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This article reviews beaches located in the central part of Koh Chang – the well-known Klong Prao Beach and the less famous Kai Bae Beach.
- The first article in the series on the beaches of Koh Chang briefly reviews all the beaches with a summary on each beach and a reference to a detailed article on the same beach => Click the link
- At the end of the article, you will find a video I took on the coasts of Koh Chang so you can get a glimpse of the destinations reviewed.
Klong Prao beach
The next beach on our way south is Klong Prao Beach – with a wide and open bay and a beach that stretches for 3 km or more. It is the longest beach on the island, located in the center of the west side of Koh Chang
The beach is divided by Klong canal / river into 2 parts – northern and southern. The canal causes the water of Klong Plu waterfall to flow into the sea.
Along the canal / riverbank you will find several good restaurants and for that, I will provide further detail in a separate article.
The northern end of the beach starts at Laem Chaichet – a cliff separating White Sand beach from Klong Prao beach.
After Klong Prao resort, the road grows distant from the shoreline and winds for several kilometers on to Klong Prao village. There, it approaches the shoreline again and parallels it at the southernmost part of the beach. On this road you will find a variety of different shops, restaurants, massages and more, scattered along without the overcrowding of White Sand beach, and hardly within a walking distance of most local resorts.
The distance between the mountains’ slopes and the coast is the largest in Koh Chang – which leaves much land reserves for future development. The expectation is that in the future, Klong Prao will become Koh Chang’s main beach, much like Patong Beach in Phuket and Chaweng Beach in Ko Samui.
Due to the large land reserves, the atmosphere here is quite different than in White Sand beach – everything is calmer and quieter. However, you will still find a wide variety of resorts – from hostels and guesthouses to good-quality resorts.
The spacious resorts are scattered along the beach without the overcrowding that characterizes White Sand beach. Therefore, even at the peak of the season, it is not crowded, and you can enjoy a quiet and calm atmosphere.
Klong Prao area is suitable for both families and couples, as well as lonely people looking for a relaxing atmosphere away from the crowds. Whoever is looking for night life – this is not the right beach for this purpose. The beach itself is wide (especially at low tide) and the slopes are very mild which makes it ideal for young children.
During the rainy season, Klong Prao Beach may have 2 problems:
- Lots of debris swept from the sea to the beach
- Jellyfish that come to procreate near freshwater estuary, which occurs mainly at the beginning and end of the rainy season.
Summary: One of Koh Chang’s good beaches, but a less popular one, and less crowded than White Sand beach. Suitable for those who want more peace and quiet but would still like to have access to a great variety of shops within walking distance or a short drive.
- At the end of the article, you will find a video I took so you can get a glimpse of the beach with your own eyes.
Kai Bae beach
A few hundred meters after Klong Prao Beach, we will find ourselves on the next beach – Kai Bae beach – a fairly good beach strip about 1.5 km long.
Along the seaside, there are many palm trees allowing shade and shelter from the blazing noon sun, and like most of Koh Chang beaches – here too you will find chairs, hammocks, plenty of restaurants, cafes, and massages on the beach.
Although the beach is at a lesser level than the northern part of White Sand Beach or Klong Prao beach – the atmosphere is pleasant and good. This is certainly a good compromise between the commercialization and tourism of White Sand beach and the over-simplicity and backpacking parties’ atmosphere of Lonely beach, which is several kilometers south of here.
Most resorts on the beach belong to the same family and here too, you will find various resorts at different levels – from hostels and guesthouses to good-quality resorts.
This is the place to share an interesting story – before the island began to attract tourists, landowners were mainly fishermen who saw future livelihoods in island crops. The fathers of the family, who wanted to take care of the sons’ livelihoods in the future, bequeathed them with land within the island itself; the beaches, that were considered worthless back then – as nothing could be raised on them – were bequeathed to the family’s daughters.
The road here goes remarkably close to the beach, which means all the variety of shops, massages, restaurants, pubs, along the road, are within a short walking distance from all the local resorts.
The area is highly diverse with a pleasant atmosphere – restaurants, pubs, shops, cafes, music, massages, and more – very pleasant to walk around and enjoy various experiences.
Compared to Lonely Beach which is not far away and intended for backpackers and a noticeably young crowd of party-goers – Kai Bae Beach is more suited for relaxed couples and families. My impression is that most of the visitors who are fond of the beach area in the 30-50 age range.
Here, I also wanted to kindly mention an Italian restaurant called Mordi & Fuggi – a lovely little Italian restaurant with homey, hearty, and delicious food.
- At the end of the article you will find a video I took so you can feast your eyes on the beach and what the area has to offer in the evening.
Beyond Kai Bae beach, the road climbs a mountain and goes down from the other side to Lonely beach and the southern part of the island – Bang Bao pier and more. On the way, the impressive Kai Bae viewpoint overlooks several small islands near Koh Chang: Ko Yuak, Ko Pli, Ko Man Nok and Ko Man Nai, which can be reached by foot during low tide. It is highly recommended to stop by for a look; the sight is beautiful, and quite a few visitors come here to take a photo at sunset.
Conclusion: Kai Bae Beach is a good compromise between the heavy tourism and business of White Sand Beach and the quiet and expensive cost of seafront rooms at Klong Prao beach
If White Sand beach is far too developed, overloaded and toured for you, and if Klong Proa beach is too quiet , lacking a sufficient variety of shops, restaurants, pubs and nightlife to your liking – Kai Bae beach can be a great solution for you.
