one mentioned above.
bamboo Tattooing takes more time than machine tattooing, plan in advance what you want and when you can get it done.
For some people, this can be considered an activity. For you, it's maybe the dream of your life.
If you are planning to get married, why not do it on Koh Chang?
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To organise a wedding in your own country it's sometimes not as easy, so the idea to do it abroad may scare you or may look impossible. Don't worry, nothing is impossible on Koh Chang!
Lots of resorts are used to arrange weddings, some of them even propose wedding packages which include the room with romantic flower decorations, sometimes a bottle of wine, sparkling wine or in the best case Champagne, the dinner and the ceremony. It can be very basic or completely extravagant, depending on your wishes and on what the resort is ready to do for you.
If you have already booked your next holidays on Koh Chang and would like to get married at the same time, contact the hotel or resort where you will stay and ask them if they can help you to arrange everything. If they don't, then don't panic, I have a solution for you!
Koh Chang Wedding is one of the best wedding planners on the island.
They have more than 10 years of experience, they will listen to your wishes and propose one of their packages which can be of course personalised.
They will arrange everything, the wedding dress, dresses for the bridesmaids, make-up artist, hairdresser, the bridal bouquet, flowers decorations, catering, photographers, videographers, music, everything you will need, even the transfers from your place to the wedding venue if this one cannot be done where you are staying, and a wedding certificate (non-official).
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The photographers will take unlimited high-resolution pictures (in jpeg format), from your preparation to the ceremony, sunset kisses, and evening party.
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You have the choice between a western ceremony, a Thai ceremony or both, western and Thai ceremonies.
You don't need to be Buddhist to have a Thai ceremony. They will supply you with traditional Thai clothes and you will get the blessing from the Holy Monks, at the temple or at your place with all that it includes, candles, incenses, religious meals and alms, and the strings of luck charm bracelets.
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All the stress will be taken away from you that you can enjoy your holidays, wedding, and honeymoon in peace and get an amazing souvenir.
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As you have noticed in the pictures, Koh Chang Wedding is a specialist in romantic beach weddings. They don't only organise weddings on Koh Chang they also do it on the surrounding islands like Koh Ngam, Koh Wai, Koh Mak, Koh Rayang and Koh Kood.
On top of being very nice, Mrs. Tawansai who is the wedding planner but also the Manager of the company is speaking perfectly Thai and English. She can also arrange translators if you need them and if it's of course possible.
For more information, contact directly Koh Chang Wedding:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/Kohchangwedding.in.th/
- Website: www.kohchang-wedding.com
- E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Phone: +66 (0) 95 871 5516 or +66 (0) 97 135 4817
- LINE ID: kohchang-wedding
- Skype: tawansai
There are a lot of tailors in Thailand which can make you a complete suit in a record time and which will fit perfectly to your body. Some are better than others and in Koh Chang, you can find a few of them.
Tailors can make any kind of clothes, from a simple shirt to a wedding dress. They have a large choice of materials and colours, from cotton to cashmere. Most of them have a lot of catalogs from different collections where you can choose what you would like to wear. But if you already have an idea of what you want, the best is to print a copy of any picture and show it to them, you will save a lot of time.
Normally the process has a few steps. At the first meeting, you will choose the model, the cut, and the material and then the tailor will take your dimensions. They will ask you to come back a few hours later or the following day to try the cloth before it's finished. They can still modify it if you don't like it or if it doesn't fit well. You will have to come again to do the final test and take the cloth with you.
This may sound long but it's pretty fast and it's better to do it in this way to be sure that you will get what you have asked for.
But there are a few things you have to know before going to a tailor shop.
All of them are not very serious and they will try to fool you, pushing you to buy what you don't need. They will get you inside their shop at an attractive price but once inside what they will propose you will be totally different. And of course, they will pretend that they are doing a special discount just for you.
Lots of guides or resorts get a commission if they send customers so don't believe them too much. If you have time visit a few tailors and compare the prices, don't accept the deal immediately.
I can recommend one tailor in Koh Chang where I have been several times and who has never tried to fool me, I give him my full trust and all my friends who have been there had been satisfied by the results and prices. You can step inside their shop and you will not feel the pressure to be obliged to spend your money and the quality is very good for the price. It's Koh Chang Milano Fashion, located White Sand beach and opened every day during the high season. The quietest time of the day to visit them in the morning or afternoon when everybody is at the beach. But the best is to go in the evening after or before your dinner, you will not feel so hot to try clothes even if the shop is air-conditioned.
Check at their website where you can see lots of models they have made for their customers: www.kohchangmilanofashion.com
