Koh Chang (or Ko Chang) is the second largest island in Thailand and the islands name means ‘Elephant Island’, because of the elephant shape of its headland.
Koh Chang is home to about 5,000 permanent residents which means the island is not heavily populated like Phuket which is home to 800,000 permanent residents. However, because of the beauty of the island tourism has increased dramatically over the last few years.
We are proud to say that Koh Chang is one of Thailand’s most beautiful islands with long white sandy beaches, most half deserted.
The island and its vicinity are excellent places for snorkeling, diving and jungle hiking.
Koh Chang did play a role during World War 2 as in 1941, during the Japanese occupation, the Thai Navy fought the French in a battle in the waters to the southeast of Koh Chang.
After that, not much did happened on this island until the first backpacker foreigners started arriving on the back of local fishing boats in the mid-1970s.
In 1982, Koh Chang and its surrounding area became part of the protected Mu Ko Chang National Marine Park, and only very recently, in less than ten years, Koh Chang has turned itself into a major tourist destination, both for foreigners and local Thais.