I went on two snorkeling trips around Koh Rang : the first from Koh Mak , then the second from Koh Chang . I revisited a familiar spot and discovered other areas, with two days that were quite different in their organization and pace.
From Koh Mak, there were only six of us on board for a fairly standard outing, which ended in the afternoon. From Koh Chang, I met up with Florian from Sportbuddies Campus for a longer day, with a stopover on a beach in Koh Wai and a return at sunset.
First excursion to Koh Rang from Koh Mak
During a stay in Koh Mak , it was relatively unthinkable not to spend a day snorkeling, in order to discover a little of the seabed of this beautiful region.
We had therefore booked a day of snorkeling through our hotel, for the sum of 700 baht per person (the price included a meal, equipment as well as the tax for access to Koh Rang which is part of the Mu Koh Chang national park).
The advantage of departing from Koh Mak
Why is this day trip from Koh Mak advantageous? Well, this tour remains a must-do in this part of Thailand. As a result, even people from Koh Chang north of Koh Mak, and Koh Kood south, also come to these same snorkeling spots…
Needless to say, during peak season, it can get quite crowded… But starting from Koh Mak creates a buffer because Koh Rang, the island at the heart of this excursion, is then closer. The result? We arrived first, or we could afford to arrive after everyone else, because we had more leeway with our timing.
Not to mention that with our boat, we were practically alone , since in addition to the two of us, there was only one young Russian couple (or from an Eastern European country) and another Thai couple.
So, with only 6 people, we set off for Koh Rang. When we saw the other boats disembarking, I realized how safe we were: those arriving from Koh Chang and Koh Kood were full of Chinese and others, with no less than 50 people per boat!
Our three stops around Koh Rang
We set off from the pier located on our beach (Ao Kao, south of Koh Mak), right next to our hotel. Departure was scheduled for around 10 am and return in the early afternoon. We passed between the two islands visible from Ao Kao beach, Koh Rayang Noi and Koh Rayang Nok, one of which has a small, secluded resort.
- 10 a.m.: Departure from Ao KaoWe boarded from the dock next to our hotel, south of Koh Mak.
- 10:30 am: First reefA good hour spent there snorkeling.
- 11:30 a.m.: Second stopAnother reef right next to the previous one. Another snorkeling session of about an hour.
- 12:30 PM: stopover at Hat San Jao beachThe boat landed near the beach, where we stayed for an hour, having lunch on our boat.
- 13:30 PM: Return to Koh MakWe started to slowly make our way back to our island.
- 15 p.m.: Back at the dock after a minor unforeseen event
Snorkeling at the first reef
It took us no more than half an hour to reach the first spot . A small piece of rock sticking out of the water, just east of Koh Rang.
Mu Koh Rang is made up of a group of small islets, with Koh Rang being the main island, which is just under 4 km long. It does, however, house some structures, including a small Chinese shrine and facilities for the rangers monitoring the national park (as soon as a boat approached, a zodiac would come alongside and check that it was in compliance with regulations).
The spot is typical of snorkeling spots in Thailand: turquoise water teeming with fish . As soon as we arrived, we saw a multitude of small, multicolored fish clustering around us.
We stayed at this first spot for almost an hour. We had time to enjoy it alone before the other boats arrived.
Snorkeling at Koh Yak Lek
For the second spot, we moved barely 300 meters further, around another small reef, marked Koh Yak Lek on Google Maps . The seabed was the same type as before, full of fish, lots of sea urchins with very long spines (watch where you step!), but little to no coral at all …
We stayed there for almost an hour. Again, we had time to swim, mostly without the herds chasing us.
Haad San Chao, the large beach of Koh Rang
For the last stop, we simply docked next to Koh Rang's main beach , Haad San Chao (also spelled Hat San Jao), a small, idyllic white sand beach that smelled like holidays and reminded us why we were there!
When we arrived, other people were already on the beach, finishing their swim. Even though it wasn't crowded and we weren't anchored in the same area, it was still nice to see the whole group leave and give us the beach to ourselves!
I swam towards the beach, eager to feel the soft sand that tempted my eyes. I stayed for a few minutes, just long enough for a photo, taken by Jitima from the boat since I hadn't risked bringing my large camera with me at that time. I then returned to the boat for a while to eat.
It was with this view that we had our lunch on the boat, while almost everyone else had already left. I did a few more dips and strokes before heading back up, because it was now our turn to leave for Koh Mak.
A somewhat delicate return to Koh Mak
It was around 13:30 pm when we were calmly returning to the coast of Koh Mak. Except that, although it wasn't obvious to us, the wind that day was apparently too strong for our boat to drop us off directly at our dock… (perhaps it was also related to the tide).
So after about a 30-minute crossing, we found ourselves stopped near Koh Rayang Nok, less than 2 km from our dock. We had to wait for a smaller, more maneuverable boat—in this case, one of the speedboats like the one we had arrived on from the Laem Ngop dock on the mainland—to come and pick us up…
It still took an hour, during which we let ourselves be tossed about by the sea, taking a little nap along the way… Just what we needed to rest after this half-day which was quite exhausting (almost 3 hours of swimming and a few moments of apnea).
A new excursion from Koh Chang
It was a rather unusual situation that led me to take this new excursion, which wasn't planned at all originally. In fact, I was finishing a trip in Thailand (around Khao Yai Park and the Khmer temples of Buriram ) with some Swiss friends (hi Lionel and Sandra 🙂) and while they were supposed to end their stay in Koh Chang, I had originally planned to go straight back to Bangkok while they enjoyed the sea.
But after spending some quality time and celebrating New Year's together, they invited me to stay a while longer on Koh Chang with them. That's how they introduced me to Florian Urfer, with whom they had become friends the previous year. Florian is from Valais, just like my friends, and a former member of the Swiss national volleyball team, who has been living on Koh Chang for about fifteen years now.
As a true sportsman, he set up an association managing the Sportbuddies Campus Koh Chang , a small private sports campus with, as you might have guessed, a volleyball court available free of charge to locals and those staying in its bungalows.
Outing with the Sportbuddies Campus Koh Chang
As events unfolded, I learned that a snorkeling trip to Koh Rang was scheduled for the following day and that they could definitely make room for me. I paid Florian directly for the trip once we were on the boat (I've forgotten how much it was, though…), but you should bring cash to pay for Mu Koh Chang National Park separately once you arrive (200 baht per adult).
Since I was traveling independently with my own car, I made my own way to the Bang Bao pier where the boat departed. If you find yourself participating in a similar outing, you will obviously be picked up by a pickup truck.
Note that Florian organizes tours based on demand, so it's not necessarily a tour you'll find every day. On an excursion like this, our boat was chartered privately. Normally, these boats are used for deep-sea fishing trips, so we had a typical wooden vessel.
The day's events since Koh Chang
We had 3 different stops, including two around Koh Rang and one stop on a secluded beach in Koh Wai.
- 9:30 am: Departure from Bang BaoWe boarded at the Bang Bao pier, south of Koh Chang, then headed towards Koh Rang.
- 11:15 am: First stop in Koh RangSpend a good hour there snorkeling, swimming to the small beach or simply enjoying the water.
- 13 p.m.: Second stop and lunchAfter about 30 minutes of sailing, we made another stop southeast of Koh Rang, near Hat San Jao. We went snorkeling there and had lunch on board.
- 15 p.m.: stopover in Koh WaiThe boat went back up towards Koh Chang for an hour, with a final stop on a beach in Koh Wai.
- 17 p.m.: Return to Koh ChangAfter thoroughly enjoying the area, we took the boat back for the last part of the journey.
- 18 p.m.: Return to the dock at Bang Bao
A perfect day to unwind because the theme here was to enjoy yourself in a relaxed atmosphere, where you weren't rushed by the clock.
First spot north of Koh Rang
We set off at a leisurely pace around 9:30 am, with no more than fifteen of us on board, including our host who was accompanying us. We were all the more spacious as the boat had two decks.
Since Koh Chang is further from Koh Rang than Koh Mak, it took us a little less than two hours to reach the north of the island, which marked our first stop.
We hadn't passed through this area last time, as we were near the tip of Koh Rang, on the northwest shore facing a cluster of small islets. And what can I say about the color of the water! Swimming pool blue is the best way to describe it!
The impression is of arriving at a gigantic Olympic swimming pool, with fish in it and decorated with rocks on the land side.
We anchored here in this idyllic setting, and everyone was free to go about their business. Masks, snorkels, and life jackets were available for snorkeling, and a paddleboard served as a floating bar for those who simply wanted to relax in the water effortlessly.
Given the proximity, I opted to swim to the small beach that had caught my eye. I enjoyed it practically alone, although a few companions from that day had the same idea. We stayed there for a good hour.
Second snorkeling spot: reunited with Koh Yak Lek
The next leg of our journey took us to the southeast of the island. After a 30-minute boat ride, I found a familiar spot; it was the second spot on our excursion from Koh Mak, the reef called Koh Yak Lek , not far from the main beach of Hat San Jao (also called Shrine Beach).
We could then once again enjoy the area and observe the many small fish that live around these reefs. The beach was a little too far to swim to. It was in this setting that we stopped for lunch, which was included in the excursion. We stayed for another hour before leaving.
Koh Wai beach and sunset
As we headed back up towards Koh Chang, the journey took an hour, but the day wasn't over yet. Determined to make the most of it, we stopped near a deserted beach on the far west side of Koh Wai.
Here again, the same principle applied. Some continued the day with drinks in the water while another half, including myself, went to the beach, which, in the middle of the afternoon, was already in the shade due to the orientation of the island (north/south).
There were a few signs of human activity, like a wooden bench and some swings. While the cove where we stopped was secluded, Koh Wai isn't entirely untouched. Along several beaches on its northern coast, there are three small hotels, including the Koh Wai Paradise Resort, the only one with a little electricity in the evening (bookable only through their Facebook page ).
Once I had my obligatory photos in hand, I joined the group enjoying the floating "bar" with a view of Koh Chang, what more could you ask for! And when I say we weren't in a hurry, the idea was to return leisurely just before nightfall, to enjoy the sunset over the water.
When we left there, it had been over an hour and a half since we'd dropped anchor at Koh Wai. It was just before 1 p.m., which left us an hour to cover the 30 km separating us from the departure pier at Bang Bao. A leisurely pace to enjoy a superb reddish sunset over the shores of Koh Chang.
Conclusion: Two quite different excursions
The two experiences are completely different. In the first case, starting from Koh Mak, we had the ultra-classic package where everything was well-organized and meticulously planned. It was inexpensive and the program basically took up half a day.
Since Koh Chang, it wasn't an organization in the classic sense of the term, like a storefront agency. It was a type of excursion that was arranged by word of mouth, which gave it a friendly character, a bit like a large family going on a trip.
We felt we took our time and we were treated to extras that you don't get with tour operators, and I wouldn't hesitate for a second to go back through Florian to explore the small islands around Koh Chang.
To summarize :
- The excursion from Koh Mak has the advantage of being easily accessible and offering a particularly attractive price. It takes less time in the day but also spends a little less time on site.
- My option from Koh Chang turned out to be more fun, with new spots to discover. We were less rushed, so we ended up spending a good hour longer there compared to the Koh Mak excursion. But the travel and boat trips were longer, and the outing was inevitably more expensive.
In short, each has its advantages and disadvantages. Both islands are worth visiting either way, so I'd be tempted to say, try both versions like I did 😉
To organize the rest of your stay on the island, consult my guide to preparing your stay in Koh Chang : access, getting around and program ideas for two to four days.
