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Wooded hills and a bay on Koh Tao in the Gulf of Thailand
Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, where most of the island's dive schools sit
The small sandy cove and boulders of Tanote Bay on the east coast of Koh Tao
Boats moored off Sairee beach on the west coast of Koh Tao
The granite headland of Hin Tha Toh on the south coast of Koh Tao

Things to do on Koh Tao: 9 experiences

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Photo: Visions of Domino, CC BY 2.0

Sairee, Koh Tao

Learn to dive with an Open Water course on Koh Tao

Check dates and prices

Photo: Whatsinaname, Public domain

East coast, Koh Tao

Snorkel from the shore and jump off the rock at Tanote Bay

Photo: Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0

Sairee, Koh Tao

Watch the sunset and fire shows on Sairee Beach

Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

Around Koh Tao

Climb to Koh Tao's viewpoints over its bays

Photo: kallerna, CC BY-SA 4.0

Koh Tao, Turtle Island, covers only about 21 square kilometres of the Chumphon Archipelago, north of Koh Phangan, and since the 1990s has been known above all for diving. Its granite coast drops into sheltered bays and coral reefs, with deeper pinnacles offshore where juvenile bull sharks gather and whale sharks pass.

Most life is on the west coast: Mae Haad, the ferry port, and Sairee Beach, lined with dive schools, bars and guesthouses. The east and south are steep and quieter, with coves such as Tanote Bay and Shark Bay, several reached most easily by longtail.

9 things to do in Koh Tao

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Sairee Beach on Koh Tao, where most of the island's dive schools sit

Learn to dive with an Open Water course on Koh Tao

Sairee, Koh Tao

Three to four daysBook ahead

Scuba is the island's main attraction: calm, shallow bays, dozens of schools and reefs with turtles and reef sharks.

Check dates and pricesPADI Open Water Diver course
Been there?

Take a first freediving course in Koh Tao's calm bays

Sairee, Koh Tao

A few days for a first courseBook ahead

The same sheltered water that suits scuba beginners suits breath-hold diving, and the island has schools devoted to it.

Tours in Koh Tao
Been there?

Dive Chumphon Pinnacle among juvenile bull sharks

Off western Koh Tao

A morningBook ahead

Koh Tao's best-known deep site: a submerged granite pinnacle where curious juvenile bull sharks patrol.

Tours in Koh Tao
Been there?
Boats moored off Sairee beach on the west coast of Koh Tao

Watch the sunset and fire shows on Sairee Beach

Sairee, Koh Tao

An eveningFree

Koh Tao's longest beach faces due west, so every evening ends with a sunset, then fire shows and DJ sets.

Been there?
The small sandy cove and boulders of Tanote Bay on the east coast of Koh Tao

Snorkel from the shore and jump off the rock at Tanote Bay

East coast, Koh Tao

Half a dayFree

A small east-coast cove with a reef straight off the sand and a boulder for cliff jumping.

Been there?
The granite headland of Hin Tha Toh on the south coast of Koh Tao

Climb to Koh Tao's viewpoints over its bays

Around Koh Tao

1 to 2 hours eachFree

A small, steep island means short climbs: John Suwan in the south, Two View in the centre and Fraggle Rock in the north.

Been there?
A giant clam on a coral reef off Koh Tao

Join a reef conservation course or project on Koh Tao

Koh Tao

From a day to several weeksBook ahead

Several island schools run reef restoration, turtle and marine conservation programmes alongside ordinary diving.

Been there?
Villas above the water at Shark Bay on the south-east coast of Koh Tao

Hire a longtail to the beaches roads cannot reach

Around Koh Tao

Half a day to a full dayGo alone or with a tour

Several of Koh Tao's coves are hard or impossible to reach by road; a longtail takes you there in comfort.

Check dates and pricesPrivate longtail to four snorkelling spots
Been there?
The sandbar joining the islets of Koh Nang Yuan, off Koh Tao

Snorkel the bays of Koh Tao and Koh Nang Yuan

Koh Tao

A full dayNo booking needed

Koh Tao's reefs start close to shore, so you can look for Shark Bay's small blacktip reef sharks without a dive course.

Tours in Koh Tao
Been there?

Traveller picks

Hidden gems suggested by travellers. We check each one before it goes up; the words are theirs, not ours.

No traveller picks for Koh Tao yet. Know a place most visitors miss?

Plan your trip

  • Getting there

    Lomprayah and Seatran catamarans run from Koh Samui and Koh Phangan, and from Surat Thani and Chumphon on the mainland, with combined bus and boat tickets from Bangkok. Night boats with dormitory bunks leave Chumphon and Surat Thani late in the evening.

  • Getting around

    Taxis are expensive by Thai standards, with a minimum of about 300 baht. Many travellers rent scooters, but some shops near Mae Haad pier and Sairee keep passports and charge for invented scratches: photograph the bike before riding. Longtails reach the coves.

  • How many days

    In must30's view, four days fits it if you are diving or freediving: a course takes most of that. Without one, two or three days cover the viewpoints, Tanote Bay and a longtail day.

  • When to go

    Diving is good almost all year; November is the month to avoid, with choppy seas and visibility down to about 5 metres. The Gulf's wettest stretch runs from about November to February.

  • Where to base yourself

    Sairee for dive schools, sunsets and nightlife, Mae Haad for the ferries, Chalok Ban Kao in the south for a quieter bay with schools of its own, and the east coast for seclusion with harder access.

Questions travellers ask

Is Koh Tao good for beginners who have never dived?

Yes. Sheltered, shallow sites and dozens of PADI and SSI schools make it an easy place to learn. Avoid November, when visibility drops.

Can I see whale sharks at Koh Tao?

There is a small chance. They pass occasionally, but no school can guarantee one. Juvenile bull sharks at Chumphon Pinnacle are far more reliable.

Is it safe to rent a scooter on Koh Tao?

The roads are steep and some turn to mud after rain. If you rent, choose a reputable shop, photograph the bike and avoid leaving your passport if a cash deposit is offered.

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