WELCOME TO SAI RUNG KOH CHANG

About 280km southeast of the teeming metropolis of Bangkok in the Golf of Siam, near the Border of Cambodia, lies Thailand's second largest Island Koh Chang. The Island is part of an archipelago with another 46 Islands (this is counting every rock that is above sea level) called the Koh Chang Marine National Park.

The name means Elephant Island because the hills look like a herd of elephants. The Island is about 30km long and about 13km wide and is densely covered with tropical jungle. The undulating hills are full of rainforest and sometimes covered with clouds, the highest peak being Khao Salakpet at 743 m.

Koh Chang plays host to monkeys, snakes, wild birds, wild pigs, butterflies and a variety of other animals. Some say it´s still the best preserved jungle of Southeast Asia. The fascinating jungle and the beautiful beaches, mostly on the Western side of the Island, cast a spell upon most visitors to Ko Chang.

Until the great boom in 2001, about 3 000 people lived here; making a living from fishing, the collection of mussels, farming of Pineapple, Durian, Papaya, Mango, Coconut and Rubber trees. The tourists, mostly backpackers, where at that time a seldom but welcome source of extra income and added a kind of variety to island life. Today a lot more people live on the Island, and tourism is now a primary source of income for many people. This is illustrated by the many new Hotels and the skyrocketing prices for a land on the Island and can be seen at the new Airport, between Saeng Tung and Auo Thammachart (on the mainland). However, this Island still has its own unique beauty, and its hard for anybody who visits it once not to come again.

We sincerely hope that the island maintains its unrivalled beauty and that the many developers adhere to the new eco-tourist friendly approach to development without spoiling the natural beauty of the land.