Thailand

Ko Chang is bursting with biodiversity: exotic reptiles and technicolour birds are as much a part of the experience as watching sunsets on idyllic beaches. A sandy coast skirts the island revealing postcard-perfect bays. Jungle-encrusted mountains are veiled under a shroud of mist.

Before the 20th century

From around 600 BC, Thailand became populated by peoples from China, collectively known as the T'ai. Indian traders began visiting the Gulf of Thailand, introducing the inhabitants to Hinduism, which rapidly became the principal faith in the area. By 230 BC, when Chinese traders began visiting the shores, large parts of Thailand had been incorporated into the kingdom of Funan, the first state in Southeast Asia. The name Funan means 'king of the mountain', a reference to Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu gods. Funan had its capital at Oc Eo (Sri Thep), then a coastal port at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, and traded as far afield as India and even Europe. At its peak, the state included large parts of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and had active trade with the agrarian communities along the Malay peninsula as far south as modern-day Pattani and Yala.

Bangkok first appeared as a power in 1782, under General Chao Phaya Chakri - crowned as Phraphutthayotfa Chulalok. The Chakri dynasty continues as the ruling family of Thailand to this day.

Modern history

Prior to World War II, Ko Chang was little known by anyone. It was, at this time, essentially a lawless no-go area occupied by a few families who made a living from farming coconuts and fruit on the mainland. Piracy was also common in and around the Ko Chang archipelago.

In January 1941 the Royal Thai Navy engaged the French in a major naval battle in the waters to the south-east of Ko Chang. The battle is memorialised on Ko Chang's Long Beach and on the mainland close to Leam Nob. Since then Ko Chang has had a naval presence - it was an important look-out during the Khmer period in neighbouring Cambodia. Ships of the Thai Navy moor off the east coast every year in mid-January, the anniversary of the battle against the French.

In the mid-1970s the first intrepid travellers started to arrive by fishing boats from the mainland. Some travellers around that time would arrive loaded with provisions for local families. In 1982, the island - together with 46 surrounding small islands - became protected as the Mu Ko Chang Marine National Park. About 85% of Ko Chang is part of the national park, mostly the rainforest in the interior of the island. Nearby coral reefs are also contained within the National Park. Electricity and landline phones arrived at the same time as the paved road in 2000, when the Thai government made a decision to invest in infrastructure and promote Ko Chang as a tourist destination.

Recent history

Ko Chang has found itself firmly in the sights of developers in recent years and its coasts are quickly turning into a holiday-maker's habitat. Regardless, the impenetrable rainforests and wild mangrove forests manage to hold their own and provide a counterbalance to the small beachside metropolis that fringes the island's western shore. You need walk only a few hundred metres off the main road to be enveloped by greenery animated by monitor lizards, barking deer and stump-tailed macaws.

While many back-to-basics bungalows still dot the island, mid-range villas and poolside cocktails are slowly becoming more common. There are accommodation options in every flavour and, if you're hungry for activities other than beach-bumming, Ko Chang's smorgasbord of outdoor pursuits will happily oblige.

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Three seasons dominate the climate of Thailand's southeast region. The best time to visit is during the mild, warm period between November to February. From March to May both the humidity and temperature start to rise, and from June to October it's hot and rainy. Much of this coast has calm waters during the monsoon period and can be visited year-round.