I’m not kidding when I say I found the best island to visit in Thailand. Seriously. Koh Tao
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During our one month trip to Thailand, we wanted to experience a mix of the hustle and bustle of a big Asian city and the relaxation of a tropical paradise.
After spending some time inland in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, we hopped on a plane and headed south to the islands.
The islands of Thailand are known the world over for their beautiful beaches, friendly locals, and mouthwatering food. The country is called the land of smiles for a reason!
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The Best Island To Visit In Thailand?
I’ll concede that this is strictly opinion and I can’t actually prove that Koh Tao is the best island to visit in Thailand. But, I can tell you why I love it and try to convince you to spend some time in this lovely place.
Everyone is looking for a difference experience during their time in Thailand, I get that. If you are hoping to find something similar to what we were, I really think you’ll enjoy this island that has a piece of my heart.
What led us to explore Koh Tao was the promise of a laid back and quieter island.
We spent a few days on Koh Samui, and while we enjoyed it, we did notice the island was quite busy. And, the beaches were not as impressive as we’d hoped.
Koh Samui is one of the largest Thai islands, and is almost ten times larger than Koh Tao. You can really tell that Samui is a large island and it’s not as easy to get around as some of the other islands. Plus, it really attracts a young party crowd in many areas, which is fine, just not what we were looking for.
Little Koh Tao offered us everything we were looking for that we did not find on Samui.
If you’re looking for a more authentic and relaxed Thai island experience, Koh Tao is the best island to visit in Thailand.
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How to Get There
The only way to get to Koh Tao is by ferry, either from Surat Thani on the mainland, or one of the two closest islands, Koh Samui and Koh Phangan.
Since we had been on Samui, we took the ferry from there. We got tickets with the Lomprayah Ferry Service, and the ride ended up taking around 1.5 hours. It was a fairly comfortable boat ride and yes, there are restrooms aboard.
You can buy tickets online ahead of time, or buy from one of the many local tour operators in town.
I believe you can get a much better price by buying the tickets in person the day before. Make sure you go to 2 or 3 places to compare prices. But, generally they’ll be very close in price. I believe we paid 500 or 600 baht per person.
If you leave from Samui, you’ll first stop at Koh Phangan and let off some passengers on their way to a full moon party before continuing on to Koh Tao.
How To Enjoy The Best Island in Thailand
What is there to do on Koh Tao? Well, a lot!
It may be a small island, but it’s a place where you can get any sort of island experience that you’re looking for. Beach relaxing, snorkeling, hiking, laying by the pool, you name it.
We recommend renting a scooter while on Koh Tao, because the island is small but there is no public transportation. Most hotels have shuttles that will take you down to the main beach area. But if there is anywhere else you want to go, you’ll have a hard time getting there.
We rented our scooter from a small place on the road to our hotel, the Tarna Align Hotel. This scooter rental is so small it doesn’t even show up on Google Maps. But, there are plenty of places to rent a scooter in town so pick one and go!
We paid about 250 baht per day, or around $7.25USD for our scooter rental.
Head to the Beaches
There are obviously lots of beaches on Koh Tao seeing as it’s an island, so take your pick and go explore! We got the chance to hit just a few beaches while we were there, so I can give you my opinion on those.
Sairee Beach
Sairee Beach is the ‘main’ beach on the island, close to most of the resorts and bungalows with the most restaurants and shops nearby. It’s a long beach located in the bay and is on the same side of the island as the ferry port.
You’ll find little shops, lots of restaurants, bungalows, beachside hotels, and rental stands. It’s also a nice beach to see the sunset and watch the sun sink below the horizon dotted with fishtail boats.
Tanote Bay
Tanote Bay was our favorite beach we visited and one we highly recommend. We rode the scooter there in about 15 minutes from our second hotel, the Cape Shark Pool Villas. But just about anywhere on the island is less than 20 minutes by scooter.
At Tanote Bay, you can do some incredible snorkeling, chill in a hammock at Poseidon Resort Bar, and even jump off the rocks in the middle of the bay (please only do this if you feel confident and be sure to jump into the deep water!)
We absolutely loved spending the entire day at Tanote Bay, most of which we spent drinking watermelon juice and beer at Poseidon Resort Bar. Be sure to also get the chicken satay, yum!
Shark Bay
The next beach we visited was a bit of a let down. Let me explain…
We decided to go to Shark Bay, because we could see it from our hotel and we wanted to swim with sharks! We took our scooter to Haad Tien Beach Resort, paid the 50 baht entry fee for outside guests, and headed to the beach. Once we got down to the water, it was high tide and there was really nowhere to sit on the beach that wasn’t practically in a tree.
The water was sort of dirty and there was trash on the beach, which backed up to a nice resort, so we would have expected our 50 baht would go towards the clean up of the beach.
So, we didn’t even get in the water because it wasn’t too inviting. I think it might have been the time of day, but it wasn’t a great spot for us. So, I would recommend you skip Shark Bay, or visit by boat for the snorkeling we have heard is very good!
If you want to see for yourself, you may have an entirely different experience!
We have heard that Mango Bay is a fantastic spot for snorkeling and enjoying the beach. If we could do it again, I would have gone there instead. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think!
See The Local Wildlife of Koh Tao
As you explore the island, keep your eyes peeled for monkeys, go snorkeling to swim with the aquatic wildlife, and listen to the symphony of birds all around at sunset.
If you want to snorkel, I recommend the island of Koh Nang Yuan which I talk about below, Maya Bay, and Tanote Bay.
Koh Nang Yuan
One of the best things you can do while on Koh Tao is walk to Sairee Beach, rent a water taxi, and head to Koh Nang Yuan.
I really think Koh Nang Yuan is what helps make Koh Tao the best island to visit in Thailand.
This amazing spot is a natural wonder where three small islands are connected by sandbars that shift throughout the day with the tide. You can actually walk on the sand bars to each island, just be careful when the tide is high because the pull is quite strong!
You’ll find incredible snorkeling if you head out in any direction to explore. I was in awe of the fish and coral that we saw and swam with. One of the little fish was curious about me and even followed me around for a little while.
We saw clownfish, bannerfish, barracuda, trigger fish, stingray, starfish, and a ton more. It’s also possible to see blacktip reef sharks!
We rented our snorkeling gear with our scooter for a really good deal, about $1.50USD per day, and brought it with us to the park.
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The day that we went to Koh Nang Yuan was pretty quiet for whatever reason, but I’m under the impression from what else I’ve read that our experience isn’t the norm. Some days may be very busy with tourists, others may not. So be prepared to have a lot of people there with you.
I recommend you go early in the morning, or maybe even stay on the island to enjoy it before the day-trippers arrive. There is a 3-star resort on the island called Nangyuan Island Dive Resort.
While at Koh Nang Yuan, you must hike to the viewpoint if you’re able to. The view is just fantastic!
Hike a Viewpoint
There are a number of viewpoints on Koh Tao where you’ll get some really awesome views of the island and the water beyond.
I’ve consolidated the viewpoints that I know of on the google map above to make it a bit easier for you to find them.
Note that some viewpoints charge a small ‘entry’ fee that varies, but is usually somewhere around 100 baht. It’s good to keep cash on you at all times for things like this!
Where To Stay When You Visit
We stayed at two different places while on Koh Tao, one a resort and the other an apartment style hotel.
Both experiences were lovely and we recommend either place to anyone planning to visit Koh Tao. We found both accommodations on Booking.com.
That being said, there are so many more amazing places on Koh Tao that we saw while we rode around.
There are lots of apartment style villas, bungalows, and resorts to choose from. The best part is the affordable prices!
Tarna Align Resort
The first resort we stayed at was the Tarna Align Resort. The rooms are located up on a hill overlooking the island, so you get amazing views of the beautiful palms and Sairee Beach below.
We stayed in one of the Villa Sea View rooms, which is a stand alone structure, almost like a tree house, with a queen bed, bathroom, and balcony overlooking the resort. Our booking also included breakfast and pool access.
The resort is spread out and our room was one of the furthest from the reception area. But, the hotel offers free golf cart rides to the rooms at any time of day, so it wasn’t an inconvenience.
Tarna Align Resort also hosts diving classes that you can sign up for with the front desk.
Cape Shark Villas
The second place we stayed was at the Cape Shark Villas on the South side of the island.
For $130USD/night we had a private apartment with a full kitchen, outside patio, and waterfall pool overlooking Shark Bay!
I cannot recommend this place enough. The kitchen was stocked with drinks and snacks for purchase, and there were menus for recommended take out.
There was access to the water by walking down from the villas, which weren’t right on the water, but it wasn’t too far of a walk. Plus, we had our scooter, so it was easy for us to get in and out of the hotel to explore other areas.
If you arrive on the ferry and are staying with Cape Shark Villas, they will arrange a pickup for you to bring you to your accommodation.
I highly recommend Cape Shark Villas!
I hope I’ve been able to convince you that Koh Tao is the best island to visit in Thailand! If you spend time on Koh Tao, let me know how you liked it!
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