If you want to take a break from the beach, a wide range of activities await you both off shore and inland.

If there’s one thing guests will take back with them it’s the memory of Thai cuisine. Nowadays it’s easy enough to recreate a lot of your favourite dishes at home, since most ingredients can be easily obtained or substituted. Aiyapura offers cooking classes in the resort. Classes take a few hours and will teach you classic Thai dishes that will impress your friends. Students usually learn the art of fruit and vegetable carving as well. You will have the opportunity to cook dishes yourself, and then dine with fellow students after class.

The Klong Son Elephant Camp or Ban Kwan Chang operates half-day tours from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The cost is 900 Baht inclusive of transportation to and from the resort, drinking water and bananas and coconuts to feed the elephants. A 40-minute ride costs 500 Baht. Ban Kwan Chang Elephant Camp was set up to give retired show and logging elephants a safe and comfortable sanctuary. Ban Kwan Chang is supported by the Asian Elephant Foundation.

The best diving season is between October/November and April. The best sites are on the west and southern tip of the island, between Koh Chang (Ko Chang) and Koh Kood (Ko Kut). There you can see soft corals, anemones, myriad reef fish, and sometimes eel. Hin Luk Bat and Hin Lap both have coral seamounts. Further south, white-tip reef sharks can be found near Hin Phrai Nam.

In addition, there are two wreck dive sites. The Koh Chang (Ko Chang) Wreck is a Thai warship sunk by the French navy in 1941. The wreck is only 15 metres deep in the Salakphet Bay on the southern tip of the island. The other wreck is the Pak One Wreck which sank after hitting a coral reef in August 1996 on its way to Vietnam. It resurfaced almost 8 years later. The 900-ton sunken tanker posed a danger to ships on international waters. The Royal Thai Navy drained off its 600 tonnes of liquefied petroleum gas and resank it between Koh Chang and Koh Samet. It now lies horizontally in 35-metre-deep waters.

There are a few diving centres on Koh Chang (Ko Chang) such as the Ploy Scuba Diving in Bang Bao. They provide free transfer to and from the resort. Language barrier is no problem to the centre since they provide instructions in different languages. Following the standards of the sister centre in Koh Samet, this is the premier diving operator in Eastern Thailand.

For a relaxing trip along the coastlines, try paddling canoes. Canoes can be found along the beaches and some resorts.

During the cooler months on Koh Chang, you can rent a boat to slowly cruise along the waters at night to see fireflies in the mangroves. Thousands of fireflies send out mating signals as they settle into the mangrove forest, lighting up the whole tree with their simultaneous flashing in the dark. It's like rows of Christmas trees. We can provide information on where to go.

Waterfalls and Mangroves

Koh Chang is famous for its waterfalls and mangrove swamps. Guests can see waterfalls in the National Park, or take a relaxing punt in the mangroves at Salak Kok, followed by a seafood lunch in a floating fishing village.

Thai Boxing

Aiyapura has a new Muay Thai (Thai Kick Boxing) training arena, and the Thai National Team has already made use of the fantastic facilities for a training retreat. The famous Muay Thai Institute, founded by Mr. Amnuay Kesbumrung, pioneer and owner of the Rangsit Thai boxing stadium, can now offer its courses at Aiyapura. We can arrange training programmes for individuals or groups at reasonable rates. (www.muaythai-institute.net)

	Village trekking and nature walks
	Mountain Bikes
	Daily cruise
	Diving school
	Movie & Music library
	Private yoga, Pilates and meditation
	Trampoline
	Dart or Archery
	Sea Bicycle
	Jungle walk
	Aiyapura Gym