Before reading this post be sure to check out the first
post that I wrote, titled,
“Elephant Island, Thailand
A Teacher’s Holiday Paradise.”
Elephant Island, White Sands Beach
After arriving to Koh Chang via ferry and taking a taxi to White Sands Beach, we had officially arrived!
White sands beach is an area of Koh Chang island that is really laid back and features a variety of accommodations. The main stretch of road has a sidewalk on one side with restaurants, shops, food stalls and modern stores.
We stayed at the Koh Chang Hut Hotel. The hotel is at the far end of White Sands when driving towards the south of the island. The hotel has comfortable rooms with a bathroom and balcony. Plus, you cannot beat the price of 600 BHT or $20 USD per night.
Will and I decided to stay there one night and then head further south of the island to lonely beach. Our first night in White Sands started off with an epic seafood dinner.
Following, we walked our food off and explored the town. Next, we each got a traditional Thai message and then headed to Sabay Bar which is situated along the beach.
Sabay Bar has a really nice ambiance and you can hear the sound of waves lapping on the beach while you enjoy your beverage. We had a great evening and danced the night away with Thai locals.
The next day, we rented motorbikes and headed south to lonely beach, about a 30 minute drive. The drive is really scenic and includes views of the ocean, lush green trees and goes through other small coastal communities.
If you rent a motorbike be really careful as the road is extremely steep in certain areas.
Lonely Beach
Once we arrived to lonely beach, Will and I inquired to the availability of an accommodation that he had stayed at before. Unfortunately, they did not have anything available.
There are a variety of accommodations that have bungalows overlooking the ocean in the 500-800 BHT range or $15-$25 USD per night.
We ended up finding availability at Lonely Beach Resort. The rooms ranged between 500-600 BHT or $17-$20 USD.
The resort featured a restaurant, pool, clean grounds, convenient location and friendly staff. If I return to Koh Chang, I will stay at Lonely Beach Resort again.
Klong Plu Waterfall
We stayed at lonely beach for two days. There are many things to do in the area. After checking in, we decided to check out Klong Plu waterfall which can be found down a winding road at the northern end of Klong Prao.
There is sufficient parking for motorbikes but costs 10 or 20 BHT or $0.33-$0.66 USD. After parking your bike, the entrance to the Mu Ko Chang national park is a short 100 meter walk.
Since the waterfall is located within the Mu Ko Chang National park, you have to pay a park entrance fee of 200 BHT or $6.66 USD for adults and 100 BHT or $3.33 USD for children.
After paying the national park fee you have to walk roughly one mile to the waterfall on a well-maintained trail that wanders through heavily forested jungle. The trail also follows along a river that originates from the waterfall.
Once you reach the waterfall there is a covered area to leave personal belongings and change if you wish to go swimming. This waterfall is unique in that there is a large pool that you can swim in and jump into from the rock ledges that line the pool.
The waterfall is a very popular destination among tour groups and travelers so be prepared to share your experience. It is also important to note that the national park closes at 5 pm and therefore you cannot stay at the waterfall beyond that time.
Will and I had to chance to jump into the pool and go swimming for an hour. We were able to hike out before it got dark and enjoyed the rest of our evening.
Tropical Beach
During our last full day on Elephant Island, we headed towards the south end of the island, a short 15 minute motorbike ride from lonely beach. We visited Tropical beach which was as good as it sounds, a beautiful beach on the southern island.
We visited two separate beaches, drank mango shakes, and went swimming. There were many people that had the same itinerary for the day.
Bang Bao Pier
We ended our afternoon by visiting a local fishing village and exploring a local market that extends along a pier. The end of the pier is marked by a distinguished lighthouse. The pier has many boats taking tourists snorkeling, diving, and out onto the open sea.
While walking at the end of the pier I found two kids that were fishing with some fishing line wrapped around their hand and a hook with some fish bait on the end of the line. They had a plastic bag filled with fish, that they had caught and told Will and I that they were going to eat them.
Will and I also decided to have some seafood at Budda View which is a restaurant on the right side of the pier when walking towards the lighthouse. The restaurant was recommended to us by another colleague from school and it was fantastic!
The restaurant had glass tables with giant holes in the floor beneath them. The reason behind this was so that while seated at the table your legs could dangle over the water. It was a really cool idea and made for a picturesque dining experience.
I ordered fantastic butter and garlic oysters and Will ordered another delicious seafood dish. I will definitely be going back when I return to Koh Chang!
We ended the evening by going out on lonely beach and enjoying the company of other travelers.
Elephant Island to Chiang Mai, Thailand
The last day was a long travel day as we had to leave lonely beach by 8:30 am and get to White Sands Beach to return our motorbikes. After returning the bikes and grabbing a taxi back to the pier. We were able to make our 10:30 am ferry and reverse our itinerary to make it back to Chiang Mai.
The bus ride was pleasant and we were able to get more nap time in. Once we arrived to Bangkok, it started to rain really hard.
The bus dropped us off at the same location that we boarded which was a five-minute walk from the end of Khao San road.
We were right on schedule to make our 9 pm departure from Don Muang airport but wanted to get their early and moved from the bus to a taxi.
As we departed the bus to get our bags in the heavy downpour, we were verbally attacked by taxi drivers. “Do you need a taxi?!?, Do you need a taxi?!?” Will was able to use his Thai talking skills and negotiate with a driver.
I responded to other drivers saying, “mee laeo” which translates to “have already.” Will and I load up the taxi and we are off to the airport.
Fortunately, traffic was more manageable comparatively to when we arrived and we made good timing getting to the airport.
Our flight was pretty exciting with the amount of turbulence that we had. I was able to stay pretty calm but it was definitely more excitement than I was looking for at the end of the trip.
We arrived safely to Chiang Mai at 10 pm and I was in bed by 11 pm. I woke up 7.5 hours to go to work.
It was an action packed weekend and I will definitely be returning to the island of Koh Chang!
