Koh Tao Island Travel
Koh Tao Overview
The island of Koh Tao, a tropical island also known as the Turtle Island is located in the Gulf of Thailand at the northern part of Samui. The peak seasons to take a vacation at this divers’ paradise are December to March and July to August. The island is a common destination for Thais especially on special holidays, making the island fully booked on these occasions. Originally, this was a detention place for political prisoners like Koh Tarutao of Satun Province, but now it is a great place to learn how to dive and a great place for divers.
Koh Tao Main Attractions
Koh Tao is known for diving schools. This island actually encompasses the most of the diving schools in Thailand. You can travel a few kilometers northwest of this island to take a plunge to a widely regarded as the Gulf of Thailand’s premier dive site, the Chumpon Pinnacles. A wide range of marine animals can be seen at the site including bull sharks, barracuda, batfish, giant gropers, pacific lionfish, and whale sharks (seen occasionally) in the depths of 40 meters of water.
You can trail and explore the island using rented motorbikes or mountain bikes, riding local taxis, or using the traditional taxi-boat to reach the other beautiful beaches that Koh Tao takes pride in. When you move around the island using taxi and boats you may venture every beach the island has to offer.
Koh Tao Activities
There are a lot of things you could do in the island to enjoy even if you’re not a diver. Due to the increasing number of non-diving visitors over the past years, small upmarket resorts nestled in the hillsides have more activities to offer nowadays. These activities include sailing, rock climbing, bouldering, abseiling, cliff jumping, wake boarding, paint-ball jungle games, mini golf or bowling, massage and yoga courses, and cooking courses.
Koh Tao Accommodation & Dining
If you’re planning to vacation in Koh Tao, you can choose from a wide variety of rooms, from a simple hut to ventilated native bungalows to air conditioned bungalows. The price ranges from 150 baht to 800 baht or from 30 to 180 USD. A vast number of restaurants are also available on the island, serving a huge selection of Thai food you might enjoy. Such restaurants serve lots of sea foods like barbequed fish, fresh banana pancakes, porridges, Italian pastas, pizzas and fruit juices.
Koh Tao Shopping & Nightlife
You can enjoy the nightlife in Koh Tao. Koh Tao has something that every party seeker could ever wish for - bars and clubs some with live music and disk jockeys, other places with pool tables. Some of them are open throughout the night while others kick off at 2 am. As for shopping, since the island is quite small, most of the shops only sell souvenirs.
Getting To & Around Koh Tao
If you’re planning to vacation in Koh Tao, simply book any flight to Thailand – most major airlines have regular flights to the country – and make your way to the small island by boat. The boat ride may take up anywhere from 2 to 5 hours.
