Koh Tao

⚠️ Timetables, opening hours, prices and access conditions may change without notice, for reasons beyond our control (season, weather, decisions by operators, venues or local authorities). Before every trip, check the information with the relevant authorities and service providers. Entry requirements and local rules (reserves, quotas) are subject to the same caveat.

A small granite island in the Gulf of Thailand, Koh Tao, “Turtle Island”, covers only about 21 km², yet it has become one of the world’s busiest places to earn a scuba certification. Dozens of PADI, SSI and RAID schools train beginners and future instructors a short boat ride from renowned sites such as Chumphon Pinnacle and Sail Rock. Between dives, you can snorkel in Tanote, Aow Leuk or Shark Bay, climb to the John-Suwan viewpoint and visit the sandbar-linked beaches of Koh Nang Yuan. With no airport, the island is reached by catamaran from Chumphon or Koh Samui.

Where is Koh Tao?

Koh Tao lies on the western side of the Gulf of Thailand, north of Koh Phangan and Koh Samui. It belongs to Koh Phangan district in Surat Thani province, but the shortest crossing is from Chumphon province on the mainland. The island is tiny: roughly 21 km², about 3 km wide and 7 km long, with granite hills covered in jungle and coconut palms that drop straight into clear water. Many visitors come for a few days and end up staying weeks.

Life is concentrated on the west coast. Mae Haad, the main village, is where every ferry docks and where you will find ATMs and most shops. Just north, Sairee stretches for about 1.7 km as the island’s longest beach, lined with dive schools, bars and sunset spots. In the south, Chalok Baan Kao is quieter, while the east coast, carved into coves such as Tanote, Aow Leuk and Hin Wong, stays wild and is reached by very steep roads.

History and culture of Turtle Island

Long almost uninhabited, Koh Tao appeared on old European maps as Pulo Bardia. In 1899 King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) visited and left his monogram carved on a huge boulder at Jor Por Ror Bay near Sairee, a spot still revered by islanders. From 1933 to 1947 the island served as a prison for political detainees, until Prime Minister Khuang Abhaiwongse obtained a royal pardon for them and the penal colony was abandoned.

After the prison closed, families from Koh Phangan and Chumphon settled here, planting thousands of coconut palms and living from fishing. The first foreign travellers arrived in the 1980s, and diving transformed the island in the 1990s. Today Koh Tao blends southern Thai culture, flower-decked spirit houses and a Buddhist temple with an international community of instructors and many Burmese workers. Reef protection, from artificial reefs to beach clean-ups, has become part of local identity.

Things to see and do on Koh Tao

Diving is the island’s big draw: try dives, Open Water, Advanced or divemaster training, often in small groups and even in French or other languages at some schools. As a rough guide, an Open Water course costs around 11,000 baht. Experienced divers head for Chumphon Pinnacle and Sail Rock, two granite pinnacles dropping to 45 m, with schooling barracuda, groupers and, if you are lucky, whale sharks, mostly between February and May. Freediving is also big, with well-known schools in Sairee.

On land, Koh Tao is best explored on foot. The John-Suwan viewpoint above Chalok Baan Kao rewards a twenty-minute scramble over boulders with views over two bays and, on clear days, as far as Koh Phangan (small entry fee, around 100 baht as a guide). Other lookouts near Mango Bay or Tanote are worth an early start. You can also take a Thai cooking class in Sairee, try Muay Thai, paddleboard at sunset or join a day trip to Ang Thong Marine Park.

Beaches, snorkelling and marine life

Sairee is the liveliest beach and perfect for sunsets, while Mae Haad and Chalok Baan Kao have calmer water. The best snorkelling is in the coves: Tanote Bay on the east coast, with a reef just metres from the sand and a big rock for jumping; Aow Leuk, where artificial reefs have been installed; Shark Bay (Ao Thian Ok), known for harmless blacktip reef sharks and green turtles; and the wilder Hin Wong and Mango Bay.

Not to be missed, Koh Nang Yuan is a trio of islets joined by sandbars, 15 to 20 minutes by water taxi from Sairee. There is an entry fee (around 100 baht as a guide), visits run from 10am to 5pm and plastic bottles are banned, so bring a refillable one. The trail to the famous viewpoint takes about a quarter of an hour. Everywhere, avoid touching coral, use reef-friendly sunscreen and do not stand on shallow reefs already weakened by bleaching.

Getting to Koh Tao and getting around

Koh Tao has no airport. From Bangkok, the easiest route is to reach Chumphon by train (about 6h20 to 9h15), bus or a flight from Don Mueang, then board the Lomprayah catamaran (about 1h45). You can also fly to Koh Samui with Bangkok Airways and take a Lomprayah or Seatran Discovery fast boat (1h30 to 2h, via Koh Phangan), or travel via Surat Thani. Slower, basic night boats also run from Chumphon and Surat Thani for travellers on a tight budget.

All boats dock at Mae Haad, where pick-up taxis wait with fixed fares. On the island you can walk, hop in a taxi or water taxi, or rent a scooter (roughly 150 to 300 baht a day as a guide). Take care: roads are narrow, very steep and sometimes unpaved, and scooter crashes injure many visitors every year. Wear a helmet, carry a valid motorcycle licence, never ride after drinking and photograph the bike before renting. Timetables and rules change, so check with operators and authorities before you travel.

Best time to go, budget and entry requirements

Koh Tao follows the Gulf of Thailand climate, out of step with the Andaman Sea side around Phuket and Koh Lanta. The best period runs from February to September: dry and hot from February to May, with calm seas and visibility often above 20 m, then passing showers from June to September. The northeast monsoon arrives in late October and peaks in November, bringing rough seas and occasionally cancelled crossings; December and January are cooler but still unsettled.

The currency is the Thai baht (THB); ATMs are plentiful in Mae Haad and Sairee, but keep cash for deposits and small shops. Since 15 September 2026, French citizens travelling to Thailand for tourism are visa-exempt for 30 days, down from 60, with one possible 30-day extension at an immigration office; other nationalities should check their own rules. Everyone must also complete the free TDAC digital arrival card within 3 days before arrival, and passports should be valid for six months.

Essentials

Your questions answered

Nearby islands: Koh Phangan, Koh Samui, Koh Lanta and Phuket.

Photo : Justraveling.com, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons