Perched at the bottom of the western side of Ko Chang, Bang Bao is the island's diving mecca and a jumping-off point for other islands in the area. Tourism has all but replaced fishing as the village's main industry, but it's still not so busy as the beaches in the north and Bang Bao retains a laid-back, breezy feel to it.

Most of the action is on a long pier stretching out into the same-named bay. The pier is lined with private houses, shops, restaurants and guesthouses -- all on stilts. There are plans to widen the pier by 1 metre, extend it by another 250m and create a covered walkway, but this might not materialise for another two years.

Time and an over-abundance of travellers and day-trippers have resulted in Bang Bao shifting from being a fairly charming little fishing village into a bit of a tourist trap with overpriced seafood restaurants and no shortage of trinket shops. Despite this rising commercialism, Bang Bao remains interesting -- at least for a short visit. There is a photogenic collection of colourful fishing boats moored at the end of the pier, both genuine working boats and those for tourists' pleasure.

A number of restaurants specialise in freshly caught seafood, though watch your wallet as prices can be very high. Aside from eating, other activities include fishing, snorkeling and diving boat trips.

To the east of the pier area are a few lovely stretches of quiet beach. In front of the gallery at D.Jambe House is a beach the locals have recently started calling Haad Sai Noi. Keep on walking and cross a narrow bridge over a lagoon and you're at another beach, Kong Gloi. One of the area's highlights, this beach has a few huts where you can get a massage and have a snack underneath the palm trees. The beach looks over neighbouring islands and back to the pier at Bang Bao.