Eastern · Thailand
Trat · ตราด
Koh Chang, Koh Kood, Koh Mak — the quieter eastern island chain.
- Region
- Eastern
- Population
- 230,000
- Area
- 2,819 km²
- Stories filed
- 1
About Trat
History
Trat is Thailand's easternmost province and the gateway to the Koh Chang archipelago's fifty-two islands. It was briefly ceded to French Indochina in 1907 in exchange for France's restoration of Battambang and Siem Reap — a diplomatic swap that left the province under French administration for several years before reverting in 1909. Its border with Cambodia at Hat Lek–Koh Kong is now one of Thailand's most-used eastern land crossings; the Cambodian casino infrastructure is visible from the Thai approach road, and the gem trade in coloured stones from the Cardamom range remains active.
Landscape & geography
A narrow strip of coastal plain pinned between the Cardamom and Banthat mountain ranges and a scattering of fifty-two islands, of which Koh Chang, Koh Mak, and Koh Kood are the most visited. Koh Chang — 429 square kilometres and 70% national park forest — is Thailand's third-largest island; Koh Kood, at the southern tip with waterfall-fed rivers running to the beach, is frequently ranked among the kingdom's most beautiful. The mainland town of Trat retains a pleasant century-old shophouse market and a gem trade in rubies and sapphires.
Why visit
Koh Chang offers the mid-range traveller a viable alternative to Phuket and Samui — long beaches on its west coast, good diving on the offshore reefs, and a national park interior crossed by trekking trails. Koh Kood is the quieter, more exclusive option with crystal-clear water and mangrove kayaking on the Ban Khlong Hin estuary. Mainland Trat has a charming old wooden market, a night market, and easy ferry and minibus connections. The town's coloured-stone dealers sell rubies and sapphires from Cambodia and Myanmar at direct prices, well below Bangkok.
Stories from Trat
Articles, reviews, and itineraries tagged to this province.
