Stunning Koh Si Chang Island on a full-day join-in tour

Just North of town and Tha Lang pier where the ferry arrives is a Chinese temple known as the Chao Pho Khao Yai Shrine, or “Shrine of the Father Spirit of the Great Mountain”. The shrine dedicated to the spirit is housed in one of the many caves. Going back many centuries, the shrine is believed to have been founded by Chinese traders passing the island by boat. During Chinese New Year the shrine is visited by thousands of pilgrims from across Asia.

Koh Si Chang is a district of Chonburi Province, Thailand. It consists of the island of Koh Si Chang and its adjoining islands. Koh Si Chang is in the Gulf of Thailand, 12 km off the shore of Si Racha District. Three kings of the Chakri Dynasty, King Rama IV, Rama V, and Rama VI, occasionally visited the island for rest. King Rama V built a summer palace, Phra Chuthathut Palace, named after his son who was born on this island, Prince Chuthathut. The royal residence was largely abandoned in 1893 after the French occupied the island during a conflict with Thailand over control of neighboring Laos. In 1900, parts of the palace were torn down and reassembled as part of Vimanmek Mansion in Bangkok.

Pattaya is a city on Thailand’s eastern Gulf coast known for its beaches. A quiet fishing village as recently as the 1960s, it’s now lined with resort hotels, high-rise condos, shopping malls, cabaret bars and 24-hour clubs. Nearby, hillside Wat Phra Yai Temple features an 18m-tall golden Buddha. The area also features several designer golf courses, some with views of Pattaya Bay.

The Phra Chuthathut Palace or Sichang Palace is a summer royal residence built during the reign of King Chulalongkorn the Great on the Sichang Island in Chonburi Province. After the French occupied the island during a conflict with Thailand over control of neighboring Laos in 1893, the royal residence was largely abandoned. Parts of the unfinished halls were removed and were used for the new Vimanmek Mansion in Bangkok. Since leaving the royal control, the palace has been used by various affiliations and authorities. Today, Chulalongkorn University occupies the palace for its "Sichang Marine Science Research and Training Station" and established the Chutathut Palace Museum of Chulalongkorn University, maintaining and preserving the palace.