Laemmakham community

Ban Laemmakham is a community-tourism village in Laem Ngop district, Trat province — the mainland district that serves as the boat gateway to Koh Chang, about 10 km from Trat town. Walking through the village and its Rama V memorial hall is free; the community’s own guided overnight programs cost extra and are booked separately.

Experience

The village has been settled for more than a century, and its identifying feature is that Buddhist and Muslim residents have lived side by side here for generations — Wat Laemmakham temple sits next to a Muslim place of worship known locally as the Toh Wali, described by the community as unusual for standing this close together on shared ground. A rickshaw ride is the usual way to see the layout, stopping at a small museum of hand-carved wooden puppets built by a local craftsman, and at open-air demonstrations of basket weaving — nipa palm leaves for hats, bamboo for fans, and the reed-like Donax plant for bags and mats.

The Rama V memorial learning centre is the other anchor. King Chulalongkorn made royal visits to this part of Trat, and the community has assembled artefacts and information connected to those trips rather than presenting a formal museum collection — it’s a village-run tribute more than an institutional one.

Atmosphere & Timing

This is a working residential community, not a staged attraction — houses, a working temple and a functioning mosque sit alongside the visitor stops, so it rewards a slower pace over a quick drive-through. Organised overnight packages add boat trips into the nearby mangroves to watch fireflies after dark, along with home-cooked local meals, but a casual half-day visit covers the village core comfortably.

Practical

Laemmakham sits just off the road to the Laem Ngop pier, making it a natural stop on the way to or from the Koh Chang ferry rather than a separate trip from Bangkok or Trat town. Laem Ngop Viewpoint, overlooking the pier and the strait to Koh Chang, is a short drive away and worth combining with a visit. Contact the community coordinator ahead of a visit if you want a guide or the basket-weaving demonstration arranged — turning up unannounced means you’ll mostly see the temple and streets rather than the craft activities.

Insider Tip: Combine this with Ban Nam Chiao Community further up the coast — both run similar Muslim-Buddhist cultural programs and pair well as a half-day loop before catching the Koh Chang ferry.

Watch out: This is a lived-in village, not a tourist set — always ask before photographing residents, and expect limited English on the ground outside pre-booked guided programs.