Area: 2819 Square Kilometres
Population: 220,000
Districts: Muang Trat, Klong Yai, Khao Saming, Bo Rai, Laem Ngop
Sub-Districts: Koh Chang, Koh Kood
Industry: Tourism, Agriculture, Fisheries

Location: Thailand’s Eastern most province is 300 kilometres from Bangkok and borders Chantaburi, the Gulf of Thailand and Cambodia where you can cross into Koh Kong from Had Lek in Klong Yai District, 90 Kilometres from Trat City.

History
Trat formerly known as Thung Yai can be traced back to the reign of King Prasat Thong (1629-1656) of the Ayutthaya period.
In 1904 Trat was given to French Indochina in exchange for part of Chantaburi that the French occupied, it was given back to Siam again in 1906 in exchange for areas of Cambodia including Battambang.
The French tried to invade Trat again in January 1941 but were repelled by the Thai navy which lost 3 ships in the process. An annual memorial is held on 17th January the day the battle ended to honour those who lost their lives protecting the kingdom.

Trat City
Unlike Chantaburi, Rayong and Pattaya, Trat is a quiet city that barely sees more than a handful of tourists each day. And although there’s not a huge amount of activities for travellers, Trat does offer a genuine insight of day to day Thai life with bustling day and night markets selling freshly caught fish and seafood, and fruit and vegetables straight from the local farms.
A seafood dinner in Trat can be little more than a few dollars and the Guest Houses are as cheap as you’ll find in Thailand.

Things to Do
The huge Khao Rakam reservoir just on the edge of town is a beautiful nature spot with a 14km long road going all the way around. It’s perfect for some gentle cycling and in the evenings the sunsets can be quite spectacular with Koh Chang as a distant backdrop.

Wat Bupharam

a couple of kilometers from the reservoir is Trat’s oldest temple at 350 years and is enjoyed for it’s stunning architecture and beautifully kept gardens, there is also a museum displaying Buddhist artefacts.

During the day it’s worth visiting the indoor municipal market which sells just about everything imaginable, and in the evening the open air night market is a great place to enjoy a beer and an inexpensive meal.

Trat Dining
Although dining at Trat’s night market can be a convivial experience many other restaurants in and around town offer superb cuisine at remarkably modest prices.
And if you’re willing to travel a little then the options are even more agreeable, for instance just a couple of kilometres from town is Krungthai Kitchen, a very modern concept for Trat serving stylish classic Thai dishes and a few genuinely delicious international flavours. The clean, bright and air conditioned surroundings are somewhat of a rarity in Trat as is premium ice cream like Buds, you won’t find it anywhere else in town. A little further from town around 8 kilometres is one of Trat’s most famous seafood restaurants Suanpu, located within Banpu Resort on the Trat-Laem Sok road number 3155. The restaurant and resort are set in lush mangrove forest with spectacular views from the restaurant of Cambodia and Koh Chang.
Such fine surroundings and superb seafood dishes have kept this restaurant in business for 20 years and the classy resort that has sprung up around it make it not only a great dining spot but also one of Trat’s most pleasant places to stay.

Koh Chang

Of Trat’s 52 islands Koh Chang is by far the most visited and although only 10 years ago it was virtually unknown outside the backpacker circle it is now fast becoming a first class tourist destination.
It is Thailand’s second largest island covering 429 sq.km and boasts a multitude of dazzling beaches, majestic waterfalls and spectacular jungle clad mountains. And its national park status means that the rampant development is confined to only a handful of places.

White Sand Beach
White Sand is the busiest beach area on Koh Chang offering accommodation in just about every class, restaurants are in abundance and there are enough bars to keep your liver nicely pickled.
The beach itself is over 2 kilometres long and the best areas for swimming and sunbathing are in the middle and the north end, as the southern end can be quite rocky depending on the tides and season.
In the evenings the activities continue as the beach becomes the focal point for seafood dinners with most resorts and restaurants laying out tables and chairs for moonlit dinners.
Away from the beach are more restaurants and bars plus an ever increasing number of shops, minimarts, internet cafes and many other amenities to fill your time.

Klong Phrao
A seemingly endless long sweeping beach Klong Phrao offers a wide range of high end accommodation which suits package tourists and family groups. It is definitely one of the most beautiful beaches on Koh Chang with fine powdery sand and coconut trees hanging gracefully over the gentle lapping water.
Some areas have suffered though during the boom times so it’s worth walking and searching out the best spots.
Activities around Klong Phrao include kayaking, elephant trekking, Klong Plu waterfall and Thai cookery courses.

Kai Bae
The small bay has a surprising amount of accommodation options that range from pretty bungalows on the beach to small hotels by the cliffs.
It’s a picturesque beach with great sunsets and an island at the south end that is possible to walk to during low tide, other times it is accessible by kayak.
On the roadside there’s more accommodation and an enormous amount of bars, restaurants and other shops, going south up the steep road just passed Seaview Resort is a spectacular viewpoint of the bay and offshore islands.

Tha Nam Beach (Lonely Beach) & Bailan
Tha Nam is a stunning beach during high season with the ever increasingly popular Bailan offering more in the form of bars and entertainment. Once a very popular hangout for backpackers the area is quickly turning into one of Koh Chang’s most prosperous spots with the arrival of several up market resorts including the prestigious Dusit Thani Group’s, Princess Resort.

Bang Bao
Stilted out to sea Bang Bao used to serve as a thriving fishing community, these days though you’re more likely to bump into a scuba instructor than a fisherman and most of the fishermen houses have been turned into souvenir shops and restaurants.
It’s still one of Koh Chang’s must see destinations though and the seafood restaurants offer exquisite food, lunch is a great time to enjoy the fabulous views and relaxed ambience.

Salak Phet
A truer reflection of a real fishing village can be found at Salak Phet where you can also enjoy stilted housing and a sublime bay that hosts the islands of Koh Mapring, Koh Phrao Nai and Koh Phrao Nok.
Not many people bother to travel here as it’s quite a distant from the main beaches, those who do can enjoy the 2 free waterfalls of Klong Nung and Khiri Phet plus kayaking around the mangrove forests at Salak Kok or around the bay and its islands.

Koh Kood

Thailand’s 4th largest island is also one of its most stunning, and slow development means most of its natural wonderment is very much intact. Like Koh Chang it is mostly covered by mountainous rainforest while the beaches are truly white sand and the surrounding water is crystal clear with alluring green and blue shades that offer great snorkelling and a sense of complete paradise.
It’s difficult to pick the best beach but Ao Chao probably just about shades it, and the added benefit of staying here is that you’re also close to Klong Chao waterfall which in itself is another truly spectacular feature.
Koh Kood is very much a beach holiday though, so if you’re looking for nightlife then stick to Koh Chang.

Koh Mak
The area’s 3rd largest island has a coastline that is 27km long boasting long white sandy beaches that in 2006 were chosen as one of the world’s top ‘secret’ beaches by the UK’s The Times newspaper. It’s a great place to go exploring with decent roads and some great bays and secluded beaches to discover.
Koh Mak is also a good place to locate yourself if you want to discover scuba as it is near many of the popular dive sights.
One downside to this charming little island is the number of sand flies; coconut oil seems to be one of the better deterrents.

Koh Kham
Paradisiacal white sands are pierced by black volcanic rocks and surrounded by calm turquoise seas on this one resort island. It is absolutely blissful with great snorkeling and a friendly manager that makes your stay even more pleasurable.
Rumours are though that it’s been purchased by a rich Scandinavian so it’s unlikely the $10 bungalows will last very long.
www.kohkhamisland.com

Koh Rayang
Not too dissimilar to Koh Kham in terms of mesmerizing beauty, Koh Rayang’s one resort offers slightly more luxurious accommodation still at reasonable prices.
www.rayang-island.com

Koh Wai
There are four small resorts operating on Koh Wai mostly accommodating to budget travellers with rooms for as little as 250 Baht.
The beaches are exquisite and the off shore snorkelling excellent, for this reason the island tends to attract many day trippers in high season because of it’s close proximity to Koh Chang.