Not long ago, most Thailand tourists did not even consider Koh Chang as a destination alternative when making up the travel plans for their Thailand trip. Even if some parts of the island are growing with great speed, Koh Chang largely still is one of the least exploited of Thailand’s tourist islands. Probably, we are not going to see another Patong or Chaweng on Koh Chang as it is part of a marine national park consisting of 47 islands altogether. Many places are more or less accurately referred to as tropical, but in the case of Koh Chang the word is very striking as large parts of the island are covered with rain forests as well as mangrove forests.
Further back in time, Koh Chang — in point of fact Thailand’s second-biggest Island — was known as an island of pirates. However, its name, Elephant Island, bears no reference to this but rather to its shape which as been likened to that of lying elephants. Speaking of elephants, the roads on the island seem more apt for these animals than more modern means of transportation, being both narrow, winding, steep and not overly smooth. Even though it is possible to bring cars to the island, there is not a great deal of pleasurable driving to be found here.
