Ko Chang

The island's busiest stretch, on the northwest coast, with guesthouses, bars and convenience stores bunched along the road behind it. The sand is as white as the name says and shelves gently. Towards the southern end rocks take over and room rates fall.

Backpackers gather on this west-coast beach, where bars on the sand play music loud every night. Rip currents form in the rainy season and red flags fly on many days. By day it is surprisingly quiet, and the rocks at the north end are better for a swim.

A southern fishing village, its houses lined up along a long timber pier over the sea. Both sides of the pier are now souvenir shops and seafood restaurants, with a white lighthouse at the end. Snorkel boats to the outer islands leave here every morning.

An old fishing village deep in a southeast bay, with stilt houses and mangroves still standing. Far fewer visitors reach it than the west beaches, so seafood costs less. The coast road does not join round the southern tip, so from Bang Bao you loop back north.

Walk through the trees for about fifteen minutes past the park ticket booth and a fall drops off a cliff into a deep pool. You can swim there, and the water is cold. Flow peaks in the days after rain stops and has thinned to a trickle by the last dry weeks.

An east-side waterfall where rocks by the water still carry inscriptions marking visits by kings, Rama V among them. It draws fewer visitors than the west-side falls, so it is quiet. The climb to the upper tiers turns slick after rain and is risky in sandals.

A roadside lookout on the pass between Khlong Phrao and Kai Bae, with a row of small islands floating offshore. At sunset the verge fills with parked motorbikes. Both descents off the pass are tight bends, so take a scooter down slowly.

Uninhabited islets southwest of the island, inside the marine national park, so the coral has held up relatively well. Snorkel boats go from Bang Bao, and many trips never land, staying in the water. During the rains the sea is often too rough for any boat.

A wide mangrove forest fills a bay on the east side, with a timber boardwalk laid through it. Kayaks and rowing boats run by the villagers can be hired to go up the channels. Go on a rising tide or the boat grounds.

On the tip of Laem Ngop on the mainland, marking the battle of 17 January 1941, when the Thai navy fought a French squadron in these waters. A ship-shaped hall lists the sailors who fell that day. It is near the ferry piers, so people stop in while waiting.

A long beach mid-west coast, cut in two where the Klong Prao canal meets the sea. Rent a kayak at the mouth to paddle up the mangrove channel; resorts sit far apart, so it feels roomier than White Sand. Low tide firms the sand for long walks.

A beach below the pass south of Klong Prao; high tide shrinks the sand, low tide leaves shallows far out. A kayak reaches the islet offshore in ten-odd minutes, with snorkelling around it. Restaurants and massage shops line the coast road.

A small island in the waters below Ko Chang with coral beginning at the waterline, so fish appear the moment you wade in. Most snorkel tours stop here, and with only a few bungalows it empties in the evening for overnight guests. No ATM; bring cash.

A flat isle further down the archipelago, mostly coconut and rubber plantation, with bungalows dotted along its beaches and no big resorts. Half a day by bicycle or scooter takes you round. Speedboats link Ko Chang and the mainland, far fewer in the rains.