A few minutes after leaving the ferry pier you’ll pass through Klong Son village. You probably won’t even realise you are passing through it as the pick-up truck taxi wont stop and you’ll see very few obvious signs of tourism. Klong Son is still very much a local area for local people.

This isn’t an area of the island many people will head to if they want to holiday on Koh Chang, but it is home to a small fishing community, the best elephant camp on the island, a shrine to the spirits who look after the fortunes of Koh Chang, some good jungle trekking and is also a very nice spot to stay should you wish to make your home on Koh Chang without breaking the bank.

There is even a kilometre long crescent beach that looks out over a beautiful bay flanked by two peninsulas. However, you wont notice it from the roadside. The beach lies about 1km from the road and there are no obvious ‘This Way to the Beach’ signs. There are also no resorts on the beach – with the exception of Aiyapura Resort which is on the southern side of the bay. This is the hotel to head for if you’ve won the pools or simply want to impress your better half by splashing out a few hundred Pounds/Dollars/Euros a night. They have a small, largely man made, beach outside the hotel to ensure that well heeled guests weren’t found waist deep in silt from the mouth of the river following attempts to enjoy a romantic evening stroll along the shore. But on the plus side the Spa is rated as one of the best on the island and it is a good place to get away from it all or for a honeymoon. Ex- Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra also had his own residence within the resort.

In the past this beach at the northwestern tip of Koh Chang, went by a multitude of names. The Tourist Authority map gave the name as Klong Son Bay, a locally printed guidebook didn’t give it a name, a roadside sign gave the name as ‘Chang Noi Beach’, and in a magazine for Thai travellers it went by the names ‘Son Bay’ or ‘Premwadee Beach’. (Premwadee was also the name of the aging, rundown resort at the northern end of the bay.)

However, now we’ll call it Chang Noi Beach as the entire length is now owned by a property developer, Siam Royal View, and this is what they call it. It’s their beach, and they can call it whatever they want to.

Lining this beach will be literally hundreds of villas and condominiums. It will be huge development including the world’s largest filtered saltwater lagoon and a huge marina – in the river estuary at the rear of the beach. So whilst living on this development wont be a place to get away from it all, it is unlikely that your neighbours will be drinking Mekhong whisky and singing karaoke songs until the early hours. With prices for land and a house from anything from 6 to 40 million baht mark there’s something to suit the budgets of most people looking for an island home in a Swiss managed development where the locals are kept at a safe distance.

Whilst I’m personally not a fan of large housing developments, I can see the attraction – it’s safe, has great views and the developers take care of all the worries associated with having a house built abroad. The addition of a marina is a big plus as there are very few places where you can moor a boat on the island.

However, the bay is very shallow, at very low tide you have to walk literally a few hundred metres to get deep enough to swim. But it’s a great bay for canoeing and the long beach is very sheltered and safe for kids to play on.

As more homes at Siam Royal View are completed, more shops and services catering to expats will spring up. But at present, it’s still a sleepy little village. Highlights include a 7-Eleven, not one but two ATMs, a builder’s merchant, the local electricity office and a couple of cement factories. It’s also the only place on the west coast without a tailor’s shop or a souvenir shop of any kind – unless you’re looking for a kilo of assorted vegetables, a 13,000 BTU aircon unit or a 4 metre long length of redwood plank as a souvenir of your stay.

In the centre of Klong Son, there is a crossroads. One turn leads into the valley, the other heads towards the sea. Follow this road and you’ll end up at a parking area at the start of a pier. This is the small fishing community of Klong Son. There are no fancy seafood restaurants or souvenir shops on the pier – something that is bound to change eventually. For now you can still see the locals in their boats doing what they have done for generations e.g. sleeping, talking, drinking cheap whisky. From the end of the pier you’ll see along the estuary into the bay and also across to Siam Royal View and a sandbar that is overgrown with Causarina fir trees.

There is also a white chedi near the pier, most fishing villages have these, you’ll see a similar one at Dan Mai on the east coast. The spirits here basically guard over the fishermen and providing they are kept happy, the fishermen live, thrive and survive during their time at sea.

After photographing the pier you’ll might as well head another 400 metres to the temple. This is a proper working temple with lots of monks and stray dogs running around. Nothing spectacular but it’s worth a look and doesn’t get many tourists visiting.

However, the real highlight of Klong Son is the inland valley. Head inland by taking the turn near the 7-eleven minimart.. Following this road will bring you to Jungle Way bungalows and Baan Kwan Chang elephant camp. Jungle Way is an alternative for travellers who want an old fashioned Lonely Beach vibe in the heart of the jungle with a bit of Yoga thrown in for good measure. Baan Kwan Chang is the only elephant camp worth going to on Koh Chang.

The road up here makes for an interesting drive / motorbike ride ( You’ll need your own transport as the pick-up truck taxi’s don’t run along this road.) and since late 2008 it has been paved over 3km inland well past the elephant camp. You start out by passing the local school and numerous houses of varying standards of design and construction quality. After crossing the river the road passes through more rubber plantations and fruit farms with a smaller number of private homes by the roadside. Head up here between May – September and you’ll find the roadside lined with all manner of fruits hanging from the trees – Pomelo. Durian, Rambutan, Longan, Mangosteen, Jack Fruit etc etc.

This area is the starting point for guided jungle trekking with walks taking you up the hillside on your right. On the left hand side, if you keep your eye’s peeled, you’ll also see a small sign for ‘Koh Chang Animal Foundation’ run by Lisa the Vet who takes care of Koh Chang’s stray and unwanted pets in addition to providing much needed medical care for sick and injured animals.

Another kilometre or so further on and you’ll pass Jungle Way on your right and a few hundred metres further on, you’ll reach ‘Baan Kwan Chang’ elephant camp – the first and the best of the elephant camps on the island. Friendly, non-pushy staff, quiet location in the valley surrounded by jungle and fruit farms it’s a great place to head to to just feed the elephants and pet them or to take an elephant trek.

The paved road continues further inland, passing large areas of land that has been cleared for housing projects. This is a nice spot for a peaceful cheap home, but bear in mind the land being ‘sold’ to foreigners here doesn’t have any title deeds and all 99 year leases or even 999 year leases are total bullshit, aren’t legal in any way and you will be screwed if you decide to ‘buy’ one.

The road eventually ends at ford crossing the river that is dry most of the year. Head across the river to the small restaurant from where you can get directions to a small waterfall and swimming hole that lie on the hillside about 20 minutes walk away. It’s an easy walk to the river from where you have to clamber along the river bank and head upstream to the water hole where you can cool down and enjoy a (usually) very private swim. You can’t get lost – just follow the blue water pipes that local use to supply water to their homes from the river.

After making back to the main road in once piece, you can survey the accommodation options. This will take about 30 seconds. Riverside Resort and the more luxurious Koh Chang Grand Orchid provide roadside rooms well away from the sea for people who put price before location in their choice of holiday accommodation. The Grand Orchid is a really beautiful designed place with Lanna (northern Thai) style architecture, but nowhere near the beach and the only view is one of the nearby cement works. What was the owner thinking when she ploughed over a hundred million baht into the place? Probably the same as she was thinking when she decided that low season room rates should start at 3,000 baht/night. Make it exclusive, that’ll bring in the visitors! But it didn’t. So it’s far cheaper now. The Riverside has comfortable AC rooms for under 1000 baht in high season, no real need to book in advance. If you are driving and don’t really care where you stay so long as it has AC then it’s fine for a night. Riverside also has a German run bakery and beer garden.

The only thing now remaining to do is to go and see what the future has install for you by paying a visit to the Shrine of the Godfather of Koh Chang ‘ Chao Po Koh Chang’ who, along with his wife, ‘Chao Mae Koh Chang’ take care of the spiritual needs of Koh Chang residents 24 h hours a day.

In the past, farmers and fishermen who faced problems would go to the temple to make an offering and seek faith and guidance from the statue of Chao Po Koh Chang. Apparently, there are plenty of success stories of prayers being answered, fortunes revived or made after making an offering at the temple. So who am I to knock it.

The temple is on a hilltop midway between Klong Son Village and Ao Sapparot ferry pier. You’ll see the parking area and steps leading up near the roadside. You’ll also hear many passing drivers beeping their horns three times to say ‘Hello’ to the spirits as the drive by. The temple is unlike any other on the island in that it is a 100% Chinese design which gives away the ancestry of the original Koh Chang residents – sailors who made their way here from China.

Outside the temple you’ll see plenty of concrete elephants of all sizes plus figurines depicting likenesses of the Godfather and his wife, he looks a little like Colonel Sanders in one. Offerings of sugarcane (for the elephants) and Fanta or Chinese tea plus fruit (for the humans) are laid out on pedestals in front of the likenesses. On either side of the doorway into the temple you’ll see a large brass bell and a large traditional wood/animal hide drum. Feel free to give these a good whack three times.

Inside you’re confronted by a smoky room full of large statues, Chinese style murals and incense sticks. You’ll see more offerings of fruit / food / flowers laid out on the table directly in front of you and incense sticks burning in a number of different spots. Unless, you have a Thai with you who knows their way around the art of praying to Chinese spirits to point you in the right directions and show you how many incense sticks to put in which holder and in which order after you have said your prayer – it’s best just to loiter in the background and leave it to others.

But one thing that you can do and which is pretty idiot proof is to get your fortune. Pick up one of the bamboo containers holding dozens of thin sticks. Kneel down. Hold the container chest height at a 45 degree angel and start to shake it. One of the sticks will eventually vibrate out and fall on the floor See what number is written on it. Go over the the wooden cubby holes on the left wall of the shrine, pick the piece of paper that corresponds to your number – your fortune is written in Thai, Chinese and English. Good luck.

Details and Reviews of hotels and resorts in the Klong Son area