Koh Chang's East Coast: Salakphet, Mangroves and the Quiet Side
Koh Chang's East Coast: Salakphet, Mangroves and the Quiet Side Most visitors to Koh Chang never cross the island. They land at the ferry pier, turn right towards the west-coast beaches, and spend their whole stay between White Sand and Lonely Beach. But Koh Chang has another face: the east coast, where there are no big swimming beaches and almost no nightlife, and where the island's fishing villages, mangrove forests, and orchards carry on much as they always have. A day here — Salakphet Bay, the mangrove boardwalks, a seafood lunch over the water — is the side of Koh Chang many repeat visitors love most. Why the East Is Different Koh Chang's shape explains everything. The west coast faces the open Gulf with sandy bays; the east coast faces the mainland across mangrove-lined inlets, with mudflats and forests instead of swimming sand. What the east offers instead of beaches is life as it is lived: stilted fishing villages, shrimp ponds, durian and rubber farms, and small...